VOXED makes compelling genre-led dance-theatre works for physical, digital and outdoor spaces.
We are storytellers who are tussling with the world we live in. Throughout our existence, what has driven us is a passion for storytelling, a belief that everyone is a creative, and a desire to represent the diverse world we live in through the stories we tell and the people we engage with to produce them.
Established in 2013, and the led by artistic director Wayne Parsons, alongside associate director Ankur Bahl we create experiences that seek to bring people together through creative exchanges that inspire and ignite creativity in the artists, communities and audiences we engage with our work.
VOXED started its journey in 2013, when founder and Artistic Director Wayne Parsons began a choreographic journey looking specifically at the relationship between text and movement in narrative dance-theatre works. Since then, VOXED has grown into a company that challenge what we think dance should look like and where we find it.
We seamlessly blend bold new writing with distinctive choreography to create high-quality work for audiences to experience in person, on film, and online. We regularly develop new scripts with the sole purpose of being performed in dance theatre films and live shows
Collaboration is key to what we make. Music, sound, design, spoken text, new writing and choreography all come together to tell stories. Each reliant on the other, all layering the story to create a fully immersive experience.
To date VOXED has produced, managed and distributed multiple works including the following:
Against the odds, a couple wins the lottery.
One partner tries to safeguard their bounty; the other seeks to exploit it. Can there be redemption for their relationship after abuse leads to near-fatal disaster?
It’s not me… imagines the planet and the human race as a couple. As it follows their relationship, this searing dance-theatre work lays bare the emotions we can feel when facing the climate emergency: betrayal, fear, helplessness, anger and hope.
It’s not me… has been supported by the Gillian Dickinson Trust and has been commissioned by Dance City.
Premiere 2 Dec 2022 at Dance City, Newcastle.
Out LateA dance-theatre crime drama. Originally co-commissioned by Swindon Dance, The Place and Stephen Jospeh Theatre and supported by The Point, Eastleigh. In 2021 Out Late was presented at Stephen Joseph Theatre and The Place with review claiming it was “honestly the perfect blend & balance of dance and theatre” Isaac Ouro-Gnao, a reviewer for The Stage.
Out Late was streamed on Swindon Dance’s Online Platform for a global audience. Ticket prices started at £4 to minimise financial barriers to access. An interactive digital version was commissioned and distributed for free on the BBC Taster platform as part of Dance Passion 2022.
Throughout Out Late’s development, VOXED collaborated with Eastside Educational Trust to providing young filmmakers the resources and professional guidance to create short character stings based on Out Late. This digital content that the young creatives produced acted as a promotional content to promote their work to potential employers.
#GOGGLEDANCEA reality TV-style digital series that was the result of pop-up performances that happened outside participants houses. #GOGGLEDANCE had 14 performances across three counties in the UK, co-produced with three venues across the UK.
Within each county we showcased a new dance style including Bollywood, hip hop and disco. 2/3 of the performing artists were from the global majority.#GOGGLEDANCE was also participatory and included content created by its audience, representing the local communities in the work.
VestigeAn autobiography that was commissioned by The Place, touring throughout the UK in 2017/18 alongside Meeting. This work visited 6 venues in total across the UK. This activity was supported by Arts Council England. Vestige was also supported by the Enterprise Ideas Fund awarded by East London Dance. Vestige was supported by The Place.
MeetingA 15 -minute duet that first premiered at The Place in 2013. Since then it has been selected as a finalist at the international Copenhagen International Competition, been seen at Big Dance Festival an outdoor pop-up festival and has toured the UK alongside Vestige.
VOXHALLA new, ongoing initiative from VOXED, a digital series co-created with community dancers. All made via online collaboration. No travel was required and involves creating content with and alongside community members,. The initial pilot project received a micro-commission from DanceXchange and mentoring from digital creators The Motion Dance Collective headed by Omari Carter.
ChattervoxAn ongoing light touch digital conversation series with community members about the health benefits of dance on the mind and body, produced during lockdown.
Wayne Parsons is a director, choreographer, movement director and facilitator with over 20 years of experience working in the dance and theatre.
