Words by Sarah Lapinsky.
EKLEIDO, the dynamic choreographic duo of Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser, is known for creating mesmerising performances that fuse contemporary dance with street and club styles. Imagine sitting in your seat, lights go down as the theatre quiets and you start to hear a hypnotic EDM beat rise from the speakers. On stage, you see two highly skilled performers moving symmetrically as they move their bodies through contorted positions into aesthetic poses, all the while giving off the vibes of the club. Thrilling, right?
I had the pleasure of asking the creators of EKLEIDO about their history, choreographic approach and RORSCHACH, their new Choreodrome supported work they are developing to premiere at The Place in November.
While Hannah and Faye have been creating works for film and live performance as EKLEIDO for just a couple of years now, the two first began working together in 2018 when they collaborated with a percussionist to craft a short piece using the elegant, precise vocabulary of New Way Vogue which takes inspiration from other styles like contortion, martial arts, fashion poses and Egyptian hieroglyphics. After this project, they returned to dedicating their time to their individual performing careers, though they continued to cross paths at gigs and in the Ballroom Scene.
In 2023, just as they had both refocused on choreography and began collaborating again, they were serendipitously approached by Stanley Arts London to create a piece to share at the COMMONS Festival. Jumping on the opportunity, they created their work SPLICE in just three days. They said it was, “the smoothest collaboration ever” due to their similar movement backgrounds and the “synergy in communicating ideas to each other” developed from earlier processes. SPLICE received great feedback leading to more shows and after a year of performing the work and establishing their unique style, EKLEIDO was officially formed.
Of course, I couldn’t help but to ask about the origin of their name:
The name is a fusion of the words “Echo” and “Kaleidoscope” which we feel represent the work we’re creating. Eido in Greek also means to perceive or discover which also really resonated with us.”
Since its formation, EKLEIDO has been sharing captivating works that fuse contemporary with influences of street and club styles like New Way Voguing, bone breaking and elements of contortion and threading. In combining their movement backgrounds to build their own language, Hannah and Faye also incorporate their trainings and individual approaches to the partnership. For example, while Faye has more street dance training, Hannah has more experience in ballet and partnering; blending these skills forges new discoveries and creativity. The aesthetics are guided by their fascination with “pleasing shapes with elements of symmetry both in contact work and phrase material.” The contact material evokes the essences of styles like threading and tracing as they shift from one moment to another.
Setting their movement against electronic music like the scores of electronic musician, Floating Points, generates an atmosphere of the club further emphasising the essence of the street styles and opening the work for a wide variety of audiences whether at the Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells to music festivals like Glastonbury or Secret Garden Party. Reaching beyond the traditional theatre sets a new context for the work and allows EKLEIDO to continue creating work that is “current and fresh.”
The spark for their new work, RORSCHACH, came from a friend who upon watching a video of SPLICE mentioned that it reminded him of one of the inkblot images. This interpretation expanded upon their hypnotic symmetrical movements and inspired them to make a work to play with the audience’s perception of their shapes as an insight into their perception and psyche. In receiving Arts Council Funding for the work, they were able to bring on a research partner and dramaturg to help develop a storyline that adds an additional layer to the work. With a longer process (much more than the original three days for SPLICE), they are excited to dig into the development and push their already engaging work. Additionally, Hannah and Faye will be pushing the work with the addition of Jasper Narvaez. As a trio, they will move through intricate patterns set to a score by Floating Points, in costumes designed by Saul Nash and lit by award-winning designer, Joshie Harriette.
As a company that is proudly directed by two women, collaboration is important to them as is promoting more opportunities for women, AFAB and queer people within the industry:
“Having worked years as dancers ourselves we understand the importance of our collaborators feeling valued and respected. It feels amazing that we are in a position to offer work to artists, and it is our priority that we strive to create environments that reflect the respect and value we have for our collaborators.”
In building RORSCHACH, Hannah and Faye of EKLEIDO clearly demonstrate their commitment to innovation and collaboration, making it clear that their work is as much about creative exploration as it is about inclusivity and accessibility. As they blend styles and work to push boundaries, I look forward to their premiere in November and will be excited to see the results of their exploration.