Paul James Rooney: ‘Don’t Let People Box You In’
Paul James Rooney, a professional dancer and choreographer, recently shifted into singing-songwriting and released his debut single, “Shine.”
Performing with various companies and famous choreographers around the world, Rooney has danced with English National Ballet, Danish Dance Theatre, and appeared in Will Tuckett’s Olivier Award winning production of Wind in the Willows. He also played Older Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical and toured in Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake.
Although Rooney is a versatile dancer, he is mostly known for ballet, and this has resulted in some struggles with his career. Directors, companies, and choreographers want to pigeonhole Rooney and ignore the fact that he can work as a contemporary dancer and work in musicals. “Shine” is inspired by these struggles, but the message that we are all made of many facets and have many layers to ourselves is universal.
Rooney hopes to introduce a new generation of ballet by creating music with performances and music videos that incorporate ballet and contemporary dance.
OUT FRONT had the opportunity to chat more with Rooney about “Shine,” why he decided to go into singing-songwriting, and how he hopes to bring younger audiences to the ballet.
Hi, Paul! Thank you for taking some time to chat with me. How are you doing during these unprecedented times?
Luckily, I am in Copenhagen, Denmark, so things here are quite lax compared to the rest of Europe, especially England. I am very happy to not be in England at the moment because England is crazy. Things are open with restrictions, and obviously masks and all that kind of stuff. Theatre is crap because there isn’t work anywhere, but I am good. Happy and healthy.
You recently released your debut single, “Shine.” Can you tell us more about the song’s concept and inspiration?
I wanted to create something that was personal. Something that had to do with my career and what I am trying to do by moving away from being locked into ballet. I also incorporated what’s in my life as a member of the LGBTQ community. So, the song is about myself in the dance industry and always being put in a box. Always being told that I’m a ballet dancer and should go down this road. Personally, I can also do this so I can go down this road, but it was nope, I’m in ballet so this is how I have to be. I always had these obstacles throughout my career. Like, I’m too jazzy for this show or I’m too ballet for this musical.
I was getting a bit sick and tired of it. I can do more than one genre, so I should not be shoved in a box. So, the concept of the song is basically be yourself and shove it. Also, growing up as a gay person in a small town in England, just be yourself. Do not allow people to put you down. The song is a mixed message between myself as a kid growing up gay in a small town in England, but also what’s wrong with the theatre industry itself.
Being pigeonholed and struggling with your career in terms of directors, companies, and choreographers, is this a common problem for dancers?
To be honest, I have freelancing because I am a versatile dancer. I did not want to join a big ballet company because I knew myself, and I did not want to be just a ballet dancer. I also wanted to do musicals and pop videos. So, in the freelance world, I know a lot of people who are strong in ballet, they always get told this. They always get told, you are too balletic for this, or you don’t quite fit our mold, so to speak. I know that being strong in ballet in the freelance world is like a double-edged sword because whenever they want ballet dancers in the background of a movie or whatever, then they love you. Lots of times, they want to judge people when they haven’t even seen you. They see ballet on your CV, and nothing else matters.
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You have said that you want to introduce a new generation to ballet. Do you feel like ballet is sometimes forgotten or pushed to the side?
I feel that lots of people have a preconceived idea of what ballet is. Lots of people think that ballet is something from the 1800s and has stayed that way. Some companies have not really done their job in trying to bring in younger people. To bring in younger people, you can see, I always say Dancing with the Stars is a really good example. Ballroom dancing was kind of dying, and then with TV shows like Dancing with the Stars, ballroom dancing has gotten this new life. A new interest in it. I feel like that needs to happen for ballet. What are we going to do in 30 years when all the old ladies who are watching ballet are no longer here? Who is going to come? I am still in the theatre myself performing ballets, and I look out at the audience and it’s a sea of older people. There are not many young people going to see the ballet. Even though choreographers and ballet companies are creating new modern things, the audience still has not come in.
How has “Shine” been received by audiences?
Everyone I am working with here in Denmark loves it, the gay community over here has really embraced it, and there has been lots of talk. I have friends in England who I have worked with in theatre for years, and the song has been very well received from dancers. They are happy to see a professional ballet dancer do ballet. No names mentioned, but there are some pop videos out there when some pop stars put on a pair of pointed shoes and try to do a bit of ballet. We all know who that is [laughs]. Also, in advertising campaigns and photoshoots, it’s never ballet dancers doing it. So, hopefully I am giving ballet some justice.
What is the number one thing you hope listeners take away from “Shine?”
I hope they get caught up with the music and they find the positivity of it, but besides the happy go lucky music, I hope they take away the lyrics. The feeling of don’t let these bastards tell you what you can and can’t do. Do you, and you will be fine.
Since you are known as a professional dancer and choreographer who has worked all over the world, what made you want to pursue singing-songwriting?
When I first graduated from ballet school, I was actually in a boy band. When I was on the audition circuit, I went through this stage of being anti-ballet because I was being told that I was too short, too fast, not good enough, so I kind of just hated ballet for a couple years. I did not want to go to ballet auditions, so I just went for everything else apart from that. I got into a boy band and worked with them for like a month, and then realized, no, this is not for me. This is not what I want to do. I love sing, I love pop music, but this is something I should approach later in life when I can put dance together with it. At the end of the day, I am a dancer and choreographer.
So, what made me do it now, I literally just left a job. I stopped working in a company that I have been with for 12 years, and just did it. I went on a TV show here as a dancer, it is called The Greatest Dancer, and as soon as I auditioned for that program, I thought, this is the time I need to do it.
I am glad you mentioned The Greatest Dancer because that is my next question. You made it all the way to the semi-finals. Can you talk more about your experience on the show?
It was fantastic to be on national TV and showcase myself not just as a dancer, but as a choreographer. The dance world is really small, and I have had a great career as a dancer and choreographer, but no one outside the theatre world knows who I am. Even in Denmark, there are a lot of other dance companies who don’t know who I am, and it’s audiences who see our company and other companies, so there is even a dance audience who does not know who I am. So, it was a great platform to showcase myself as a dancer, myself as a choreographer, and get other people interested in that sense. Also, going back to the ballet thing, I wanted to go on to one these programs and show ballet and contemporary dance on national primetime TV.
What more do you hope to accomplish as both a dancer and singer?
My main hope is to be able to get on stage and produce a show with my music, with professional ballet and contemporary dancers, and that be it. That is what I want to do. I have gone down the road before talking to people creating a dance company, and again, I get stuck with the fact that there’s not an audience. My main thing is, I want to create popular music, put a show together, and go on tour with ballet and contemporary in the forefront with my music.
Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects you would like to mention or plug?
I have been working on my next couple singles coming out. Writing lyrics and working together with other songwriters, the first thing that comes to my head is the choreography and the concept of the music video. At the end of the day, like I said, I am a dancer and choreographer, and what I find really exciting at the moment is hearing a song that was written and recorded, then seeing the choreography and concept of the music. I am excited to start on my next video.
Follow Rooney on Facebook and Instagram to stay up-to-date with him. “Shine” is streaming on YouTube, Spotify, and all other digital streaming platforms.
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