Breakin’ Convention was host to Tentacle Tribe, a Montreal based, conceptual Hip Hop company; led by Canada’s Emmanuelle Lê Phan and Sweden’s Elon Höglund. The beauty of Sadler’s Wells East was dramatically transformed into a dark portal. Shards of overhead lighting created shallow pools on the stage. Mirrors were configured into a 90-degree angle, trapping and refocusing beams of narrow light.
Five performers entered the space, representating individual colours of the rainbow -refracted red, green, yellow, orange and blue light caught within a prism. Their slow pedestrian walks mapping out pathways, playing with the actions of stop, go and rewind. This simple and pure display was akin to quantum physics: time going forward, reversing and adhering to differing tempos and rhythms.
The quintet were a cohesive mass, emoting a spacious feeling of tumbling and free falling. Their tick tock, locking and popping movements carving out space and marking the passage of time. The ensemble embodied and reflected the light that their colours represented. Their bodies merged and weaved together to create, dissolve and recreate individual personas and tableaux of unity.
Tentacle Tribe’s wide variety of movement modalities were evident in their acutely skilled, fluid wave work, precise threading, intricate contact work and fearless break dancing.
There was an alluring beauty to the performers’ use of geometric shapes which coalesced into a memorising kaleidoscope – transmitting waves of light via the mirrors to the audience.
The use of flow, causal effect and imaginative manipulation was especially apparent in their contact work sections. A physical tracing and exploration of the self: navigating the landscape of their bodies, negotiating the negative space between them and their partners, whilst repeatedly rediscovering the space they occupied.
The ensemble formations was constantly morphing into duet, solos, trios, quartets and quintets – all of which were accompanied by a score of pulsating, incessant beats and ambient foley sounds. Like ninja cats, their bodies were mercurial, fierce, agile and formidable.
Tentacle Tribe’s ability to conjure imagery is to be commended. At one time presenting as a set of machine-like pistons – punctuated and accurate. At another juncture omnipresent deities of ancient myth and legend. The ensemble appeared as amoebas or creatures that were sucked into a void behind moveable mirrors, then reappear as watercolours dripping from the glass walls.
The set comprised of six mirrors, which could be use in a multitude of ways. In doing so they helped harness the power of illusion, changing the topography of the space, which positively added to Prism’s abstract narrative form.
Stand out sections were the virtuosic and awe inspiring solo’s, alongside a spoken word element, which gave even more context to the piece. The voice over spoke of the many selves we carry – that we humans are always evolving, finding meaning through our differing perspectives. This section was not only visceral, but hypnotic and beguiling.
Prism is a well-constructed, wonderfully danced and truly accessible work. The piece was evocative of my early childhood, bringing to the fore the significance of colour, art and play – creativity that would later shape my career. Tentacle Tribe were vibrant and bold like an assortment of Crayola crayons painting images, creating illusions; allowing room to perceive the world and oneself in all of its many colours, textures, qualities and flavours. The experience of watching Prism and the messages it conveyed, stayed with me long after the performance had ended.
NEED TO KNOW: Tentacle Tribe was at Sadler’s Wells East, 8-11 Oct 2025
