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.
This post was last modified on November 13, 2025 11:59 am