Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé is a Montreal choreographer, dancer, and instructor. A major player on the Québec Hip-Hop dance scene, her passion for the art form developed during her youth. Alexandra was responsible for the renowned Bust A Move Festival (2005-2015) and, at the close of 2015, she founded Ebnfloh Dance Company. The company’s mission is to create, produce and showcase inspired, authentic ground-breaking works whilst promoting original choreographic language that is essentially rooted in Hip-Hop. The symbiotic relationship between both the language of her work and her very creations constitute the essence of her artistic signature. We had the pleasure of speaking to her about her career and what the future holds.
You’re a choreographer, dancer, and instructor with more than 20 years of experience, 10 of which were devoted to choreography. How did you get into dance?
I was a dancer for as long as I can remember. Being a big fan of pop music growing up, I started imitating my favorite artists while watching their music videos. My brothers used to “breakdance” in the living room and I would watch them practice their 6 steps and backspins. My parents couldn’t afford dance classes so I would just dance in our schoolyard and at our year-end shows. I was doing it alone at first, then with friends at school. It’s only in college that I started taking dance a little more seriously. I joined a stepping crew called Vanier Bootz for a year then left to form another group called Gods of Rhythm, a semi-professional step crew of all-black dancers with who I participated in competitions, tv shows, and several other performances. Years later, I started getting more interested in Hip hop as a dance and a culture. I became interested in studying the different aspects of it; those aspects that were not so clear to me growing up. I was a real Hip hop head and really loved the music. It continues to inspire my work with Ebnflōh Dance Company.
You started your independent choreographic career presenting Retrospek at the MAI (Montréal, Arts Interculturels) and, following Retrospek’s showing in the ‘Vue sur la Releve’ Festival, you were awarded the Rideau-Entrées en Scene Loto Québec Bursary in 2009. Congratulations! How significant was this moment in your career?
It was a significant moment cause at the time no street dance company or choreographer had presented work on a professional stage. Work that wasn’t mixed with contemporary dance wasn’t considered professional. I co-choreographed my first piece with two other excellent dancers/choreographers namely Handy “MonstaPop” Yacinthe, a World-renowned popper, as well as a legendary Bboy, called Eric “Zig” Martel, both from Montreal. It was one of the 1st time that street dancers were getting recognized by the conventional dance milieu. We presented that show over 20 times around Quebec and Ontario in Canada.
You were hired as an urban dance instructor for the Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour show by Cirque du Soleil. Please share your experience of working on this project?
The Immortal World Tour came as a surprise. I was working as an occasional dance teacher and coach at Cirque with several groups of acrobats for a few months. When they started working on the show, they also hired me to coach some of the dancers in Hip hop and locking. I became a dance consultant for one of the choreographers. As a huge fan of Michael Jackson, I couldn’t pass that opportunity. It also allowed me to better understand the world through the eyes of Cirque du Soleil.
You founded Ebnfloh Dance Company in 2015, The company’s authenticity comes from the union of choreographic language and the subtleties of Hip-Hop culture. Can you elaborate on this, particularly for our readers who are unfamiliar with Hip- Hop as a cultural concept?
Hip hop is a culture consisted of several elements. In the beginning, it was created to put light on the injustices that African Americans and American Latinos endured in the South Bronx of New York city but it also celebrated community, peace, love, and unity. Through Hip hop music I found solace, a place of belonging where street poets authentically voiced their aches and pains. I loved to dance Hip hop, but mostly experiencing its culture as an art form, and was fascinated with its mannerism, its revolutionary ideals, its powerful anthems that reflected the realities of the ghetto. As far as my work is concerned, I’m interested in the form and how it inhabits the body but I’m also in the residuals, the instances, and nuances that are left in between two lyrics and/or steps. I’m interested in its intention and how we can use that intention to say something through movement.
Theatre and cinema are influences, among other intersecting disciplines in the arts. Do you think the connections and interplay between the various art disciplines are underutilized?
I’m not sure they’re underutilized. We learn so much from experiencing different artforms. I’m of the belief that in order to mix them we need to understand them as separate forms. We need to understand their nature, reasons for being, and power so we can better play with them and integrate them into our practice. There is definitely space for these forms to meet and coexist.
Has the proliferation of contemporary street dance companies naturally resulted in an increased level of dynamic original work? Moreover, has an increase in dance companies resulted in furthering opportunities for artists?
It definitely has. In Canada, it’s still a new thing to see companies and collectives create work for the stage. Many companies have used breakin as an influence or as a foundation to create work. This has resulted in multiple opportunities for street dancers who want to pursue a professional dance career for the stage. My company, for instance, has only hired Hip hop and street dancers for the work. Finding ways to present creations that are helping advance the practice but yet remain rooted in the authenticity of the form has been my biggest endeavor. There seem to be three growing tendencies.
- Companies who do work that’s purely rooted in street dance and have high virtuosic aesthetics. That kind of work remains true to the foundation and roots of the styles.
- Companies who create work that is based on the meeting of contemporary dance and street dance and are driven by how the two forms coexist and recreate other languages when mixed together.
- Companies who want to remain true to the essence, intention, and language of street dance but are also interested in finding unorthodox ways of expressing it. I like to believe that I belong in the latter.
EBNFLŌH Dance Company has produced a number of works, including D-Edge, Complexe R, and In-Ward. What methodology do you apply when choosing projects?
