Dancer Billy Mustapha’s Next Chapter
Once upon a time, a shy and anxious seven-year-old from the Canadian city of Calgary found his voice in dance. This isn’t a fairytale, but it it is how Billy Mustapha’s story begins. During Chapter One, Billy learns to command his body and his mind, and to connect emotionally to the characters he portrays through movement. With the immense support of his teachers and family, he grows in confidence. By Chapter Two, Billy sets out on his own to pursue a career in the one thing about which he is most passionate. He books work as a featured dancer in some of the most popular fantasy projects in television and film, including the TV series Once Upon A Time and The Flash, as well as Disney’s Freaky Friday musical and Descendants 3, which is set to release in 2019.
Even during the most grueling days, Billy rarely needs a pinch to remember that he’s doing what he loves most.
“Set days are always long but I don’t find them tough,” he says. “In the few moments when I feel tired or drained, I just take a second to remember where I am and realize that I am legitimately living a dream.”
Visiting the elaborate sets on a show like Once Upon A Time may, indeed, feel like stepping into a dream. Even green screen backdrops are magical when you see their virtual worlds come to life in film studio monitors.
“I reminisced about the films I watched as a kid, reflecting on how much they influenced me to pursue dance and grew my love of performing,” Billy recalls. “Being part of the creation process now is so gratifying.”
For a performer, the rehearsal process is fun and fast-paced with only two or three rehearsals to learn and stage a dance that is likely to mutate and evolve many times, even after the cameras are called into action.
It’s in exactly this kind of environment that Mustapha’s exceptional abilities shine brightest.
“I was especially impressed with the way in which [Billy] was able to regroup and execute complex dance routines given that the choreography was rapidly evolving and changing,” remembers Freaky Friday choreographer John Carrafa.
Carrafa, an award-winning director and choreographer known for his work on theatrical productions like Into the Woods and Urinetown and films such as The Polar Express, cast Billy in all three of the Disney Channel’s original movie musical’s major dance scenes.
“He is one of the most talented dancers I have worked with in my career,” praises Carrafa.
Once Upon A Time choreographer Paul Becker — also an award-winning choreographer who has worked with some of the biggest names in the music and entertainment industries — echoes the value Billy brings to the projects to which he contributes his considerable talents.
“If it was not for [Billy’s] extraordinary ability as a dancer in a leading role and his unique style of dance, I do not believe the dance scenes that he participated in would have been as strong.”
Louise Hradsky, a Canadian choreographer and actress known for playing Gretchen on the hit CW television series Hellcats, has worked with Billy on Once Upon A Time, Freaky Friday and Descendants 3.
“Billy is more than a terrific dancer,” she insists. “He is a terrific person, with an infectious passion for making the best art he can. He has blown me away with his excellence more times than I can count and, as all great dancers do, he elevates the energy of every production he is a part of.”
Working with industry veterans like Kenny Ortega, Jamal Sims, Tina Landon and Luther Brown as both a student and a professional has been exhilarating and instructional for Billy. He has watched with awe as their visions become reality over and over as dances are drafted, constructed and reconstructed in endless variations of their work.
“It was beautiful to see that they were so comfortable scrapping things they had created,” Billy observes. “This taught me to never be overly attached to any material that I create. Creativity is abundant.”
Megan Lawson is an internationally renowned choreographer who has worked with mega-star Madonna in videos and on tour, as well as alongside headliners like Missy Elliott, Katy Perry, David Guetta and Ellen DeGeneres. She has selected Billy to work with her as a principal dancer and assistant for upcoming projects in the United States because of his unique abilities and versatility as a dancer.
“Billy is the ideal vessel to display my unique movement since he understands the origin, whether it is jazz, ballet, tap, hip hop, contemporary, urban fusion, popping, house, lyrical, or modern and partnering,” she explains.
For Billy, this new chapter in his adventure really is the stuff of fairytales.
“To say that I’m excited to be approaching this opportunity is an understatement,” he says.
Billy Mustapha’s talent is far from fictional, however. It’s clear that he will excel with grace and enthusiasm in every opportunity that comes his way and that the projects he touches will be better for his participation.
“He possesses an infectious passion for performing at the top of his abilities,” Carrafa says of Billy. “He does everything in his power to make each production he works on as good as it can be.”
Keep watching this rising star of the dance world as he lives out his happily ever after.
