culture is life. Where creativity lives. See what happens when we hand the mic to the young talent in our local neighbourhood.
A We Are Holyrood project
April 2025
In May half-term 2025, a new film project for We Are Holyrood brought together 17 young people on an inspiring journey, to create an original music video, Culture is Life. Across 30 sessions and more than 60 hours together, participants collaborated with four professional dance artists and creatives from SoCo Music Project.
The young people led the creative process from start to finish. They chose the genre and storyline, wrote the lyrics, recorded the track in a local studio, and starred in their own music video. The experience built confidence, developed creative skills, and focused on collaboration in a supportive environment.
The music video premiered at The Hub in front of friends and family, welcoming an audience of 134 attendees, with the film continuing to reach new viewers online.
The premiere was a joyful celebration, complete with a red carpet for the young stars and an enthusiastic crowd. The atmosphere was filled with pride and excitement as participants cheered themselves on screen and families sang along. The performance reflected the young people’s voices and the strength of the community around them.
Welcome to the ball. Find out all about how we’re blending movement and heritage in a giant disco ball of joy.
The AUstentatious Ball
August 2025
On Saturday, 9 August 2025, The Austentatious Ball – a free, large-scale community dance event took over Guildhall Square in Southampton.
Working with Mayflower Studios, we created this immersive performance as a major highlight of the nationwide Austen 250 celebrations, marking the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth in Hampshire.
“Events like this are important as they offer non-judgemental and uniting spaces to explore things potentially outside of people’s comfort zone, and also invites people to connect in movement. It builds a sense of community and unity.”
Louise, on The Austentatious Ball
Our goal was to reimagine a traditional 18th-century Regency ball with a bold, contemporary twist. We rooted the performance in the real stories, diverse backgrounds and modern movement styles of today’s local residents, blending historical elegance with contemporary street culture. Spectators and participants (our guests) enjoyed an energetic atmosphere complete with live music, professional entertainment, and traditional dance cards that got everyone chatting and moving together.
In the lead-up to the ball, we worked with our guests both online and in person to learn the Grand Finale dance and become one united community. When the day arrived, we transformed Guildhall Square into a joyous, welcoming space, with a giant dancefloor at its heart.
Guests were guided through a series of dances which blended improvisation with choreography and encouraged new connections and playful creativity in pairs and groups.
Guests aged 11 to 75 turned up dressed to impress. No prior dance experience was required and we encouraged attendees to turn up in whatever they felt comfortable in, resulting in a brilliant mix of grand period attire, everyday clothes and tracksuits!
01
The % of participants who connected with someone new during the process
95%
02
The % of participants who said the event helped them feel more connected to their local community
75%
03
The % of participants who rarely or never took part in dance before the ball
40%
04
The % of participants who now want to take part in more dance activity
85%
“It has brought together so many people from different backgrounds, ethnicity and communities which we would otherwise never connect with in our busy lives.”
Jenny, on The Austentatious Ball
At its heart, The Austentatious Ball was about liberation, expression, and genuine connection. All played out on a giant, shared disco ball of joy!
The Austentatious Ball will be appearing at festivals in 2026/27 as The Ostentatious Ball
Let’s Go behind the scenes with our dance artists to see how we’re inspiring the next generation of male dancers in schools today
A Q&A With our Dance facilitators
February 2026
Q. What happens when you first start a workshop?
A. Most of the boys walk in, look at what we’re doing and say, “Wow, I’m never going to be able to do that.” Our first job is to remove that doubt. We guide them to the end goal, give them the tools, and let them play until they find it and feel confident with it.
Q. How do you get them invested in the work?
A. It’s important that they see themselves reflected in what they’re making and that they feel invested in the creative process.
We hand over the creative keys from minute one, and try to remove any sense of right and wrong – which they’re used to in other classes. It’s interesting for them because in other classes, they might not get opportunities to express themselves or their ideas, but here they have complete creative freedom.
For a lot of boys, it can be one of the only spaces they have to actually speak their mind without being judged.
Q. What’s different between this and other school activities?
A. One of the big things is the environment we want to create – it’s physical but non-competitive.
I feel like this really benefits their trust and team building skills, which leads to taking more creative and technical risks, without fear.
We try to meet them where they are. A workshop could be first thing on a Monday morning, or after lunch on a Wednesday and that brings very different energy.
Some are there for different reasons, they might want to be creative, some just want to dance, some are there because of friends and some are there just because they’ve been told to.
We focus on harnessing the energy they bring into the room. Rather than fighting against it, we channel that natural momentum directly into creative tasks.
250 dancers. 12 schools. 1 stage. Experience the energy of Manmade – the event shifting how boys and young men across the Solent.
MANMADE
March 2026
With nearly 600 audience members across the two shows, the Mayflower Studios was full of energy, pride and proper community spirit, as families, friends and members of the public showed up to celebrate what happens when boys are given permission to move, express and connect.
Photos: Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill, Castle Hill Primary School and Pulse boys dance group from Thornden School perform on the Mayflower stage.
