I have blogged before about Channel Seven’s penchant for cross-promotion, with Dancing With The Stars being propped up with every grade of Seven celebrity from A-Z.

But the network also does another kind of cross-promotion – that of different artists, events or even charities.

Earlier this year, Delta Goodrem popped on set to blast out her new single (clearly her contract with Channel 10 has expired), last year we were privy to a preview of Priscilla Queen of the Desert – The Musical, and tonight Tina Arena will be visiting to no doubt plug a new album.

Throughout this series of DWTS, we have been privileged to see a horde of guest appearances and performances (I am still waiting for Todd McKenney to get a role in a show and whip out his dancing shoes for his rendition of the Hot Shoe Shuffle).

But if you were one of the 1.8 million viewers who tuned into last week’s episode, you would have been lucky enough to witness one of the most spectacular (and worthy) pieces of cross-promotion ever to grace our screens.

Lochlan Denholm, Rhys Kosakowski, Rarmian Newton and Nick Twiney, who will share the title role in the upcoming Australian production of Billy Elliot ¬– The Musical, gave a live performance of Electricity, one of the main numbers from the show.

The eldest of these young lads is 14, the rest are a mere 13, but they managed to put even the professional dancers to shame.

Thirteen-year-old Kosakowski had the audience in rapture when he pulled off an amazing 22 continuous fouettes (where the dancer does fast turns on one foot); even the famous Black Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, which is performed by an adult dancer, contains just 10 more.

Having already seen this show in London, I had a fair idea what to expect from the promo, but I certainly wasn’t expecting these boys to be as spectacular as they were.

These kids nailed it, and no doubt most of the audience rushed to get a ticket, and you should do the same.

If this is the standard of cross-promotion that we can look forward to from Seven, then I am all for it. As much as I love to be entertained, I also love demonstrations of exceptional talent, and the Billys’ performance last Tuesday night was certainly that.

If you missed out on seeing this one, click here to see them performing at the Helpmann Awards earlier this year. Kosakowski only managed 19 magical turns at that gig, but the boys have certainly tightened up their act since then.

Billy Elliot opens on December 13 at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Visit www.billyelliotthemusical.com.au
for more information.

— NATHANAEL COOPER