Above: We spent time around different locations in Southampton – here, in Holyrood estate, some of our dancers perform “The Chopper”, a move made by Chopper, who is one of our steering group members
“The Lou”
Below: We were keen to bring together men from all walks of life for the filming, and while these men may look like professional movers, many of them in fact had no dance experience
Below: “The Lou” is performed en masse with the old walls of Southampton stretching alongside them
Above: Flying high! A group of CMDC dancers rehearse a section of the show together, all facing outwards
Below (two images): Not many places can house 100 dancers with this much energy, so we’ve been rehearsing in an enormous warehouse in Digbeth, Birmingham over the July weekend sessions
Above: Every day starts with a warm up, and everyone gets involved, even the production team. No excuses!
Above (four images): Dancers across the rehearsal room practice different sections for the show
Above: Video clips of the whole team rehearsing Solara in The Crane, Birmingham
Below (five images): A collection of images from the rehearsal room, including Zoie directing the CMDC dancers, more dancing plus costume – it’s a big job creating costumes for 100 dancers – so we say a massive thank you to the tireless efforts of our amazing costume team 🙏
Below (two images): All hands in… Zoie works with a group of CMDC dancers on a section of the show
Below: A group of CMDC dancers rehearse a section of movement on a cat walk with their dance leader
Above: Smiles all round! A CMDC dancer and dance leader work on their duet together
Above: A group of CMDC dancers connect and link to each other with their arms and hands. No spoilers, but connection might be an important aspect of Solara…
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On Sunday 30 July 2023 at 5pm in Centenary Square, Birmingham, we invite you to join us in Solara’s universe. Feel the transformative power of connection, community and dancing together. Critical Mass Dance Collective will be performing as part of the Fabric Takeover at Birmingham Festival 2023
Find out more about Birmingham Festival 23 at birminghamfestival23.co.uk
Solara by ZoieLogic Dance Theatre is co-created with Critical Mass Dance Collective, presented as part of Birmingham Festival 23. Commissioned by FABRIC, supported by Dance Leaders Group, and funded by United by 22.
Above and below: The boys have been working around the ideas of our addiction to blue light and being seduced into a world of infinite scrolling.
Below: Reuben, Thomas and Ollie put the spotlight on Toby
Above: Toby uses his light to illuminate Zoie (off screen) as she directs their movement; Below: The boys coordinate their movement while pointing the lights in different directions (which is unsurprisingly, quite challenging!)
Above: The lights were chosen specifically because they look very similar to our phones in size and shape; Below: Ollie looks directly to the camera while being lit from below. It feels hauntingly familiar to how we look when staring at our phone in the dark.
Above: The boys moving in sequential order during a section of the piece; Below: During a quiet moment, Toby and Ollie pose for a photo
FuzzyLogic will be performing Attention! across the UK from March to June 2023 at various platforms and events. Make sure to follow us on Instagram to keep up with their adventures.
Above: The team spent two weeks at 101 Outdoor Arts in Newbury before the tour of Southampton. Here’s a few clips of them in rehearsal.
Before we go any further, we would like to say a huge thank you to 101 Outdoor Arts for the amazing and generous support they gave us. They made us feel right at home and we don’t know what we would do without them!
Above (from left to right): Clive, Cameron and Alex looking cool during the Knight Rider scene in the show. David Hasselhoff got nothing on them…
Above: A montage of moments from rehearsals, plus Zoie looking very happy with the progress the guys were making.
Below (from left to right): Clive, Cameron and Alex’s legs rehearse a section from the show.
Above: Zoie, Nathan and Cameron are digging in. They had planned to make their own meals, but they were helpless to resist the in house chef, Louise Glavin. It ended up as two weeks of food bliss!
Below: The guys have brought a ton of new tricks and flips to the show, and they do it so effortlessly too.
Above: It was a rollercoaster week of highs and lows! Cameron was a natural at embodying the character of Hank (the super wrestling fan) as he stands atop the car full of energy, whereas Dan just wants to nap in the car after a rather large lunch…
Above: Zoie leads a warm-up session with the kids of Holyrood. Most of the young people involved were part of our We Are Holyrood film project which took place in April and May 2021, this will be the first time most of them will have set foot on a stage.
Above: A montage of rehearsal images from our time in God’s House Tower in October 2021. We had Alex, our youth dance co-ordinator, Ollie (from FuzzyLogic) and Eve (volunteer facilitator) with us to help us create the movement for the performance.
Above: The group rehearse their movement together
Above: Zoie sits down with the group to discuss topics for the performance. They spoke about things they struggle with and how they overcome those things. They used this discussion to create the movement for the piece.
Above: Ollie works with Chloe on a moment during the piece where they have to hold, counter-balance and trust each other.
Headfunk, an event raising awareness of mental health is returning on Friday 19th November 2021 at MAST Mayflower Studios. Tap or click here to find out more about Headfunk – or you can go right ahead and book tickets here.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing more photo blogs highlighting the creative process with groups who will be on stage at Headfunk in November.
Above: Zoie working with Nigel and Helen – they are figuring out connections, and how Nigel can reach out, and whether Helen will answer
Round About Cafe is a community run cafe in the heart of Mansbridge, Southampton. They’re a quiet friendly oasis where people can relax, meet and learn new skills. It’s the kind of place that makes you proud of your city. 👉 Find out more about them here
Above: They have been working on solos and duets and finding way to weave in the use of frames (or windows) as part of the movement
Headfunk, an event raising awareness of mental health is returning on Friday 19th November 2021 at MAST Mayflower Studios. Tap or click here to find out more about Headfunk – or you can go right ahead and book tickets here.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing more photo blogs highlighting the creative process with groups who will be on stage at Headfunk in November.
Our aim with The Collective is to bring together like minded male adults of all ages to share, listen, create and perform together telling stories and exploring themes around men’s mental health.
Above: Nigel and JJ explore movement through improvisation
Above: Before entering the studio, the group spent an evening with Matt West of ArtfulScribe, discovering and exploring the themes and stories which they wanted to portray in the performance. Here are some of their responses.
Above: Graham, Neil and Gareth working with the movement they created for themselves
Above: Here’s Zoie working with Graham, they were exploring some material revolving around a duet with their hands as a the focus point
Above: Zoie and Neil discuss the movement they were exploring. You can see Zoie’s collection of choreographic notes on the floor from the session
Headfunk, an event raising awareness of mental health is returning on Friday 19th November 2021 at MAST Mayflower Studios. Tap or click here to find out more about Headfunk – or you can go right ahead and book tickets here.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing more photo blogs highlighting the creative process with groups who will be on stage at Headfunk in November.
For this session, the group were creating movement and choreography on the theme of masks. The evening raised a set of interesting questions: Does a mask give you freedom, or does it obstruct you? Can you be in control of it, or does it control you?*
*If you’ve ever seen the 90s comedy, The Mask, you’ll know what we mean!
Above: Here’s newest members of FuzzyLogic, Noah and Reuben getting creative
Above: The group watch on as Jacob shares what he’s come up with so far
Above: Here’s Zoie working Ed, Wes, Jake and Reuben – they are focusing how they might interact with their perceived mask
Headfunk, an event raising awareness of mental health is returning on Friday 19th November 2021 at MAST Mayflower Studios. Tap or click here to find out more about Headfunk – or you can go right ahead and book tickets here.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be publishing more photo blogs highlighting the creative process with groups who will be on stage at Headfunk in November.