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01 June 2021
Fee Hudson Francis
Transcript
Louisa Hannan (LH): Now arts organisations have been going that extra mile to be creative over the last 14 months
Video clip audio of Zoie Golding directing
LH: That was a little bit terrifying at the beginning! Now ZoieLogic Dance Theatre has collaborated with young people from the Holyrood Estate in Southampton to make a dance film about identity and home. Let’s listen to this.
Video clip audio of indistinct children’s chatter
[Video clip audio] Fee Francis : And how has dancing made you feel?
[Video clip audio] Kiera: It’s made me feel excited, happy and everything because I really enjoy it.
[Video clip audio] Navaeh: It just makes me feel like myself and I don’t know, it helps me dance because I like practicing and while I’m at it, I just make new dances with my friends sometimes. I have to be more open and I don’t know, yeah open and it’s helped me with my confidence as well
[Video clip audio] Finley: It is fun and you learn and everything. I always do the projects and it’s not that I just want to do them because it’s fun – I want to stay in ZoieLogic for how long until I could become a leader.
LH: Wow, there’s an endorsement. Well, artistic director Zoie Golding and 9 year old Navaeh from Southampton, who took part in the film, join me this afternoon. Hello to both of you.
Zoie Golding and Naveah: Hiya!
LH: Hello good afternoon. Zoie let me start with you, if you don’t mind Navaeh – sit there I’ll come to you in just a minute, you’ll get the starring role. Zoie, tell me more about the film and why you wanted to make it.
ZG: Yeah so we’ve been working with residents and young people on the estate for the last couple of years – bring them our shows, hearing about their home, listening to their stories. And in the last year and a half, we’ve been gathering a group of amazing young people aged 7-11 to work on this project with us. Dance and film is an amazing way to bring to life their home, our artform and their stories really.
LH: And for people that don’t know, the Holyrood estate was home to Craig David so it’s got some history there too.
ZG: Yeah it’s got some talent in it, that’s for sure.
LH: Tell me more then about the people involved in this and also how you managed to do it during the lockdowns.
ZG: Yeah so we were set to start the project before the lockdown so what we did is we kept in contact with everyone throughout the lockdown and the minute we could in October last year, we had a 2 day sort of explore workshop really where we invited young people from the estate to come and find out what we were about and we did a film and dance workshop and then from there in the easter holidays this april we created this film with them over a week.
LH: So it must have posed some challenges with all the restrictions along the way then?
ZG: Yeah absolutely and we had to be safe, we had to look after everybody but the young people are amazing. Their resiliency is mindblowing and how they manage their own space and their commitment to making sure that they were safe and we were too was inspiring really.
LH: Well let’s bring one of those youngsters in now who’s sitting alongside you – Navaeh who’s 9 years old and took part in this. Navaeh, afternoon! What was it like then being part of this?N: Umm it was really fun actually because all the warm ups were fun and doing the dances, you just really know that there’s always more coming and yeah it’s really fun.
LH: And why did you want to take part to start with then?
N: Because I get to learn more new dances and Zoie teaches me a lot and I really like learning more stuff and especially about dance because I love dance
LH: You really love it – how long have you been doing it?
N: Umm just about one year
LH: So you started when, okay so that was your start of dance was it? On this project?
N: Yeah
LH: And has this made you want to be a dancer professionally when you get a bit older?
N: Definitely
ZG: She’s said that she’d like my job, Louise
LH: Oh my goodness [laughs] good luck with that, I think we’ve got a young Zoie in the making. And tell me more about the dance that you did then, Navaeh? What was the choreography like?
N: Umm the choreography was actually really fun, because knowing Zoie, Zoie is a nice person, if like someone was doing something wrong then Zoie would just turn it into a laugh so it was a lot of fun
LH: Navaeh, has Zoie promised you lots of sweets for saying nice things about her?
N: No!
LH: [Laughs] Well she should’ve done, she really should. So what’s next for you then Navaeh, are you going to do more classes? Are you going to get involved in more projects?
N: Yes I definitely want to do that
LH: And do you think you’re going to be able to juggle it with all the stuff you do at school as well?
N: Definitely yeah. Because the stuff I do at school is very easy.
LH: Oh okay well that’s good! You’re going to be an all rounder aren’t you? If you get your academic stuff sorted so you can focus on the dance, you’ll be absolutely sorted. Zoie, just coming back to you, I know there’s a private screening taking place now for you and a public one online tomorrow – how can people watch?
ZG: Yeah so umm we’re actually on the estate with a screen at the moment, driving round the estate sharing that so it’s premiering in the area for the young people
LH: Amazing
ZG: Tomorrow night at 7pm it can be seen on Facebook live @ ZoieLogic
LH: Okay @ ZoieLogic. And I know it’s all looking busy and good for you as the future rolls out post lockdown, isn’t it?
ZG: Yeah we have, we also created our Grid Experience project where we got 64 people performing and sharing space in Guildhall Square and that was during covid so that’s now going around the South Coast to different cities so we’re just trying to get people connected again, safely moving together, experiencing space together and using our dance and art to do that really.
LH: Sounds brilliant. Zoie Golding from ZoieLogic, Artistic Director and also Navaeh. Navaeah will you come back on the radio when you’ve got your own dance company?
N: Yes, definitely.
LH: Excellent, look forward to it. Thank you very much indeed to both of you for joining us on BBC Radio Solent and if you want to have a look at that as it’s streamed tomorrow , just go onto Facebook as Zoie was saying and search for ZoieLogic.