KAMILLA
STUDYO LONDON speaks to Kamilla Halid from HØST STUDIOS about the East London dance studios co-founded with Fatou Bah and Miranda Chambers.
On the name
We named our business and the studios HØST because it was something all three of us had in common. Our birthdays are all in September, and we played around with that theme. Since we are also all from Scandinavian countries, we landed on the word fall, which in Scandinavian languages is höst, or høst.
Initially, we just liked it as a word and what it represented for us personally. It’s aged like fine wine! We love it even more now that it has started to take on a different meaning of hosting people, which is what we love doing with the business: that it’s not just for people’s personal creative space but a space to share, that feels like home.
On moving countries
Having my heart in both London and Stockholm is both a blessing and a curse. I consider both places my home, and there is both a lot of love and a lot of longing that comes with it. But most importantly, I do feel it has been beneficial for me. You grow as a person leaving your hometown and starting over, and London has a roughness, but so much energy and creativity and joy in her that I was missing in Stockholm. As the dance industry is bigger here, London has allowed me to grow as a dancer and a performer. I have had opportunities which wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t come here.
On heels
I’ve trained heels since way back. The style we now call heels, I would say I started training in 2015 when I met Dana Foglia for the first time. I have since then trained with her multiple times and, during the process, developed my own style within heels.
høst
noun [h'öst] The Scandinavian word for fall, the season between
summer and winter.
On teaching
I love to teach. What I feel like I offer when I teach is what is now probably almost considered old school: a very detail-oriented and body-conscious class. Besides dance, I’ve worked within fitness for over five years now, and I’m very much into proper warm-up and body preparation. I don't believe in dance class without a proper and relevant start to the class.
When it comes to the actual dancing and choreography, I'm quite strict in what I’m looking for, and that often doesn't leave too much space for interpretation. I like to be clear and focused on details as I think that will challenge a dancer's body to work in new ways rather than revert to forms they already know. My biggest hope is that they enjoy the style and the training and the challenge, but most importantly have fun with it. If it’s not fun dancing, what are we doing?
On versatility
I’ve always cherished versatility. All the teachers I had growing up promoted that intensely, so I’ve adopted that way of thinking. I love that I’ve had the chance to train and work within so many styles. I’m equally as happy to find my niche in heels dance now, after building that foundation.
I think having both training and professional experiences within different styles influences my own creativity; it keeps it ever evolving. It’s the same with being a working dancer and a choreographer simultaneously. It keeps both fields always interesting to me. I truly still enjoy performing as a dancer; it's my first real love in life. Now, I equally love creating and seeing my work come to life.
KAMILLA HALID In conversation with STUDYO LONDON