“After three brilliant workshops and extra rehearsals at school, ten of our students headed to Mayflower Studios to perform in Manmade.We’re incredibly proud to have taken part for the second year running, continuing to support ZoieLogic’s mission to challenge the stigma surrounding boys in dance.”
— Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill
Photos: Redbridge Community School, Park Community School, Great Oaks School and FuzzyLogic on stage for Manmade 2026.
ManMade is all about breaking down expectations and building something better in their place. About creating space for boys to be themselves, take risks, support each other and to discover that strength can look like creativity, teamwork, vulnerability and openness.
From September 2025, our dance facilitators worked with the schools and the boys to co-create pieces that meant something to the performers. Their themes included pressure in sport – and the benefits of kindness, to kids getting lost in time, collective decision making and the challenges of algebra!
“Our parents loved the evening and loved seeing boys from all round Hampshire inspired to dance. Enjoyed seeing there children happy while working outside their comfort zone.”
— School teacher
Participants main motivation for taking part was:
To improve fitness
25%
To try something new
46%
To build confidence
42%
To meet new people
29%
To take part in more dance
16%
To develop dance skills
38%
Participants agreed with the following statements:
My fitness has improved
33%
I feel stronger
46%
My coordination has improved
42%
I feel more confident
46%
My creativity has grown
33%
I have improved my ability to work as a team
50%
Our youth company FuzzyLogic performed their new touring piece, “The Forgotten Spark” at Manmade 2026. way to show other boys what dance can offer, and how joining Fuzzy can help them take their skills to the next level.
Video: FuzzyLogic performing “The Forgotten Spark”
Photos: Anton Junior School, Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill, Oasis Academy Sholing and Wildern School performing on stage at Manmade 2026.
“I love how we were all brought together, there are people in the this group I didn’t know before and now we feel like a team”
— Participant in Manmade
“I thought dance was boring but now I know it is fun”
— Participant in Manmade
Following ManMade 2026, teachers have spoken about the pride of watching students step outside their comfort zones, seeing the boys’ personalities come alive in rehearsal and on stage, and witnessing a level of professionalism rarely seen with first-time stage performers.
For participants, the impact goes way beyond one performance. 95% said they’d do it again and all performers said they’d recommend ManMade to their friends. 87% said ManMade strengthened their belief in dance as a tool for wellbeing and that is at the heart of ManMade – shifting mindsets, building belonging and showcasing that when boys move together, they move forward.
Across two electric evenings on 18 and 19 March, we brought together over 250 boys and young men from 12 schools across the Solent region for ManMade 2026. Find out what happened below…
With nearly 600 audience members across the two shows, the Mayflower Studios was full of energy, pride and proper community spirit, as families, friends and members of the public showed up to celebrate what happens when boys are given permission to move, express and connect.
Photos: Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill, Castle Hill Primary School and Pulse boys dance group from Thornden School perform on the Mayflower stage.
Photos: Redbridge Community School, Park Community School, Great Oaks School and FuzzyLogic on stage for Manmade 2026.
“After three brilliant workshops and extra rehearsals at school, ten of our students headed to Mayflower Studios to perform in Manmade.We’re incredibly proud to have taken part for the second year running, continuing to support ZoieLogic’s mission to challenge the stigma surrounding boys in dance.”
— Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill
ManMade is all about breaking down expectations and building something better in their place. About creating space for boys to be themselves, take risks, support each other and to discover that strength can look like creativity, teamwork, vulnerability and openness.
From September 2025, our dance facilitators worked with the schools and the boys to co-create pieces that meant something to the performers. Their themes included pressure in sport – and the benefits of kindness, to kids getting lost in time, collective decision making and the challenges of algebra!
“Our parents loved the evening and loved seeing boys from all round Hampshire inspired to dance. Enjoyed seeing there children happy while working outside their comfort zone.”
— School teacher
Participants main motivation for taking part was:
To improve fitness
25%
To try something new
46%
To build confidence
42%
To meet new people
29%
To take part in more dance
16%
To develop dance skills
38%
Participants agreed with the following statements:
My fitness has improved
33%
I feel stronger
46%
My coordination has improved
42%
I feel more confident
46%
My creativity has grown
33%
I have improved my ability to work as a team
50%
Our youth company FuzzyLogic performed their new touring piece, “The Forgotten Spark” at Manmade 2026. way to show other boys what dance can offer, and how joining Fuzzy can help them take their skills to the next level.
If you know any boys and young men who would like to experience what it’s like to be in our youth dance companies, they can sign up to our free taster session on Wednesday 15 April at Mayflower Studios.
Video: FuzzyLogic performing “The Forgotten Spark”
Photos: Anton Junior School, Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill, Oasis Academy Sholing and Wildern School performing on stage at Manmade 2026.
“I love how we were all brought together, there are people in the this group I didn’t know before and now we feel like a team”
— Participant in Manmade
“I thought dance was boring but now I know it is fun”
— Participant in Manmade
Following ManMade 2026, teachers have spoken about the pride of watching students step outside their comfort zones, seeing the boys’ personalities come alive in rehearsal and on stage, and witnessing a level of professionalism rarely seen with first-time stage performers.
