SHE gets guys dancing.

Zoie Golding is the gifted artistic director and choreographer behind ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, the Eastleigh-based company making waves in the dance world thanks to her highly regarded all male productions.

The 34-year-old from Hedge End travels across the South, taking her workshops to male-dominated environments such as men's prisons, naval bases and traveller camps, often working with excluded boys and young offenders.

"They don't even realise they are dancing most of the time," she laughs.

"Sometimes they are reluctant at first, but we have a 100 per cent success rate. We've never failed."

That's an impressive statistic from a woman who promises to change lives for the better through dance.

"It's all about being cool really! They come from so many different backgrounds and this company brings together different people with different experiences. You very soon start to see a real value - communication, brotherhood, sport - it helps them live their own lives.

"It's about individuality and confidence. So much failure can surround young people at times, so this is so valuable."

Zoie thinks back to the nerves she encountered the first time she stepped foot in a secure unit.

"I'd never been anywhere like that, where people were locked away. But what I found was that it was a great environment for teaching. Everyone was focused, they had time, they didn't have to rush off. This time had been given to them to help them and they appreciated that.

"They were pretty tough kids, but we really connected with them. We had them dancing in a week! We made a show with them and two took GCSEs in dance. One young man is now in professional training. It's made positive changes and has altered their lives really.

"I've just generated pathways for them. I don't force it on any of them!

"I feel like I've got a big family out there. Other pupils over the years are now a plumber, a bricklayer, a photographer. It's not all about a dance career, it's about creating a positive environment for those lads to come to.

"They get the adrenaline of performing, but they also learn life skills. You become part of that young person's journey. It can make a difference to someone's life."

There's a hint of the Billy Elliots about much of Zoie's work, particularly with the travelling community.

"There are social barriers as well, sometimes parents don't agree with it. I just encourage them to come along and see what their child is achieving. I focus on challenging perceptions.

Three bus loads turned up once! They'd never ever seen theatre or artists performing before. I'm all for exposing dance to as many people as possible. Sometimes it just takes a bit of positive coercion!"

Zoie's interest in male dance choreography began while she was at college 16 years ago.

"I've always been fascinated by the physical form of dance - the throws, the lifting and just the energy of it. There were only us girls on the dance course, so I recruited the local football team! I choreographed a piece with a lot of physicality and they found it a really cool first experience in dance! It got me really interested in male dance."

Since then she has worked with Matthew Bourne choreographer James Cousins among thousands of others and had her work seen by audiences of around 30,000.

Zoie was the producer of Global Rock Challenge for 15 years before making the decision to work full time on her own company.

Her latest triumph is Safe, a show set against the backdrop of the building of the Empire State Building. Fresh from a UK tour, it features an industrial set that literally builds with the performance to replicate the building of the iconic NYC skyscraper.

An associate artist at The Point, you can enjoy Zoie's work for yourself at Eastleigh Unwrapped, a Daily Echo backed free day of live performance around the town on Saturday June 11.

Blending narrative contemporary dance theatre, high impact professional stunt work and a custom built iconic car, Ride is the story of three strangers and a special car. Their lives intersect on a strange and exciting journey in Stanley, a customised 1980's Ford Orion.

See eastleighunwrapped.com for more.