Spirix Collective Brings Folklore Dance to Wigan Youth

High above Wigan, where wind and whispers meet, a legend is about to awaken. This  December, Spirix Collective’s community-led mission continues to shine in the shape of a  powerful mass-movement dance theatre production,Spirix Retold.Co-created by 80 young  artists across Wigan, it serves as a powerful testament to the transformative power of dance, as  a medium for expression, empowerment, and social change. 

Audiences will be immersed in a performance based on the origin story of the Spirix, a modern  folklore that champions courage, creativity and connection. Journeying through the life of the  legend, the show shares a sacred moment when young people, guided by the spirit of the Spirix,  begin to gather, dream, and dare. It is an important reminder that the power to change the  world already lives within each of us, through the power of community.

The piece is performed and co-created by 80 young artists from Spirix Creatives, Spirix Youth  Dance Company, All Child at St Peter’s Primary School and Fred Longworth High School. Finding  its home in the industrial heart of The Engine Room at Trencherfield Mill, this innovative  performance will transform one of Wigan’s most iconic spaces and plunge us into a world where  myth and movement collide.

With guidance from Spirix Artistic Director Amy Hodgson, the piece is choreographed by Spirix  team members Jessica Bennett (Cheshire Dance, Wild Aerial Theatre) and Associate Dance  Artist Jessica Clarke who have worked closely with Artistic Director of Dance United Yorkshire,  Helen Linsell, who offered artistic mentoring throughout the process. As a result, Spirix Retoldfeels evocative of Dance United Yorkshire’s acclaimed large-scale performances: it is full of physicality, humanity, and heart. An original soundtrack from local DJ Tom2Trax compliments  the performance by blending atmospheric soundscapes and rhythmic and energy, bringing the  world of the Spirix into vivid colour.

Spirix Collective’s Founding Director Amy Hodgson comments, To witness non-dancers and  experienced performers stand side by side, taking the stage and owning their movement with  such conviction, has been inspiring. Spirix Retold sets the tone for the next generation of our  organisation, rooted in courage, creativity, and collective energy. This is the beginning of  something bold, and we are proud to have built it with the young people of Wigan. 

Supported by Wigan Council and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts  Council England as part of Forging the Future, a Place Partnership project celebrating ambition,  artistry, and youth voice across Wigan.

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