Wayne graduated from London Contemporary Dance School before embarking on a performance career that spanned 13 years working for some of the world’s leading dance companies and choreographers. During his time as a performer he worked with National Dance Company Wales, Sydney Dance Company, Richard Alston Dance Company, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance and many more.
Since establishing VOXED Wayne has guided the company through multiple indoor and outdoor creations through his collaborative and inclusive approach. VOXED have since been the recipient of multiple grants and commissions. He has secured partnerships with organisation across the UK including The Place, East London Dance, Swindon Dance, Stephen Joseph Theatre and Pavilion Dance South West. Wayne has secured commissions for VOXED’s work from organisations like BBC Arts, One Dance UK and Arts Council England.
Alongside the work he creates for VOXED, Wayne receives commissions from a large variety of groups from youth theatre and dance groups, undergraduate, post-graduate students right through to community dance collectives for the over 60’s.
Wayne regularly teaches in a variety of context. More permanent engagements have been with the Centre For Advanced Training, where he spent five years across the Ipswich and Trinity Laban Schemes. He has been a guest lecturer at conservatoires and universities across the Uk including London Contemporary Dance School, Rambert School of Contemporary Dance, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Cumbria University and Beijing Dance Academy. He has also taught classes for companies including New Adventures and National Dance Company Wales.
As a movement director for theatre Wayne has worked on plays at Shakespeare’s Globe, Hampstead Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East.
Ankur Bahl is a writer, performer and arts sector innovator.
For VOXED, Ankur has written Vestige, #GOGGLEDANCE and Out Late. His other writing for dance has included The Art of Defining Me for Seeta Patel & Kamala Devam. Ankur also conducted interviews and edited scripts for DV8 Physical Theatre’s most recent verbatim productions To Be Straight With You, Can We Talk About This? and John.
Ankur has performed on stage and screen in works for DV8, HBO, National Theatre, Rifco, RSC, Shakespeare’s Globe, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance, and Tara Arts.
Until recently, Ankur was the Director of Digital Stage & Studio at Sadler’s Wells, where he built the platform and led on commissioning, producing and distribution.
Ankur is a former Marshall and Fulbright scholar with a unique cross-section of experience in theatre, dance, journalism and management consulting, who has a deep passion for providing leadership and strategic vision to mission-driven and audience-focused arts, culture, media and entertainment organisations.
“Through his unique style of teaching, beautiful stories appeared from investigating the most basic stimulus; eye contact, breath, weight, and tension revealing complex narratives of things which impact us in our everyday life.”
CAT DanceXchange student Tristan
“Most of this was very new to me, and I believe it has helped me expand my artistic skills and abilities.”
CAT Swindon student Liliom Valter
“He’s (Wayne) really good at exploring the combination of dance and drama in new ways.”
Qilin Zhang, Theatre Making Student, University of Kent
“The experience was thought provoking, inspiring and full of smiles.”
Melanie Smith, Dance Student, Falmouth University
‘If you could measure the success of it from the smiles on people’s faces, then oh my it was an absolute hit! ‘
‘I would just like to thank you so much again for letting us be a part of it.’
‘Ah, what a blast! Just so nice to do something different. The dancer was amazing too’
‘Wow! That was just brilliant. I was crying with laughter watching our episode. Thank you’
‘10 out of 10’
“The performers, Folu Odimayo, Caldonia Walton and Stuart Waters, masterfully portray their characters with commitment and realism”
Dance Art Journal
“The physicality of the performers is impressive and absolutely justified within the story”
Dance Art Journal
“Honestly the perfect balance between movement and text”
Isaac Ouro-Gnao, reviewer for The Stage
‘a skilful elision of speech and movement’
Luke Jennings The Guardian ★★★★
‘Riveting’
DANCETABS
“with clever knottings and unravellings”
★★★★ The Guardian
“…works exquisitely well…great connection between performers and audience.”
Lise Smith, London Dance
“audience members around me are palpably affected and it’s partly because of his conversational, visceral movement style”
DANCETABS
