In 1996 a group of children in Ethiopia challenged their destiny. They were given powerful tools. Guided by dedicated professionals, they worked hard, discovered self-worth and began to display astonishing new skills. For the children – and their teachers – it was a revelation, one that transformed their lives.

Royston Maldoom, Mags Byrne and their team came to Addis Ababa believing that this was maybe a one-time opportunity to work with young disadvantaged children similar to much of the work they had been doing. They took on rehearsals with 100 un-auditioned kids from the slums of Addis and crafted the first contemporary performance to the music of “Carmina Burana” at the City Hall in Addis Ababa. The story of Carmina Burana – translated into Amharic as “Adugna” resonated with Ethiopians, as it is the story of how lives can be affected by fate. And this started a long remarkable journey for Royston and his team and for the young people that now comprise the Adugna Dance Company.

From the original 100 young people, a group of 18 were chosen to embark on a dance training program. This 5-year journey culminated in diploma certification form the University of Middlesex in London in community dance. Adugna were trained not only in contemporary dance but choreography, stage production, teaching techniques and, of course Ethiopian traditional dance. None of this would have been possible without the good will of many volunteers, the leadership of Royston and Mags and the ongoing support of Andrew Coggins.

Find out more about Adugna Dance Company here.