So far, I have created 3 pieces as an independent choreographer (Retrospek 2008, Renézance 2009, D-Edge 2009). Under Ebnfloh, I’ve created Complexe R (2015) and In-Ward 2019. My creations often overlap since the creation process takes between 18 months and 2 yrs. While I’m letting go of one, the other one is slowly growing in my mind. Most of my work is based on social psychological phenomena and philosophical ideas. I’m mostly interested in people: their inner battles, how they relate to each other, what makes them tick. I get almost obsessive. It’s visceral…I can’t explain it. I start with an idea and research on its content. Then I work on these ideas with the dancers through discussions, exchanges, and writings. Then I start researching movement that is related to the different concepts I want to explore, by myself at first then with dancers in a studio.
When choreographing a new performance, where do you draw inspiration from?
Apart from social psychology and philosophy, I’m truly inspired by music and cinema. They influence the way I put the pieces of the puzzles together, how I transition choreographically from one part to the next. My artistic collaborators and dancers are some of my biggest inspirations. Right now, I’m working with Banks, Rawss, Jigsaw, Tealeaf, Hurricane Tina, DJüngle, Bibiman, and J-Style. My music composer is none other than Shash’U, a World renown beatmaker. My rehearsal director is an incredible dancer and artist called Pax. Helen Simard, my artistic counselor and savior (lol) who has delved in both breakin’ and contemporary dance as a choreographer and performer, accompanies me through the creative process.
Which performance artists have influenced you the most?
I mean there are so many, I grew up listening to Janet Jackson, Prince, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Jodey Watley and Madonna. I’d say they’re my biggest influences as far as music is concerned. They blew up in the music video era of the 80s. They mastered the art of effortlessly combining music and dance. I’d also say Hip hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Common, WU-TANG, Nipsy Hustle, and the likes.
On the dance front, my biggest influences are:
- Rennie Harris – Pure Mouvement (Philadelphia)
- Wanted Posse (Paris)
- La Veronal (Barcelona)
- Compagnie Marie Chouinard (Montreal)
- Dimitri Papaioannou (Greece)
- Helen Simard – my artistic counselor (Montreal)
- Anne Plamondon (Montreal)
- Rubberbanddance Group (Montreal)
- BBoyizm (Gatineau)
What does a normal day look like at the Ebnfloh today?
Under normal circumstances, I’d usually be doing a lot of administrative work before 12 pm and after 8 pm. We usually are in residency or rehearsal between 12 pm and 5 pm. We don’t always have a fixed schedule since we are not a big dance company. We are often in research and creation a few months at a time and have performances in between. Summers are usually much slower. If things get back to normal next fall, we’ll be between shows, travels, and residencies.
This is the perfect success story! But it almost sounds too easy. What were the hurdles and difficulties to reach your success?
There are so many!!!! Where do I start lol?
- I spent 10 years organizing one of the biggest street dance battles in North America called Bust A Move (BAM). It was a ground-breaking event that helped put Montreal on the map on the international street dance scene. It is one of the most ambitious projects I have done. BAM was an extraordinary venture but it cost me my health and peace of mind. I couldn’t allow time to create full-length work. Despite the challenges I’ve faced while organizing this event, I’m so proud of this accomplishment. I have no regrets.
- First of all, 15 years ago street dance companies and collectives were not considered as “professional” in Montreal. It was viewed more as recreational forms and entertainment.
- Companies and artists that presented work that were culturally diverse and of diverse practices were at a large disadvantage when it came to receiving funding or presenting work in contemporary dance spaces.
- Founding a not-for-profit organization takes a lot of hard work, strong beliefs, and unshakeable artistic vision. I had to refuse a lot of contracts and work so I can concentrate on building the company. Ebnfloh is an inclusive organization that also makes space for up and coming artists. All of this takes time, dedication, patience, and resilience. Basically, it ain’t F****** easy lol.
- In-Ward is extremely demanding so getting the dancers to the physical and emotional level they need to perform the piece was a lot of work. Pax and Helen really helped me bring the work to life.
- Since we don’t have core funding, we can barely cover our administration costs. Grants are not guaranteed and we are dependant on public funding to create substantial work. We still have a lot of work ahead of us.
- Mental tiredness, anxiety, stress, highs and lows, depression, and loneliness are often part of an artist’s journey. The Ebbs and Flows, no pun intended lol, are part of the game. It actually took me close to 10 years to create Ebnfloh because of all the hurdles I had to face.
Finally, what are your plans for the future?
Again, there are many!
- We are currently working on a new piece that will premier in Montreal in 2022
- We are traveling in Montreal, Canada, and abroad with our latest piece In-Ward for the next 2 years.
- We are preparing for the next edition of B-Side that will most likely happen in May 2021. We select 8 street dancers for a week of laboratory research for a new dance project. The results are then presented at the end of the week.
- I’m getting back to my body as a dancer and enjoying music again in the midst of COVID-19.
- Also developing my skills as a filmmaker. I’m hoping I can put them to work in the next years to come. I’ve received funding for research and creation for a film last year. I hope to create a dance on film in the near future.
- I continue to organize small events for Montreal’s street dance community and events centered around the meeting of different mediums as well as events helping to elevate the youth with my crew Outfit Mob.
- Finally, just living life. I hope to travel when we are able to, continue to meditate, do yoga, take walks, and build projects that are non-dance.
For further information on Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé and Ebnfloh Dance Company please visit the official company website
Photos courtesy of EBNFLŌH. Credits Shaleen Ladha , David Wong and Melika Dez
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