Training + Workshops

Tentacle Tribe approach:

The Tentacle Tribe approach is a concept-based improvisation system, inspired by a wide range of movement philosophies and studies in human anatomy.  Putting high emphasis on awareness and decision making, the approachis a mastering of the mechanics and mathematics of the human body in relation to time and space.

As the observer and the creator, from a contemporary lens, we will look at concepts from street styles such as Popping and Breaking, while learning techniques that will help to expand our movement vocabulary, to an increased level of body awareness and movement consciousness.  Through geometric shapes and oppositions, we will explore the capacity for the human body to inhabit multiple planes of space: floor exercises, inversions, "freezes", traveling across the floor to work on flow, dynamics and control. We will work on the refinement of concepts, in relation to ourselves and other bodies in space, playing with the mechanics and the organic in movements, to give it a sense of illusion and complexity. The goal of this workshop is to give a detailed introduction to what the Tentacle Tribe movement approach is, and to provide tools on how to practice and apply it.

Workshop video:

https://youtu.be/IFOwUaXHhqY?si=fKks53GVo7U3ugwd

Biography:

Drawing from their wide scope of dance experience, co–founders Emmanuelle Lê Phan and Elon Höglund create conceptual hip–hop with a contemporary twist, while intermingling organic influences from earthly creatures.  The Canadian-Swedish creative alliance experiments with intricate partnering, refined musicality and a saturated dose of physical choreography. 

Although having worked together since 2005, it wasn’t until 2012 that Tentacle Tribe was formed when they performed their first collaboration choreographed for Cirque Du Soleil. Their first full–length piece, Nobody Likes a Pixelated Squid, was sought after and reached over 45 international cities. They followed with Fractals of You, a voyage through consciousness using video mapping projections imagined by artist Gene Pendon. The company expanded by transposing their duet research onto award-winning group pieces such as Origami Mami, Threesixnine,Ghost and Prism. Their work has toured across Canada, Europe, the US and recently South Korea.

Their choreography was adapted into short dance films such as: Vanishing Points, Crack the Cypher, Elon & Emmanuelle and Offspin Cycle.

Website:

https://www.tentacletribe.com/the-company