About

AΦE (AE) is a dance company creating work merging dance and technology that tours worldwide and curate Digital and Cultural activities locally.

AΦE (AE) is a dance company creating work merging dance and technology that tours worldwide and curate Digital and Cultural activities locally.

Who we are

AΦE (AE) is a Medway, Kent (UK) based dance company founded by Aoi Nakamura and Esteban Lecoq. Our uniqueness lies in the use of technology to completely reinvent audience participation. We were the UK’s first dance company to tour internationally with VR and AR productions. We toured to 15 counties, over 60 venues & engaged over 21000 live audiences and participants. As trailblazers in our sector, we want to rethink live performances. To help us in this process, we have partnered with high end technology brands such as EPSON and The Scalable Display who we are inviting into the dance world to push its boundaries. In only 6 years, we have managed to gather the support of some of the most prestigious venues around the world such as Sadler’s Wells, Chaillot Theatre National de la Danse Paris & Sydney Festival.

We also actively share our expertise. We consulted number of VR projects including for the development of Jasmin Vardimon’s Alice VR. AΦE Artistic Directors has been part of Creative Estuary’s commissioning group.

AΦE has opened AΦE Creative Hub, its charitable arm in 2020. Its first event in 2021 was an outdoor interactive digital art programme called ALT*ASH and took place during lockdown in Ashford’s High Street, engaging 29,000 live audiences, & 139,000 online audiences.

AΦE became Associate Artists of the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries (iCCi)/University of Kent and are moving into a building within the iCCi at Historic Dockyard Chatham in spring 2022. This space is home to AE’s Creative Hub, where we will produce innovative productions and deliver creative & new technology workshops to professionals and members of the local community, especially young people, alike.

“Suitably disorientating, great art” Hedley Swain, CEO Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust Brighton & Hove

"Powerful, refreshing, exciting” Creative Review

“A boundary breaking piece. A truly beautiful, compelling and important work.” VICE, The Creators Project

“an innovative UK dance company” TimeOut Sydney

Individually Aoi and Esteban have been performing over 15 years with renowned dance and immersive theatre companies such as Punchdrunk, Jasmin Vardimon Company, State Theatre Kassel, Saarbruecken and Wiesbaden, and have also choreographed, directed and performed for works by other prestigious producers, including Sean Roggs’ immersive experience The Waldorf Project, a 360° film for Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Google Arts & Culture) and short film “Kai”. They were also guest curators for an visual art exhibition and a Digital Performance Weekender for Devonshire Collective in Eastbourne in November 2017.

Our team

Aoi Nakmaura - Co-Artistic Director
Esteban Lecoq - Co-Artistic Director
Rachel Bradbear - Executive Director
Kuan Chi Chen - Asisstant Producer

What we do

Our main strand of work includes:

• Create and produce production merging performance (dance theatre) and technology
• Creative workshops (professional, non-professional of all ages)
• Curation of cultural events and program
• Consultation for art and tech project
• Mentorship

Use our space and equipment

More info

Our building A+E Lab is a space for experimentation and creation. We curate, organise and host wide range of activities at A+E Lab including event, rehearsal, production, workshop and shooting a film or photography. We work with our technical partner Visual Elements to accommodate the need for each activity.

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Collaborations

More info

Our work is collaborative and bring team of creatives and technologists depending on the project needs. We can take on projects from ideation through to delivery of the project.

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Available workshops and talks

Find out more

We love to share our creation process, discoveries and passion through creative workshops and talks.
We offer various workshops and talks tailored to any age group, online or physically.
Since 2016, we have developed various art and tech workshops for a wide range of abilities and ages.

Our flagship workshops are:
• Creating for immersive environments: Theatre, AR and VR
• 360° VR Filmmaking Workshop
• Motion Tracking System Demonstration
• Physical Theatre Workshop
• Unreal Engine Workshop
• Case Study Talks (WHIST, 0AR, LILITH.AEON, Creative use of AI)

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Who we work with

Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries - University of Kent

Website

Arts Council England

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Ashford Borough Council

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British Council

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The Game of Life

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Innovate UK

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Chaillot Theatre National de la Danse, Paris

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Colours International Dance Festival

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CPH:DOX

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Creative XR

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Dance4 (FABRIC)

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EPSON

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Geneva International Film Festival

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Capital Theatres

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Frequency Festival

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George Town Festival

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Happy Finish

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Jasmin Vardimon Company

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Kapellhaus

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LOIKKA Dance Film Festival

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Kent County Council

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Laval Virtual

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Biennale de la Danse, Lyon

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Sadler's Wells

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South East Dance

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Stereolux

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Sydney Festival

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Take Off Festival

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Tanz Festival Rhein Main

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French Institute, Morocco

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Territory Festival

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Theatre Deli

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The Mill Arts Centre

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The Old Market

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Museum of Art Kochi

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Pavilion Dance South West

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Ugly Duck

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Victoria and Albert Museum

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Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

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Young at Art

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Watermans Arts Centre

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La Filature

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Visual Elements

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VRHAM!

Website