For participants, the impact goes way beyond one performance. 95% said they’d do it again and all performers said they’d recommend ManMade to their friends. 87% said ManMade strengthened their belief in dance as a tool for wellbeing and that is at the heart of ManMade – shifting mindsets, building belonging and showcasing that when boys move together, they move forward.
Find out more about manmade
Find out more about our annual Manmade performance platform for boys and young men
Manmade by ZoieLogic is supported by Backstage Trust, in partnership with Mayflower. ZoieLogic Dance Theatre is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
With thanks to dance artists Abi Aveson, Alex Evens, Robyn Holder, Thom Jones, Ben Rosie, Reuben Spencer, Emily Thompson-Smith, Nat Watson and the ZoieLogic team for creating the performances with the participating schools.
In January 2026, we tagged along with ZoieLogic dance artists Ollie Webb and Robyn Holder to Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill to see how they were working together to create a performance for Manmade 2026.
A. Most of the boys walk in, look at what we’re doing and say, “Wow, I’m never going to be able to do that.” Our first job is to remove that doubt. We guide them to the end goal, give them the tools, and let them play until they find it and feel confident with it.
Q. How do you get them invested in the work?
A. It’s important that they see themselves reflected in what they’re making and that they feel invested in the creative process.
We hand over the creative keys from minute one, and try to remove any sense of right and wrong – which they’re used to in other classes. It’s interesting for them because in other classes, they might not get opportunities to express themselves or their ideas, but here they have complete creative freedom.
For a lot of boys, it can be one of the only spaces they have to actually speak their mind without being judged.
Q. What’s different between this and other school activities?
A. One of the big things is the environment we want to create – it’s physical but non-competitive.
I feel like this really benefits their trust and team building skills, which leads to taking more creative and technical risks, without fear.
We try to meet them where they are. A workshop could be first thing on a Monday morning, or after lunch on a Wednesday and that brings very different energy.
Some are there for different reasons, they might want to be creative, some just want to dance, some are there because of friends and some are there just because they’ve been told to.
We focus on harnessing the energy they bring into the room. Rather than fighting against it, we channel that natural momentum directly into creative tasks.
Find out more about manmade
Find out more about our annual Manmade performance platform for boys and young men
Manmade by ZoieLogic is supported by Backstage Trust, in partnership with Mayflower. ZoieLogic Dance Theatre is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
“My boys love the show so much that we are here to watch Ride again for the 3rd time this week!
— Local resident
Getting back on the road
RIDE was last performed in the city during the RIDE: Covid Response Tour, which included nine shows at five care homes and two retirement communities to almost 300 people between 28 July and 5 August 2020.
This time round, we cast three new fantastic dancers – Cameron, Dan and Clive – to join existing cast member Alex. And former cast member Nathan took on the role of rehearsal director for the first time. In March, we dusted off Stanley and set up camp at 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space to rework the show for the new tour.
“Southampton is our hometown and for the past 22 years we’ve worked with local communities to bring dance into peoples lives”
— Zoie Golding, Artistic Director of ZoieLogic Dance Theatre
Connecting communities
As we continue to reconnect with folk in the wake of the pandemic, it was important for us to work with local community groups and make sure as many people had the chance to see RIDE as possible.
Big thank you’s to Sam Connis, Ping Harvey, Julia Jaggard, Siân Tattersall, Ollie Webb, Kai and Rudi for making the tour happen, and Youth Options, The Venny, Abri, Junior Neighbourhood Wardens, Saints Foundation and Friends of St James’ Park for supporting the events and to everyone else who helped spread the word.
With free performances in Redbridge, Weston Shore, the City Centre, Holyrood, Mansbridge and Shirley, the show attracted audiences of over 2,600 local people from across the city.
30% of our audiences told us they’d never seen a live performance before and 73% of the audience were new to ZoieLogic.
“I can’t get over it – having something so amazing right here in Mansbridge for us!”
— Local resident
We were also grateful to our friends in the media, including BBC Radio Solent and The Daily Echo, who helped us reach thousands more people with news of RIDE, both before and after the tour!
Show time
Beep beep! What a RIDE! Strap yourselves in for a rollercoaster highlights reel from the tour…
With Southampton shortlisted to be the 2025 City of Culture, we’re proud to have got this special show on the road again and share some dance theatre magic with our fantastic city.
Thanks so much to everyone who came out to see us take Stanley on tour again – we had a blast! Stanley is back in his garage for now, having a rest before his next outing.
Find out more about ride
A playful spin on the summer road trip, including: Three blokes, a Ford Orion and dance theatre like you’ve never seen it before
Cast for this tour: Alex Evens, Cameron Woolnough, Clive Rudd and Dan Radulescu. RIDE was originally directed and choreographed by Zoie Golding. 2022 Rehearsal Direction by Nathan Johnston. Music by Duncan Grimley. Written by Matt Beames. Supported by Arts Council England. RIDE was originally commissioned and co-produced by DanceXchange for International Dance Festival Birmingham 2016. It was co-commissioned by Gulbenkian (University of Kent) and Dance Village (Bristol Harbour Festival). Image, video and graphics credits: Cave & Sky, Fee Francis, Clive Rudd
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