Thrilling: Ballet 1984 based on Orwell's successful novel Jonathan Watkin's ballet 1984 was conceived after the well-known dystopian novel of the same name by George Orwell: Winston Smith lives in a world of total conformity. His every action is registered by "Big Brother," an omnipresent surveillance system. When Winston meets Julia, this changes everything: he breaks out of the surveillance system and falls in love - with fatal consequences. The ballet version of the well-known material is danced by the Northern Ballet, which has often been involved with epic ballet adaptations and has earned a good reputation in the genre. The music has been contributed by award-winning composer Alex Baranowski, who has so far become known primarily as a film music composer. Distressing and unique: Orwell's 1984 danced by the Northern Ballet The multi-award-winning Northern Ballet from Leeds (UK), under choreographer Jonathan Watkins, succeeds in creating a breathtaking portrayal of George Orwell's masterpiece 1984 with its gloomy, threatening backdrop. The music by Alex Baranowski, who has already been nominated for a Tony Award, underscores the constricting atmosphere of constant observation and control within a totalitarian surveillance state. Tobias Batley as Winston Smith and Martha Leebolt as Julia, who tempts the protagonist to rebel against the all-powerful "Big Brother" through his love for her, shine and leave the viewer at the end with the frightening feeling that one has not only observed their story, but may also be observed and monitored oneself in the process.