Brian in a spin over LA performing arts contest

Actor, singer, dancer, many words describe South-East Clare man Brian James Roche and this summer he will bring all these talents together as part of his entries to the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles.
Brian is one of four people from Ireland selected from an auditions process to compete at the world championships, which as he describes is like the Olympics for the performing arts.
The Ardnacrusha native is bound for Hollywood this July as he was selected to compete in three of the six categories at the world championships, competing in four competitions overall – dance, original vocals, cover vocals and acting. The other categories include variety, modelling and instrumentals.
Now 25, Brian has been in showbusiness since he was 10 years of age and he got his first taste when he auditioned for the film Angela’s Ashes. Although he was unsuccessful in getting to role of young Frank McCourt, it did open doors for him and after doing voiceover work for the film, he went on to do a short film called The Barrell Brothers. From there, he caught a break on the BBC production Custer’s Last Stand-up, which won a Bafta in 2001, playing the character of Donnie.
“After that it kicked off. I got knocked down for a couple of really big parts, Harry Potter, Peter Pan, I was literally down to the last two or three. I stopped acting then for about four years. I wanted to get a good Leaving Cert,” he said.
Brian owes his training to the performing arts school Spotlight in Limerick and specifically to the singing and dance training he got there from Judy O’Connor and Margaret Hough. He remained with them during his break from the acting scene and went on to Trinity College to study Law and got back into acting through the college.
After working for a few months in a law firm he felt the profession didn’t suit him and plunged himself back into acting.
“Throughout college I was acting. I did a show in 2011 called Rainbow’s End and that was under Leslie Hogan and Niamh Hogan and we brought that to Edinburgh and there I met an Australian artistic director, Alison Pollard Mansergh and she invited me to play the part of Manuel in Faulty Towers The Dining Experience,” he explained.
Brian has been working on this stage show since January 2012 and has toured with it in Ireland, Holland, Belgium and London’s West End, where he will be based from next month.
“It’s a big deal representing Ireland. We are working on our pieces at the moment. My brother has been workshopping an idea with me about a young kid who gets bullied for dancing. Then a girl comes in and it changes because she accepts him, she gives him a flower. It’s about how one person can change your perspective on life. It has a beginning, middle and an end. It involves a lot of ballet and contemporary. There’ll be a couple of back-flips, handstands and break so it is hip-hop meets ballet really. We only have a minute to perform so it’s very technical to the point where at 45 seconds you have to do this move,” he explained.
Brian’s granny is a big support to him and he is thinking of focusing his acting segment on a young lad who has been kicking about in his granny’s yard and works so hard he gets through to trials for LA Galaxy. He is also working on an AKON song for his vocals piece. The format for the competition means there will be initial heats for all countries in each category, then there will be another heat ahead of a semi-final and then the final where successful contestants will vie for a gold medal and the world champion title. 
This is the 17th annual World Championships for Performing Arts and Brian will first compete on July 13 in the original vocals category.  There will be three days of heats and semi-finals taking place on Friday, July 19 and after the finals conclude, winners will be announced at a gala event on Saturday, July 20 is the Gala. Up to 40 countries will be represented and, when asked how he feels about his chances, Brian said, “it is not impossible”. It’s all to do with the industry. There’s no other competition like it. This is where all countries come and the best of the best become the best,” he concluded.