KENNESAW, Ga. | Dec 28, 2021

Performance of “Ghost” has elements of contemporary dance, street dance and theatre

Kennesaw State University’s Department of Dance will host Montreal-based company Tentacle Tribe in their presentation of Ghost February 25-26 at 8 p.m. at the Dance Theater on the Marietta campus. Tickets for the in-person event are $15 to $20. 

Ghost combines elements of contemporary dance, street dance, theatre—and even the martial arts—in a physical score that echoes the subtle pulse of respiration. The invigorating power of the breath, and its circulation in the organism, are embodied and magnified by this energetic, architectonically rich dance. 

Drawing from their wide scope of dance experience, Tentacle Tribe’s co-founders Emmanuelle Lê Phan and Elon Höglund are known for creating conceptual hip-hop with a contemporary twist, while intermingling organic influences from earthly creatures.

The Canadian-Swedish alliance (Emmanuelle was raised in Ottawa, Canada, and Elon in Stockholm, Sweden) creatively experiments with intricate partnering, refined musicality, and a saturated dose of physical choreography. Besides Ghost, their repertoire includes magnetic pieces such as Body to Body, When They Fall, Nobody Likes a Pixelated Squid, Origami Mami, Threesixnine, and Fractals of You, all of which have toured internationally. 

Active participants in the street dance scene as B-boy and B-girl, and as seasoned stage performers, the duo com- bines movement techniques that transcend style boundaries and create works that express the embodiment of music beyond technique. 

Although the two performers have worked together since 2005, Tentacle Tribe was formed in 2012 when the duo performed their first collaboration, choreographed for the Cirque Du Soleil stage in Quebec City. This duet was adapted into a short film called Elon & Emmanuelle by director Natalie Galazka. Since then, their work has been shown in over 80 cities worldwide along with workshop outreach and the dissemination of two additional short films: Vanishing Points and Crack the Cypher.

Emmanuelle has her own freestyle language as the result of a varied training spectrum, from completing a BFA in contemporary dance at Concordia University in 2003, to battling in breaking and all-style categories since 1999. Elon's interest in pedagogy led him to teach his approach at Arizona State University, York University, DOCH (University for Dance and Circus in Stockholm) École National de Cirque in Montreal, and at countless workshops internationally.

Marsha Barsky, Chair of the Department of Dance, said, “It is a real honor to host Emmanuelle and Elon. What a a fabulous opportunity for our students to learn from such a creative, professional duo with a keen intuition on how to keep choreography contemporary and fresh.” 

Featuring choreography by Emmanuelle and Elon, Ghost also boasts an original score by Samuel Nadaï. Ghost is scheduled for two in-person performances on Friday and Saturday, February 25-26, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-$20. Please note: this event will not be live streamed. 

--Kathie Beckett