STAY HYDRATED“How to do much about little.Stay Hydrated is a delightful quartet that explores and expands the simple and common action of drinking to its extreme. The challenge is set in a candid yet playful manner, inviting the 4 highly skilled performers to come up with as many ways as possible to ingest water. Done with great repartee the partly improvised proposition is astonishingly entertaining and absolutely refreshing.”-Fabrice Mazliah, Frankfurt based Choreographer

• ELIAS KRAFT

• SIMON CHATELAIN

• ELLIOT NORELL STRINNÖ

• HYUNGJIN LEE

Elias started his dance and performing journey in Falun, Sweden, dancing intensely in the local hobby school for some years in my late teens. Later decided to educate himself in the artform, first in Härnösand, Sweden and later at SEAD in Salzburg, Austria.He is interested in
choices, timing, contact, tension, flow and humor.

• Elias Website

Simon Chatelain is a 28-year-old French performer and choreographer. He received his training at the National Circus School of Rosny sous Bois, the Conservatoire National de Bordeaux, and the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance. As a performer, Simon has participated in a variety of productions, including works by Olivier Dubois, Omer Keinan, Agnes Galpin, Konstantinada Efthimiadou, Nicolas Vladyslav, Helder Seabra, Emily Spearing, Oded Graf, Manuel Ronda, Tom Weksler, and Eduardo Torroja. He has also performed with Isaac Newton and Milla Koistinen. Simon is also a founder of a dance collective called Useless Machines where he co-created the first piece of the collective called « Stay Hydrated » performed at various festivals such as Platform 14 in Berlin and Zukunfttanz in Frankfurt.

elliot bio

Hyungjin Lee is a 26 years old performer and dancer from South Korea. He trained dance and performance at Hansung University, Contemporary Dance major in Seoul, Korea and moved to Palucca Hochschule für Tanz in Dresden, Germany to study Classical performance and later educated and trained Contemporary dance at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance Salzburg, Austria. He has worked with Artist Elina Pirinen, Hillel Kogan, Milla Koistinen, Kinetic Orchestra, Manuel Ronda, Paul Blackman, Isaac Spencer, Meytal Blanaru, Fighting Monkeys, Edivaldo Ernesto, Helder Seabra, Annamari Keskinen, Sade and Christina Alleyne. Through these processes and works, He motivated to work in diverse creations in choreography, musicality, stage presence and dramaturgy. Hyungjin Lee is also a founder of a dance collective Useless Machines where he created and performed the first piece « Stay Hydrated » performed at various festivals such as Platform 14 in Berlin and Zukunfttanz in Frankfurt.

• Stay Hydrated

• Club Med Dancing

• Symphonica

• boys will be boys?

Our projects are sponsored by

STAY HYDRATED
A physical theater performance combining dance, sport, comedy and a lot of water.Created and Performed by:
Elliot Norell Strinnö, Elias Kraft,
Hyungjin Lee and Simon ChatelainStay hydrated is a project born from the research on how to transform a simple and common act such as drinking water into a sportive and artistic act. Our practice within and around the piece lies in improvisation and the skills, timing and trust that is needed to be able to improvise on stage with others.

Reviews“How to do much about little.Stay Hydrated is a delightful quartet that explores and expands the simple and common action of drinking to its extreme. The challenge is set in a candid yet playful manner, inviting the 4 highly skilled performers to come up with as many ways as possible to ingest water. Done with great repartee the partly improvised proposition is astonishingly entertaining and absolutely refreshing.”Fabrice Mazliah, Frankfurt based ChoreographerWe, the festival team of „ZUKUNFT TANZT - Festival der jungen Choreografie“ have appreciated the participation of Simon, Jay, Elias and Elliot, Useless Machines, in our fourth edition in 2022. It was a great addition to the festival to have such a diverse group of young artists. They had an excellent working atmosphere, were willing to join all formats and include their expertise.
The work of the group was received as joyful yet critical, a work that brought up
fundamental questions.Frankfurt am Main, 30.01.2023
Ida Kaufmann & Laurin Thomas, Founders of Zukunfttanzt Festival

Club Med Dancing is a workshop given by the members of the Useless Machines Collective to inspire and give people the space and opportunity to fully express the free and joyous movement of dancing to music and rhythms that so easily can be lost today in a world of technical classes.
Come reveal your true moving personality, give us your sweat and your passion for dance.
Move like no one is watching and let your sensuality express itself.
Club Med Dancing is a workshop designed for anyone who wants to dance to catchy tunes and enjoy.No technical dance skills are required
This workshop is open to all experiences and bodies.

This developing performance explores the act of giving orders as a way to create movement and shape the choreography. One performer invents, writes, and speaks instructions in real time, while the other two interpret and perform them. These instructions, or scores, do more than describe movement—they also help build characters and bring out honest, everyday gestures alongside more abstract or physically demanding dance.
At its core, the piece tells the story of a man who is both absurd and contradictory. He swings between too much and too little emotion, feeling lost yet convinced that he is the most capable person in the room. In the first part of the performance, the act of giving and following orders is the main rule. But in the second part, we break free from these rules, creating an explosion of movement and feeling—like breaking out of a mold that was never meant to fit.
This work is a satirical look at how men are shaped by social expectations of masculinity—and how those expectations often force them to suppress vulnerability. Strength, confidence, and control are valued above all else, but beneath them lies fragility, doubt, and fear. The pressure to maintain this image can be overwhelming, and many men struggle to express their true emotions.
The influence of social media makes this even more extreme. Every day, countless videos and posts push a narrow idea of what it means to be a “real man,” celebrating dominance, aggression, and emotional detachment disguised as being rational and logical. These messages reach millions, especially young men, shaping their self-worth and relationships in ways that can be harmful. Many begin to believe they must perform masculinity rather than simply be themselves.
Through irony and precise choreography, this piece highlights the absurdity of these messages. The goal is not to mock anyone, but to invite reflection. By keeping the tone playful and humorous, we hope to encourage audiences to question these ideas and recognize the freedom that comes with letting go of them.