AΦE (AE) is a Medway/Kent (UK) based dance company founded by Aoi Nakamura (Japanese) and Esteban Lecoq (French). 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, 48 venues & engaged 13026 live audiences and 6473 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 5 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. In summer 2021 we consulted on the development of Jasmin Vardimon’s Alice VR. AE Artistic Directors are currently 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 autumn 2021. 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.
