Human Experiences
This human experience motivates Billy to pursue ballet despite community judgement.
What is self-discovery?
This adult becomes the key mentor guiding Billy towards ballet.
Who is Mrs Wilkinson?
Billy is originally sent to this type of lesson before discovering ballet.
What is boxing?
This technique uses sound to reflect Billy’s emotional state when he practises alone in the hall.
What is non-diegetic music?
The story is set during the 1984–85 strike by this group of workers.
Who are the coal miners?
The miners’ strike creates this shared human experience for families like the Elliots.
What is collective hardship?
Tony often clashes with Billy because he prioritises supporting this group.
What is the miners’ union?
This event causes Billy to miss his father’s first attempt at watching him dance.
What is the police / miner conflict?
Close-up shots of Billy’s face help the viewer understand these internal elements.
What are emotions and internal conflict?
The film challenges traditional expectations about this social construct related to identity.
What is gender?
Billy’s relationship with Mrs Wilkinson demonstrates this positive human experience between young people and adults.
What is mentoring?
This character challenges gender stereotypes and expresses himself freely through dance and costume.
Who is Michael?
The Royal Ballet School audition panel asks Billy to describe this feeling he experiences when he dances.
What is freedom?
The montage of Billy training illustrates this narrative technique used to show progression over time.
(What is a training montage?
Billy’s town of Everington represents this type of struggling working-class community.
What is an economically disadvantaged community?
Billy experiences this type of transformation as he moves from uncertainty to confidence in his identity.
What is personal growth?
Jackie’s grief over his wife’s death influences this aspect of his parenting.
What is emotional withdrawal?
This conflict between the miners and police forms the social backdrop of the narrative.
What is the miners’ strike?
Lighting in the audition scene symbolises Billy entering this kind of new space or stage of life.
What is a transformative environment?
The film critiques Thatcher-era policies by showing their impact on families, demonstrating this broader social theme.
What is socio-economic inequality?
Jackie’s decision to return to the mines shows a tension between these two human experiences: personal sacrifice and parental responsibility.
What are sacrifice and care?
The Elliots’ reconciliation during Billy’s audition symbolises a shift towards this kind of supportive family dynamic.
What is unconditional familial support?
The moment Jackie sees Billy dance in the gym marks this critical turning point in the narrative.
What is the shift in parental understanding?
The parallel editing between police clashes and Billy’s rehearsals highlights this thematic contrast.
What is conflict versus aspiration?
The clash between community tradition and Billy’s ambitions illustrates this overarching theme.
What is social change?