Bret Jones, a PhD student in the Department of Drama, will be competing tonight (26 May) in the Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals with his team’s dance act, Old Men Grooving.
After earning the judges' approval on Saturday’s show, Old Men Grooving will be relying on public votes to get them through to the finals.
Bret said: “This was certainly not a planned career move. We were put together for an internet commercial in December for Christmas jumpers for a national retailer. The commercial went viral, and the opportunity to reform the group for Britain’s Got Talent presented itself in January.
“Some of us used to dance hip hop in clubs, so really understand what those moves are and what the feel should be. Some of us come from other dance styles, but we all have a deep connection to dance. Dancing on Britain’s Got Talent has helped to make us feel young again and has allowed us to reconnect with something that not only is fun, but also is deeply meaningful for us."
After getting an “explosive audience reaction” at the auditions, Bret and the group are hoping to make it through to the last stage.
He said: “We really want to get to the finals of Britain’s Got Talent, so we really need people to watch and vote for us on the show. It’s all been very far removed from my research at QMUL, but there is more to each of us than can be expressed in academic terms. I’m personally hoping that Queen Mary students, faculty, and staff will support one of their own who is dedicated to life-long learning (because it has certainly been a learning curve for me)."
For more information head to Old Men Grooving’s Facebook page and don’t forget to watch this evening’s Britain’s Got Talent from 7.30pm on ITV.
Bret has also written a blog on the experience here.
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