“I cannot thank BYMT enough for igniting my love for dance… With the help of all the cast and creatives I was pushed and my confidence soared.”
Those are the words of 19-year-old Karl Johnston from Antrim in Northern Ireland who is taking part in Ministry of Truth, British Youth Music Theatre’s latest Dance Connection show, playing at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth from 13-14 August 2021.
Featuring a genre-bending original new score and powerful movement by director and choreographer Rachel Birch-Lawson, the production marks the seventh year of this annual dance-focused strand of work, demonstrating BYMT’s continued commitment to finding new ways for young people to make live work and tell the stories that matter most to them.
Before Karl took part in BYMT’s summer project Maelstrom Legends of the Underworld, he had done little to no dancing and his confidence was very low, but that gradually changed: “It was hard not to compare myself to the talented individuals I was surrounded by, but with the help of all the cast and creatives I was pushed and my confidence soared. Choreographer Debs Galloway never let me give up on myself and allowed me the chance to be in multiple ensemble dances and show off my new found skillset.
“Debs assured me and said I had potential to be an amazing dancer and helped me to see I was more than just an actor and that I actually could dance.”
When Karl returned home he decided to take his dance training to the next level by joining the Doogan Dance Academy in Antrim and began training in ballet, tap and jazz. From that point on it was his dream to be a part of a BYMT Dance Connection show.
Nineteen-year-old Karl Johnston from Antrim is appearing in Dance Connection show Ministry of Truth
“I know being surrounded by such a talented cast on Dance Connection for two weeks and getting to work and create with our choreographer and director Rachel Birch-Lawson will be a once in a lifetime experience.”
British Youth Music Theatre’s boundary pushing Dance Connection series boldly combines complex vocal soundscapes and improvisation with daring contemporary movement.
Vivid and thought-provoking show Ministry of Truth explores questions about freedom, truth and technology:
How far are you willing to go to find the truth? In a world afflicted by collective amnesia where events are continually erased and rewritten, a group of young people find themselves trapped in limbo between past and present. This is the beginning of a frenetic race against time for our heroes, trying to discover the truth before everyone’s memories are erased again.
Director and choreographer Rachel Birch-Lawson, who is joined in the creative team by composer and musical director Jake Dorfman and co-choreographer and rehearsal director Charlie Brittain, says: “Ministry of Truth will be a hard-hitting show about grief, censorship, and manipulation. We’ll explore these topical themes through voice, movement, and song – and a little bit of mystery. With the shadowy and sister Ministry of Truth watching everything, how do we know what is true and who to trust?
“I’m excited to work with these talented young people to continue to develop BYMT’s Dance Connection programme and push the boundaries of musical theatre.”
Since BYMT was founded in 2003, the company has been putting talented young people at the very centre of the creative process, trying to make their theatre experience as diverse as possible.
The company has tried out all sorts of “amazing, quirky and mind-blowing” projects including promenade shows, a rap film, immersive performances, setting a whole Shakespeare play to music, putting football, roller derby and boxing into musicals, and staging shows in deserted factories, Cistercian abbeys and modern museums.
“If it wasn’t for BYMT and each director, MD and choreographer I have worked with over the years I would not be the performer I am today” – 19-year-old Karl Johnston from Antrim
So how did Dance Connection come about? Executive producer of BYMT Jon Bromwich tells us more: “In 2014 we experimented with contemporary dance, blending it with choral singing to create a truly unique performance style. Our Dance Connection series has been led by choreographer Rachel Birch-Lawson and offers a totally different experience for creative dancers and movers with strong voices.”
Each project is devised from scratch in two weeks of close collaboration between BYMT’s creative team and an exceptionally talented young cast.
Jon adds: “Each time it is an absolutely fresh, innovative, boundary-breaking show. We have no doubt that our Dance Connection series provides young people with a unique chance to explore the new approaches and new vision at theatre and their own skills. In future they will form the new generation of creative pioneers and inventors.”
And Karl’s experience with Dance Connection has been proof of that. In fact it’s been life-changing: “If it wasn’t for BYMT and each director, MD and choreographer I have worked with over the years I would not be the performer I am today.
“I am now ready to move on to the next stage of my training on the Cert HE course at my dream drama school Italia Conti. I know for a fact that wouldn’t have been achievable without the BYMT environment. It’s a place where you are treated like a professional and held to high standards while at the same time you are being nurtured to enhance your confidence and technical abilities.”
- Ministry of Truth plays at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth from 13-14 August 2021.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpbdR3YffY
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.