David Alvarez (actor)
Encyclopedia
David Alvarez is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 dancer and actor, best known as being one of the original Billys in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 production of Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...

.

Early years

Alvarez was born David Alvarez-Gonzalez in Montreal, Canada, to Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

n parents. His father, David Alvarez-Carbonell, is a professor of biology and chemistry, while his mother, Yanek, is an actress and director of theater. His first languages were French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

. He moved to San Diego with his family when his father took a job at The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute
The Scripps Research Institute is an American medical research facility that focuses on research in the basic biomedical sciences. Headquartered in La Jolla, California, with a sister facility in Jupiter, Florida, the institute is home to 3,000 scientists, technicians, graduate students, and...

.

David began taking classical ballet
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...

 more seriously at the California Ballet. In 2005, Alvarez received a full merit scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...

 School at the American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...

 and his family relocated to New York City. While at ABT
Abt
-Abt:*Abt, a German, Dutch and Estonian word for the regular clerical title of Abbot, as well as a common surname, derived from that title**Alexander Abt -Abt:*Abt, a German, Dutch and Estonian word for the regular clerical title of Abbot, as well as a common surname, derived from that...

, Alvarez danced feature roles in The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...

 at the Kennedy Center Opera House and The Sleeping Beauty at the Metropolitan Opera House
Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center)
The Metropolitan Opera House is an opera house located on Broadway at Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the theater opened in 1966. It replaced the former Metropolitan Opera House at Broadway and 39th St...

. Currently, he continues his ballet training at ABT
Abt
-Abt:*Abt, a German, Dutch and Estonian word for the regular clerical title of Abbot, as well as a common surname, derived from that title**Alexander Abt -Abt:*Abt, a German, Dutch and Estonian word for the regular clerical title of Abbot, as well as a common surname, derived from that...

.

In 2008, Alvarez was listed as one of the top 10 young ballet dancers to watch by Dance Spirit Magazine.

To complement his dancing and acting skills, Alvarez has been training in classical piano, since 2006, at the 92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y
92nd Street Y is a multifaceted cultural institution and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, at the corner of E. 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Its full name is 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association...

 School of Music, where he was awarded the Recanati-Kaplan merit scholarship.

He currently lives with his parents and two sisters in the Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...

, and attends Manhattan's Professional Performing Arts School.

Billy Elliot

Alvarez is one of the three boys originally cast to play Billy in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 production of Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical
Billy Elliot the Musical is a musical based on the 2000 film Billy Elliot. The music is by Sir Elton John, and book and lyrics are by Lee Hall, who wrote the film's screenplay. The plot revolves around motherless Billy, who trades boxing gloves for ballet shoes...

, along with Trent Kowalik
Trent Kowalik
Trent Kowalik is an American actor, dancer, and singer. Kowalik made his theatrical debut as "Billy" in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical on December 17, 2007...

 and Kiril Kulish
Kiril Kulish
Kiril Kulish is an American actor, dancer, and singer. Beginning his ballet training at the age of five, Kulish became a Tony Award winner at the age of fifteen as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as one of the original Billys in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical.-...

. He needed to study tap, acrobatics, voice and acting for the role and spent July 2007 through March 2008 preparing. Billy Elliot the Musical began previews in New York on October 1 and officially opened on November 13, 2008. His first preview performance was on October 2, 2008. He played his final performance on January 3, 2010.

Alvarez's portrayal of Billy Elliot has been highly praised by the critics, including Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...

 and Claudia La Rocco of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

 and Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

.

Alvarez has been featured on Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...

, The View, Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning
Sunday Morning may refer to:* "Sunday Morning" , a Canadian radio program formerly aired on CBC Radio One* CBS News Sunday Morning, a television news program on CBS in the United States...

 on CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...

, The Today Show, Canada AM
Canada AM
Canada AM is a Canadian breakfast television news show, which has aired on the CTV Television Network since 1972. It is currently hosted by Beverly Thomson and Seamus O'Regan, with Marci Ien reporting from the headline news desk and Jeff Hutcheson presenting the weather forecast and sports...

 on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...

, CBC News
CBC News
CBC News is the department within the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on CBC television, radio and online services...

, Despierta America
Despierta América
¡Despierta América! is a popular Spanish language morning show which has aired on the Univision television network since 1997. It is broadcast from the network's studios in Miami, Florida, and is hosted by Chiquinquirá Delgado, Poncho de Anda, Raúl González, and Karla Martínez. Satcha Pretto and...

 on Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...

, and at the 62nd Tony Awards ceremony.

Alvarez, jointly with Kiril Kulish
Kiril Kulish
Kiril Kulish is an American actor, dancer, and singer. Beginning his ballet training at the age of five, Kulish became a Tony Award winner at the age of fifteen as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his role as one of the original Billys in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical.-...

 and Trent Kowalik
Trent Kowalik
Trent Kowalik is an American actor, dancer, and singer. Kowalik made his theatrical debut as "Billy" in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical on December 17, 2007...

, won the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 for best actor in a musical
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical is awarded to the actor who was voted as the best actor in a musical play, whether a new production or a revival...

. Billy Elliot was nominated for 15 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and won ten.
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