Billy Bell wasn’t upset when Nigel Lythgoe suggested that America rejected Billy because he was “slightly androgynous.” However, Billy WAS a little upset when Nigel called him out on his decision not to dance after the doctors cleared his injury last week.
Read Billy’s interview with print reporters from earlier today right here:
How did contestant injuries affect the season? “I feel like a lot of the injuries were kind of a fluke that happened. I think when you put all of your heart into something, and you’re giving it your all all of the time, sometimes you forget about what you can’t do, and go for it anyways. I think a lot of it was just by chance.”
Why didn’t America connect with him? “I’m not really sure if there was a specific that America wasn’t connecting with. I got pretty used to being in the bottom. It turned out that I was just having fun doing solos.”
Did Billy feel pressure to dance after the doctors cleared his knee injury? “The doctors did clear me. However, they did leave it to me to decide if I felt comfortable dancing on my injury or not. When it came down to it, I was still in a lot of pain at the time, so I was shying away from it. I figured–If I dance on it this week, and what if my knee completely blows out while I’m dancing?’ Then I have a serious injury that can prevent me from dancing a long time, or even potentially going on tour. It gave me the option to rest for a few days, let it heal a little bit more, and then continue dancing. Looking at it from a professional standpoint, I thought that the second decision was the smarter decision. I chose that, and I had absolutely no regrets doing it.”
How did Billy feel about Nigel calling him out the next night when he was in the bottom 3, “I was little upset about Nigel calling me out in a way. I felt like he was almost trying to say that I was faking it, or setting a precedent to where people could fake it, even after I did have medical examinations. In the long run, it’s TV and you can only do so much with it. There’s always going to be moments where you’re the contestant and you’re just hopeless, and can’t say anything.”
Will Billy continue with the Lunge Dance Collective? “I have to get through tour first, and then after July, I’m definitely planning on starting back with Lunge. I think my choreography is a nice way for me to explore a lot more. I’m more interested in working with that and with my company. I think you can plan on seeing some big projects in New York. Probably February, March, April.”
Does he feel SYTYCD created a good launching pad for his future endeavors? “It’s almost why we go on the show. Only one person wins. But realistically we all win. We all have the exposure, and it is a launching pad, and it does start your career.”
What was it like working with choreographer Stacey Tookey (she choreographed the “Homeless” routine)? “She’s amazing. I’ve known her for awhile now. She’s one of the most inspirational choreographers that I’ve ever worked with. She has such a clear way of defining movement and a concept. I think that’s why her pieces come out so well.”
What was it like doing the “homeless” routine? “Stacey really helped me out a lot during the rehearsal process. She kind of talked to me about not necessarily learning the dance, then becoming a homeless man, but learning the dance as a homeless man so that in rehearsals you take on the character. It really helped, because it was a real person, it was you the whole time.”
Which of the judges critiques were most helpful? Connecting with my partner [was] probably be the most helpful. It was the thing they kept getting on me for, I think that’s the only way we learn, when someone repeatedly tells you, no matter how hard you try. It was great. No matter how it was said, even if it wasn’t necessarily in the best or most polite way—it’s all with good intention. You can always keep improving on it.”
What was his favorite routine? “My favorite dance I actually didn’t get to perform. It was the Step. I was actually really upset I didn’t get to perform that one. My favorite dance that I did perform was probably the ‘Homeless’ dance with Stacey Tookey.”
Was Billy offended when Nigel suggested America was turned off by his “slightly androgynous” style? “That’s kind of the hot topic right now! (laughs) I actually don’t mind it. I think dance is kind of androgynous, so why not be a little bit. It adds a little bit of uniqueness and it kind of is what makes me, me. I’m not upset about it at all. If anything, I took it as a complement. Something that not everyone has. I guess I got it! (laughs).”
Has he been contacted by any choreographers yet? “I think it’s a little bit early. I was voted off less than 24 hours ago (laughs). I have had an offer with a company, Flak, in Montreal. They’re beautiful. I’m definitely considering that. It’s a complicated time because we have tour and everything. It’s really busy. I’m trying to work it all out. I want to do more company work.”
Billy’s advice for younger dancers who want to create their own style, “I think the key is just staying so open. You want to try everything that there is. You can’t put up a block because that’s what keeps you from growing. If you can stay absorbing absolutely every style—even if you absolutely hate the style—sit back and think, ‘why do I hate this?’ And then you want to grow from there–it’s both positive and negative– you want to keep improving yourself. Also, you’re taking things that you like, and that you don’t like. I was always told that you’re not an artist until someone absolutely hates your work. “
Which dancer would he have liked to partner with? “Allison. We were supposed to dance together. It was even worse, because it was a tease. She ended up getting hurt—her injury she already had flared up, and we never got to dance our Broadway number together. Hopefully, I’ll get to dance with her on tour.”
What routines does he plan to perform on tour this fall? “I hope they’re going to let me and Kent do the Step routine—‘Cause that would be really amazing. It’s something new that everyone hasn’t seen yet. I think that would be really fun. There’s word that there’s going to be a lot of new stuff on tour. I’m really excited about that as well.”
Where does Billy get his flexibility? “Everyone always asks what stretches I do and everything. It’s actually kind of embarrassing. I don’t stretch at all. Because I am so flexible, I work on the opposite—I work on the strength, and regaining strength in my legs. That’s where all the ballet comes in. Ballet literally trains your body to how a dancer’s body should be.”
