Tony Award-Winning Billy Elliot Alum Kiril Kulish Flies Into Florida Nutcracker

Kiril Kulish, one the of the three Tony-winning original title stars of Billy Elliot, has landed  another leading role. The first of the original Broadway Billys to exit the hit production, Kulish is taking his dancing feet to Occidental Grand Aruba in Palm Beach to star in The Nutcracker for a special two-night-only engagement during the 2009 holiday season. Kulish exited Billy Elliot on October 3.

The resort is will showcase helmer Leonid Kozlov's version of the Christmas classic, featuring two performances open to the general public: a free preview December 27 and a full night of the production on December 30. Highlights from The Nutcracker will also be combined with a special solo program starring Kulish on January 2, 2010.

Kulish, 15, relocated with his family from the Ukraine to California at a young age and began dance training at age eight. A prize-winning ballet and ballroom dancer, Kulish trained with the American Ballet Theatre before being plucked from an international pool of applicants to make his Broadway debut in Billy Elliot. He shared the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical with Trent Kowalik and David Alvarez.