To move, and be moved
Presenting Alex Truglio and Reem Naamani – dancers from different worlds, individuals from different paradigms, who have come together in mind and body, to create something new; something beautiful.
Alex and Reem are partners in dance but also in life. Over time, and with much fine-tuning, moulding and crafting, their partnership has become a brand. It’s called Reem & Alex, and it’s inspired our own form of artistic exploration.
The formative years
Both Alex and Reem were introduced to the world of dance at a young age. Alex’s formative years played out in dance schools in Turin, Italy, while Reem started dancing at a school in Lebanon.
As a young man, Alex was scouted during his performances with companies throughout Italy, and approached to audition for the Tiffany Theatre College in London. After being awarded a scholarship to attend the school, Alex delved into both the theoretical and practical parts of performance art.
Through his studies, he was exposed to a variety of art forms including commercial dance, contemporary, hip-hop, ballet, singing, acting, tap dance and musical theatre. His studies were presided over by a complement of professionals and experts who were well-connected throughout the world and provided him with a springboard into a career as a professional dancer after graduating in 2017.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Reem was building her future career on a foundation of folk dance, experimenting with other styles like latin and salsa. Over time however, it became clear that if she was to become a professional performer, she needed to set her sights beyond Lebanon.
At the age of 21, she found herself at the doorstep of the Sima Dance Company in Dubai, which became her creative home for the next few years. No stranger to hard work and determination, Reem trained for 8 hours a day, honing her abilities and furthering her ambitions. Her natural talent and drive to perfect the craft earned her a spot at the Beirut Dance Company, a residence in Turin, Italy and opportunities to lead and participate in workshops throughout Berlin, Amsterdam and the UK.
At the meeting place of movement
Back in Dubai, in the middle of all this wonderful adventure, Reem and Alex met, and their collaboration began to bear fruits as a personal brand and highly successful partnership.
Both Alex and Reem are open about the fact that creating a brand and being that brand, is not an easy task – especially for two very different individuals. But, through cooperation and patience, and a generous amount of love, they’ve succeeded in producing art that speaks the language of movement.
When you see Alex and Reem perform together, you will likely be unable to ignore their differences. Alex is an urban performer. His personal dance and choreography style leans towards commercial, hip-hop, freestyle and pop, although you’ll be hard-pressed to tie his performances down to any one of these styles. His is a dynamic hybrid of styles, underpinned by a love for experimentation.
Reem is beauty in motion. Her style draws on the techniques, lines and constructs of ballet but enjoys a distinct sense of freedom, brought to life by contemporary dance. As Alex puts it, he leans towards “weird,” unrefined, boisterous movement, while Reem is elegance and grace personified.
Their differences do not divide them. In fact, the opposite is true. When they move together, their differences complement each other, their styles feed into each other, breathe life into each other and make for performances that are decidedly cohesive despite the fact that what you see are two very unique individuals. Conceptually, you could think of them as beauty and the beast. And it’s truly something to behold.
A union of creative expression
As dance partners, their goal is always to meet in the middle – at the intersection of their unique styles, where the real magic happens. Together, they approach choreography in a very unique way. After Reem chooses the music, they simply allow their bodies to interpret the mix of instruments, the flow of the melody, the grounding of the bass line and the rhythm of the percussion.
Their experience with different styles of dance provides the technical parameters that allow them to interpret and play with form, line and shape. Alex also creates his own physical parameters by creating ‘rules’ that only allow him to move only a certain group of body parts at a time. This provides him with enough space for exploration, but enough creative boundaries to inspire new ways of moving.
During choreography, Reem and Alex think of all their body parts as separate, dynamic tools for expression. Every digit, every muscle group, every limb comes alive in its own way.
They like to think of dance as a form of sign language – a system of movements that communicate a message without words. That message is the golden thread that links the dancers to the audience in a two-way conversation of sound and expression. Although highly conceptual, Alex and Reem’s performances are rooted in the real world, the world of the tangible, the world of true meaning.
Wear what they wear
Their passion for performance and dynamic style of dance inspired us to design a couple of classic activewear pieces. Now, you can wear what they wear.
The Reem top, inspired by Reem, features an elegant yet simplified bra top design with adjustable straps for absolute comfort and flexibility that is ideal for a yoga session, dance session or paired with a jeans or shorts for a comfortable day outdoors.
And then, then we have the oversized Alex-T top, a unisex oversized cotton top with short sleeves. Not only is this design eco-friendly, it is also durable, breathable and a wardrobe staple.
Both these pieces are designed to support a full range of motion. You can dance in them, walk in them, run in them and sleep in them. You can take them to a coffee shop, the gym, the beach or enjoy them within the confines of your own home.
They’re all-purpose fashion for anywhere, any time.
