Ekleido return to Gulbenkian in Canterbury with bold new contemporary dance show
“Dance impacts people on an emotional and visceral level, cutting across barriers of language and cultures”
Award-winning choreographic duo Ekleido are returning to the Gulbenkian with their most ambitious work to date, bringing together six dancers, an internationally acclaimed trio of electronic musicians and a powerful exploration of femininity that reflects the company’s growing reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting contemporary dance voices.
Created by Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser, Femina arrives as the pair begin a new chapter as Associate Artists at the Gulbenkian, cementing a relationship that has grown steadily since their acclaimed appearance at the Canterbury venue last year with their double bill Splice and Rorschach.
For the duo, the Associate Artist role represents much more than a presenting partnership. It offers the opportunity to develop deeper roots with both the venue and its community while creating ambitious new work at a time when arts funding remains under increasing pressure.
“We are super-excited about becoming Associate Artists at Gulbenkian,” they say. “We’re looking forward to finding some unique Ekleido-shaped ways to engage with the programme, the audience, the campus. We’re very grateful to Gulbenkian for providing support for the creation of Femina. Funding the creation of new work has always been difficult, but it’s become even harder in the current economic climate, so this investment in our work means a lot to us.”
The return follows a memorable debut at the venue in November 2024, when Ekleido presented Splice and Rorschach, works that helped establish the company’s distinctive fusion of contemporary dance with underground club culture. The performance resonated strongly with audiences and was accompanied by outreach work with young people in the area.
“It was memorable because the audience response was really enthusiastic and it felt great to have connected in such a powerful way,” they say. “We also did some work with local young people, which was a way to pass on our club-culture-based movement language to the next generation. All the staff at Gulbenkian were helpful and supportive, so we had a great experience there and can’t wait to return with our new company work, Femina.”
The new production marks another significant milestone for Ekleido. It is the company’s first full-scale work created for an ensemble of six performers and continues the artistic language that has seen the company tour venues including Sadler’s Wells, Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival and DanceEast while also earning a Critics’ Circle National Dance Award nomination for the dance film Splice.
At the heart of Femina is an examination of how ideas of femininity are formed, perceived and challenged. Rather than offering simple conclusions, the production embraces complexity, using movement as a means of investigation.
“Femina grew out of our curiosity about what femininity is, how it is defined and the stereotypes and limitations that surround it,” Faye and Hannah explain. “We often describe the work as ‘an essay through dance, laying our findings on the floor’ because it’s our way of exploring these questions through movement rather than trying to answer them outright.”
That exploration extends well beyond conventional ideas of gender.
“The work brings together performers who each have a different relationship to femininity, reflecting its complexity and challenging the idea that femininity belongs to women alone. Each performer brings their own movement language, from house dance, waacking and new way vogue to gymnastics and contemporary dance. Together, these different practices create moments of shared joy, ecstatic exhaustion and exhilarating vigour.”
Music is not simply an accompaniment but an equal creative force within the production. The original score has been created in collaboration with Mercury Prize nominee Floating Points alongside acclaimed electronic artist Ela Minus and drummer and composer Stella Mozgawa. Their contrasting styles create an immersive electronic soundscape that continually interacts with the choreography.
“For us, the music is just as important as the movement and we wanted Femina to have a sound world inspired by club, electronic and percussive music,” Faye and Hannah explain. “Together we created a work where movement and music constantly shape one another.”
The partnership reflects Ekleido’s own artistic backgrounds. Both founders have built careers that move fluidly between concert dance, commercial performance and underground club culture.
Faye trained at London Studio Centre before completing her MA with Rambert 2, performing with leading choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Benoit Swan Pouffer and Dickson Mbi. Alongside commissions for companies including Paraorchestra and Rambert School, she is an active participant in the ballroom scene, specialising in new way voguing as a member of the House of Revlon.
Hannah, originally from Gothenburg, trained at Sweden’s National and Royal Swedish Ballet School before establishing an international career spanning contemporary dance, theatre, fashion and commercial performance. She has worked with artists including Raye, Sam Smith and Calvin Harris while also developing choreographic projects for clients ranging from Nike to Floating Points. Like Faye, she is deeply embedded within ballroom culture as an accomplished new way voguer and member of the international House of eLLe.
As theatres continue to navigate financial pressures, Ekleido believe it is more important than ever that contemporary dance remains central to programming. They argue that dance possesses a unique ability to connect audiences emotionally while bringing together multiple artistic disciplines under one roof.
“It’s critically important that contemporary dance continues to be programmed at theatres, festivals and non-traditional performance spaces throughout the country,” they say. “This art form, more than any other, combines dance, music, costume, light design and visual arts, providing so many ways into the concepts being expressed. Dance impacts people on an emotional and visceral level, cutting across barriers of language and cultures, and is an opportunity to express contemporary thinking and new ways of moving.”
They also point to dance’s growing popularity among younger audiences and the wider social and economic benefits that venues such as the Gulbenkian generate.
“Dance has never been more popular, especially among young people, and seeing challenging, professional work in a live context can be inspiring and life-changing for many. It may also lead to more people getting up and moving together, which is more important than ever for mental and physical health. Programmes like Gulbenkian’s are a key part of the dance touring infrastructure, which employs artists, technicians and front-of-house staff and supports local businesses. Long may it continue.”
Femina by Ekleido - Thursday 29th & Friday 30th October, Gulbenkian, Canterbury
