Dancing to his own tune As the brains behind an innovative local performing arts initiative, Josh Armstrong has already achieved a lot in his 21 years. We asked what inspired him and what he’s planning next? Josh Armstrong grew up in Castleford, near Leeds in West Yorkshire, in a family who enjoy performing; his Mum and sister both dance so Josh was dragged along too. “I hated the first few classes,” he laughed “because it was so loud! But I soon found it was a brilliant way to escape the daily routine of school and do something different.” “I was verbally bullied at school for being a boy who danced,” he said. “There are lots of stereotypes associated with being a male dancer but it’s not all leotards and discipline. Fortunately, my family were really supportive, and I really enjoyed it, so I did my best to ignore it and carried on. The performing arts are such a diverse industry, everyone is welcome.” At secondary school, Josh appeared in some school plays, which gave him a new insight into a different kind of performance art and opened doors to some National Theatre productions. When it came to thinking about university, Josh decided it was time to understand what 28
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goes on backstage and applied for the Degree in Theatre Production (BA Hons) at the University of Winchester, a practical degree course covering arts and stage management with lighting and sound. “To move more than 200 miles due south for my course, away from my family and friends was a big challenge, but it felt new and really exciting! I’m pleased to say many of the friends I made in Freshers’ Week are still friends three years later, so I settled in fairly quickly.” Part of the reason Josh settled in quite so quickly was undoubtedly his idea to set up King Alfred Theatre Arts (KATA), which he started in week three at Winchester. “I was keen to keep up my acting and dancing, even though my degree was more backstage related,” Josh said. “The Performing Arts Department at Winchester includes courses on choreography and dance, drama, and musical theatre too so I realised that I probably wasn’t the only student eager to be on stage as much as possible!”
