Emmanuelle Lê Phan + Elon Höglund

Emmanuelle Lê Phan

Quebeco-Vietnamese and raised in Ottawa, Emmanuelle Lê Phan has forged for herself a singular career path intermingling breaking, contemporary dance and circus performances. Although not a classical circus artist, her dance's virtuosity brought her to Cirque Du Soleil stages (The Beatles LOVE in Las Vegas), Cirque Éloize stages (ID) and other international special events.

But in essence, what draws her in is movement invention and choreographic finesse.   In her body, a varied array of forms: breaking, popping, capoeira, parcours, house, modern, and a desire to bond them into her own freestyle language.  This versatility is the result of a wide spectrum of training: from completing a BFA in contemporary dance at Concordia University in 2003, to battling in breaking and all-style categories since 1999. Her past collaborations include co-founding Solid State Breakdance Collective and dancing for MMHOP, RUBBERBAND, Bboyizm and Out Innerspace Dance Theatre.  In 2012, the decision to create alongside Swedish choreographer Elon Höglund, launched them into their new Tentacle Tribe universe. Their work has been presented in over 80 countries.

Elon Höglund

Born in Stockholm, Elon Höglund grew up listening and dancing to hip-hop music. From an early age, his training in martial arts (kung fu, capoeira, taekwondo), breaking, and popping prepared him to achieve his full professional potential. He quickly drew inspiration from street dance, theater, and contemporary dance to develop his own philosophy of movement. Since 2001, Elon has been choreographing and dancing contemporary fusion pieces in several productions. In 2005, he was recruited by Cirque du Soleil for the creation of The Beatles LOVE in Las Vegas, where he choreographed his own solo. He then danced in North America, Europe, and Asia with the companies Bboyizm, Groupe RUBBERBANDance, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Éloize, and Norwegian State Theatre, collaborating with choreographers Dave St-Pierre, Daniel Ezralow, Mourad Merzouki, and Victor Quijada. He created two short films with Amara Barner: Exuviae and Metamorph and choreographed for the National Circus School, DandyPunk, Cirque Éloize, and Théâtre Empire Panique among others. In 2012, he co-founded Tentacle Tribe with Canadian choreographer Emmanuelle Lê Phan, with whom he created several magnetic works.