Matthew Koon

Matthew Koon
Born	15 December 1993 (1993-12-15) (age 17) UK

Matthew Koon (born 15 December 1993) is an English stage actor and dancer. He is most noted for participating in the Sky One television series Got to Dance, in which he reached the final, finishing in 3rd place.

Career

Matthew Koon began studying ballet at the age of 2, at the Alison Livesey School of Dance and Drama in Whitefield, Greater Manchester. At the age of 9, he auditioned for the Royal Ballet School Junior Associate programme, he was successful and consequently attended weekly classes in Leeds. He also trained at Centre Pointe Dance Studios in Manchester, before taking a full time place at the English National Ballet School.

Koon made his professional stage debut at the age of 12, playing the title role of Billy Elliot in the West End production of Billy Elliot the Musical. He auditioned for the role at the Zion Centre, Manchester in February 2005. He made his first appearance in the role on 1 March 2006, and his final performance on 2 December 2006. He was the first boy from a Chinese background to play the role of Billy.^[1][1][2]

Following auditions in 2009, in 2010 Koon participated in the inaugural series of Got to Dance, a televised dance competition broadcast on Sky One. In articles about the show, he is quoted as saying that if he won the competition, he would use the prize money to continue his dance training at a professional performing arts school.^[3] He successfully competed in the second semi-final, ultimately finishing joint 3rd in the grand final on 14 February 2010.

In 2010, Koon won the national final of Dance Master UK, a stage dance competition for boys, promoted by the International Dance Teachers' Association. Having qualified for the competition in a regional heat, Koon competed against other regional finalists at the Opera House Theatre in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool.

Personal life

Matthew Koon is from Kays Gardens, Trinity in Salford, Greater Manchester. He lives with father, Arthur and his mother, Hilda. Matthew has one sister, Anna. He has studied at Lightoaks Junior School and is currently at Trinity Church of England High School.^[1][4][5]

Awards and titles

• Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers Competition - Winner, 2008
• Janet Cram Awards - Outstanding Dance Award, 2008
• Janet Cram Awards - Boys Cup, 2008
• English Dance Championships - Winner, 2009
• Marjorie Davies Tap Awards - Senior Class Prize, 2009
• International Ballet Championship - Winner, 2009
• Young Ballet Dancer of the Year - Winner, 2009
• Young British Tap Dancer of the Year - Runner-up, 2009
• Dance Master UK - Winner, 2010

Video

• Electricity - from Billy Elliot the Musical
• Swan Lake Scene - from Billy Elliot the Musical
• Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers Competition

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Born to Boogie with Billy (accessed 22 July 2006)
2. ^ Billy Elliot the Musical Press Information from M+R (accessed 22 July 2006)
3. ^ http://www.istd.org/news/2010/February2010/matthewkoon.html
4. ^ Trinity Church of England High School Newsletter from 17 February 2006 (accessed 22 July 2006)
5. ^ "Salford's very own Billy Elliot" by Heather Butler (accessed 22 July 2006)

External links

• Centre Pointe Dance Studios
• Fonteyn Nureyev Young Dancers Competition
• Mathew Koon Official Website

Persondata
Name	Koon, Matthew
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 December 1993
Place of birth	UK
Date of death
Place of death