07 September 2020
ZoieLogic Dance Theatre has launched a new dance experience for local people at Southampton’s Guildhall Square supported by partners including GO! Southampton.
The Grid Experience is a unique dance project which explores movement and shared spaces in the Covid-19 world. It was developed over the summer of 2020 and launched on 29 August with 64 local people, adults and children, taking part.
The aim of The Grid Experience is to use dance to increase peoples’ physical communication skills. The project will use this shared experience to help break down the barriers built during isolation and give people a safe space to feel connected.
It is anticipated that the project will develop and run through 2021, and will end when it is possible for people physically in touch once again.
Zoie Golding, Artistic Director, ZoieLogic Dance Theatre said,“We created The Grid Experience in response to people experiencing a physical and social disconnect as a result of the lockdown. We know this can have a profound effect on mental health and wellbeing. Dance and movement is a great way to combat this, and we have created an unique way to do so within physical distancing guidelines, outside of a traditional venue setting”
GO! Southampton’s Executive Director, Giles Semper said, “This is an innovative experience that we are proud to support as part of Southampton’s recovery plan. An activation such as this in the city centre will support the safe return of our community back and also offers the city the opportunity to showcase some of our creative cultural organisations”.
Chris Rees, Rees Leisure (project partner) said, “It’s a very exciting project that’s genuinely thinking outside the box – whilst being in a box!”
The Grid Experience comes hot off the heels of ZoieLogic Dance Theatre’s RIDE: Covid Response Tour, a live tour of nine dance theatre shows at five care homes and two retirement communities to almost 300 people between 28 July and 5 August 2020. Southampton based ZoieLogic Dance Theatre is the only dance theatre company in England solely committed to getting men and boys dancing with professional, community and education strands to its work