MOVES GOES BTS WITH EKLEIDO FOR ‘TIMELESS’ NEW PROJECT FEMINA

Words TAYLOR ANDERSON | Images EMILY ALMODOVAR

MOVES gets the inside scoop on Ekeido’s latest project, Femina, which brings the dance company’s signature club-infused dynamism back in the spotlight.

This new piece draws on Janina Ramirez’s historical book of the same name, which uncovers the suppressed histories of medieval women and LGBTQIA+ figures. Ekleido pays homage to Ramirez’s work and builds on its message with their distinctive choreo blend of club culture styles, hip hop and contemporary. 

At The Place in London, Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser, the co-founders and co-artistic directors of Ekleido, only had two weeks to work with the dancers and bring a 10-minute excerpt to life. The piece debuted at Ballet Nights last week and will be performed in Mexico as part of ‘Mexico Art Week’ (February 2026). Then, over the next year, the explosive excerpt will be expanded into a 60-minute production for its Premiere back at The Place in Autumn 2026.

A SNEAK PREVIEW OF FEMINA

Behind-the-scenes with Ekleido, MOVES got a first look at Femina’s progress during its  ‘Research and Development’ (R&D) phase. When we asked Hannah and Faye what R&D is, Hannah pointed to a large mind map spread across the studio floor. 

The mind map is filled with references from the book, including the Birka Viking warrior, who was assumed male until a 2017 DNA study proved otherwise. They also reference Hilegard of Bingen, a 12th-century mystic whose visions were revered at a time when women who were “suspicious” to men could be burned alive. The choreographers also look beyond the book to figures like the androgynous Joan of Arc, a military leader, burned as a heretic before being celebrated as a national heroine.

“Whether [the] world [of Femina] is maybe a club or a monastery from the medieval times…the audience can decide for themselves when they see it” – Faye 

Like the artwork of Hilegard, Hannah and Faye’s original vision has grown far beyond their initial concept. While workshopping the piece as a company, the dancers enriched it with their own movement vocab and diverse personal experiences, allowing Femina to evolve into its own world. In this new world, the historical suppression of legendary women and LGBTQIA+ figures intersects with the present fight for recognition and the future marginalisation of voices facing discrimination. As Faye explains, “even though we suffer different types of discrimination, it’s rooted in the patriarchy.” This is the “timeless message” that runs throughout the work.

CATCHING UP WITH COSTUME DESIGNER GEORGE H WALE

Costume designer, George H Wale, has long been in the ballroom scene and as a dancer too, brings all kinds of artistic tekkers to the table: “I credit my costume design career to being in the ballroom scene…I started creating my own looks and then I started making looks for other people.”

Having previously collabed with Ekleido on Splice, George is now tackling a different kind of challenge. The concept of this new piece is immense, raising the question of how to create a sense of timelessness through costume. When we asked George, they explained their approach: “a mixture of historical silhouettes in modern fabric or vice versa…taking it into a kind of futuristic space”. 

George’s brief is to deliver “a celebration of femininity in all its forms” which includes “a mix of masculine feminine, genderbending, androgynous vibes”. With a year to go until the Premiere, we’re excited to see how the new designs will elevate the production and make a statement.

“Costumes can really tell its own story…we’re not having a set or anything so the costume is going to be the production element of it” – Faye

Catching up with the dancers

Femina is a big step for Ekleido, moving away from their more intimate performances like the duo-led Splice and the trio piece Rorschach, which featured dancer Jasper Narvaez. This time, six dancers will weave in and out of striking unison pieces, improvised solos and the classic body threading duets. With more dancers and a “wealth of knowledge” and talent, Ekleidoo is pushing its body of work into uncharted waters, where fresh ideas flow. 

We caught up with Jasper, who started training at an early age in the Philippines before moving on to contemporary and ballet, eventually joining the prestigious Akram Khan Dance Company. But it was in the ballroom scene that he connected with Faye, who became his “mother” in the House of Revlon UK. Feeling at home with the dance style of New Way Voguing, Jasper says the scene helped him explore what masculinity and femininity means personally. "Feminine vs masculine [was] something I had to think about, finding myself in the ballroom scene, figuring out my feminine side…[where] I sit naturally”. 

Faye and Hannah “carefully selected” the dancers not just for their strong contemporary and ballet backgrounds, but for their unique abilities in other dance styles. Australian dancer Tia May Hockey brings acrobatics to the table, Rory Clarke has a strong foundation in house, hip hop and locking, South Londoner Roshaan Asare can be found battling as part of the London Waacking Movement and Anneli Tan, from Singapore, found her love for dance through Jazz, Funk and hip hop as well. The movement vocab of this multi-talented cast is huge, providing a bigger pool of material to experiment with and, as Hannah says, add their “flavour to it”.

catching up about the music

You can’t have an Ekleido show without some heavy electronic music and a solid drum beat.

For Femina, they’ve brought in music from electro artist Ela Minus and composer Floating Points. Hannah also shared their excitement about working with producer Stella Mozgawa. Stella is “a phenomenal drummer [and] drumming is a male dominated instrument so that’s pretty cool to work with her,” Hannah says. Stella’s impressive resume includes collabs with The XX, Sharon Van Etten and she even produced the all-female soundtrack for the Apple TV+ smash hit series The Buccaneers. Faye adds that one section of the piece is “inspired by the category in ballroom called ‘arms control’ and it’s like a call and response rhythm,’” they sent Stella references and she made “a fab version of it” instantly. 

Ekleido getting a standing ovation next year, now that is on my 2026 bingo card. Femina is shaping up to be an impactful new work from Ekleido, their creative partners and dancers. The next opportunity to see the vision become a reality will be at Mexico Art Week in February next year and in Autumn 2026 for the full 60-minute Premiere at The Place, London.