Montreal choreographer and major figure in Hip Hop dance in Quebec, Spicey began her career as a choreographer in 2005. She first developed a passion for Hip Hop as a young girl in the 1980s. That symbiotic connection to dance and Hip Hop culture is a dominant presence in her choreography, and constitutes the very essence of her artistic style.
Spicey began her career as a performer and teacher. As an independent choreographer she presented three pieces in Quebec prior to 2015, including Retrospek (2008, 9 performers), which influenced a generation of Montreal street dancers. She was awarded the Rideau-Entrées en Scène Loto Québec bursary in 2009, and Retrospek was then presented in twenty different venues across the province. At the same time the Bust A Move Festival that she founded (2005−2015) became the biggest street dance competition in Canada, attended annually by 3 500 spectators and participants. The TOHU circus arts venue became its co-presenter in 2010.
Eager to further expand her artistic aspirations and to actively promote street dance and its performers, Spicey founded the dance company Ebnflōh in 2015. With the support of collaborators and peers, her approach to Hip Hop as choreography evolved, becoming more exploratory, radical and authentic. Faithful to intention and form, she continued to pursue research and experimentation. Music, theatre, cinema and visual arts have been sources of inspiration for her choreography, as has her degree in psychology. Her works powerfully probe our social and intimate relationships. In recent years, she has trained in filmmaking for dance.
Spicey created Complexe R in 2015, a piece for five female dancers inspired by our existential obsessions. Presented at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), it was performed in Quebec, Ontario, New York and Amsterdam. In‑Ward, her 2019 piece featuring six dancers, was awarded Prix Révélation at Les Prix de la Danse de Montréal. The jury emphasized “the power of the choreography” and “an artistic style imbued with depth”. The piece was a finalist for the 35th Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal and was presented 50 times in Canada, Scotland and Germany from 2019 to 2023.
During the pandemic she created two works for webcasting: Hanging by a Thread (8 dancers) presented by DanceWorks in Toronto, and the duo Ever Endeavor – a piece commissioned by the National Arts Centre (#DansEnvol). In 2021 Spicey was captured in a moment of freestyling in Esie Mensah film TESSEL, which featured the stories of 14 black artists from across Canada. Danse Danse presented her work La Probabilité du Néant (8 dancers), in October 2021 at Place des Arts in Montreal. It has been re-presented in Vancouver at the end of 2023. She also directed and choreographied her first dance film entitled Le Néant.
Mōnad, her latest creation, was presented by Danse-Cité at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines, from April 4 to 13, 2024. She is currently working on a new piece.
A performer and teacher of Hip Hop for the past twenty years, Spicey is regularly asked to teach classes (TransFormation Danse, Concordia University’s Focus on Dance Research, École nationale de cirque de Montréal, Circuit-Est, Studio 303, RQD, etc.), and to judge street dance competitions both here and abroad.
She has also worked as a dance coach for Cirque du Soleil (Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour), and as a choreographer she has collaborated with the Festival Mode & Design (Montreal) and with Radio-Canada. She has been a movement consultant for several theatre productions (Black Theatre Workshop, the Arrivals Legacy Project, Chokola presented at La Licorne in 2023, etc.), and a guest curator for MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) working with the artists Lara Kramer and Angie Cheng from 2021 to 2025.
Deeply committed to supporting street dance, Spicey designs and directs B‑Side, an event produced by Ebnflōh since 2019. She also teaches workshops and mentors emerging artists. She has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Regroupement québécois de la danse as vice-president from 2020 to 2022, and Jack of all Trades (JOAT Festival) since 2021.
Ebnflōh dance company was founded in 2015 by choreographer Alexandra ‘Spicey’ Landé. Its original language and aesthetic are rooted in Hip Hop dance and culture and developed through research and innovation.
The company is recognized for its involvement in the street dance community and its contribution to the development of the discipline and its dancers.
It creates, produces and presents its work to large audiences, and is active in Canada and internationally.
Ebnflōh was finalist for the 35th Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal in 2020 with In-Ward.
Ebnflōh (pronounced Ebenflo) comes from the English expression “to ebb and flow” denoting action and reaction, rising and falling, the constant and everchanging movement of the tides. As with waves lapping up and receding, the company’s choreographic language is steeped in its fluidity of movement.
With meticulous precision and laying bare the multifarious details and nuances found in its choreography, these densely layered works possess an informed commentary.
Spicey’s singularly insightful outlook sharply contrasts with what most of us usually dismiss as being trite, and superficial.
With theatre and cinema as influences, among other intersecting disciplines in the arts, music holds a special place for her.
Ebnflōh offers a unique choreographic language and artistic vision. The company promotes creative exploration by broadening the field of research for street dance.
It imagines new creative processes and new ways to share its ideas about social, political and artistic issues. It is fundamentally committed to creating dynamic, and uncompromised original work.
Ebnflōh has created and produced 6 choreographic works (including 2 for webcasting), and has presented them across Quebec and Canada, in New York, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf and Edinburgh.
It also produces the annual B‑Side event, a two-week Exploration and Research Lab for the street dance community.