"Billy Elliot" cast party

Not a tutu was to be seen at the opening night party for the cast of "Billy Elliot, the Musical."

Even without wearing the show's symbolic tulle skirts, the actors and actresses who make the ballet come to life danced the night away at Solera in downtown Minneapolis.

"I love it! It makes me feel free," Jacob Zelonky, who plays Billy's flamboyant friend, Michael, said about the tutus, which they all wear at one time or another during the play. "I'm expressing myself."

Not all of the actors were quite so enthusiastic. Rich Hebert, who plays Billy's coal miner dad, resisted wearing one until the very last moment during rehearsals. "I had to hold onto [the character of] Dad," he said, adding, "I am now one with the tutu."

All five young actors who share the title role during the Minneapolis run of the show enjoy the virtuoso part, including Michael Dameski, 15, who played Billy opening night. With more than 150 performances on the road and on Broadway, the Australian native really connected with the character. "It's sort of similar to me," he said. As a boy, Dameski's professional soccer player dad wanted him to take up the sport. (In the show, Billy begins as a boxer.) However, kicking goals wasn't his true calling. "I'd see my sisters dancing and I wanted to do it too," he said.

He discovered a bigger lesson in the show and his own experiences. "If you want be a dancer, you need to tell your parents," he said. "Don't hide your talent. It's worth it."

Bravo!