Rule of seven: an Illegal Dance Short Film

Director & Choreographer: Tony Adigun
Artistic Collaborator: Sara Gordon
Producer & Assistant Director: Prince Laryea
Associate Producer: Jan Solberg
Rehearsal Director/Creative Assistant: Emma Stansall
Words: Maxwell Golden
Dramaturgical Advice: Peggy Olislaegers

Performers: Jarmaine Aldridge, Sam Ford, Aaron Nuttall, Dani Harris-Walters, Stefano A. Addae, Josh Smith, Emma Farnell-Watson, Paris Crossley

Director of Photography: Jan Solberg
Production Designer: Katy Mason
Editor: Fiorella Santaniello
Colourist: Chris Francis, Company 3
Costume Designer: Nancy Flaherty
Visual Effects & Online Edit: Dan Thompson
Music Composer & Audio Effects: James Grant
Trinity Operator: Sebastien Joly
1st Assistant Camera: Christopher J Orr
Sound recordist: Matthew Senuik
Gaffer: Gavin Farlie
Spark: Tristan Hutchinson
Set manager: Stella Kailides
On set assistant: Lily Laryea
Hair & MU Designer: Amelia Kildear
BTS: Josh Brady
Trailer edit: Jonathan Joseph Hart
Trailer Visual Effects & Title: Zahoo Rali, Alto Grey
Artwork: Hamzah Kennedy Kalua, Alto Grey

Combining dynamic contemporary choreography with innovative technical stagecraft, The Rule of Seven is an excerpt, the first instalment from Illegal Dance, the new multi-artform work from virtuoso choreographer Tony Adigun. Sharp movement and spectacular cinematography underpin a compelling story, exploring themes of family, society, power and agency.

The short film plays to a stunning original score of Hiphop infused with contemporary classical sounds, topped with a dash of drum and bass. The delectable and infections score is composed by none other than James Grant, one half of the prolific producing power house iLL BLU @iLLBLU who’s producing and remix credits include Stormzy, Sam Smith, MoStack, Headie One, IAMDDB & Tion Wayne.

Over the next three years Avant Garde Dance will introduce new instalments featuring film, dance, theatre, immersive and digital. Visit www.illegaldance.com to journey deeper into the world of Illegal Dance.

This film was made with support from Arts Council England, Dance East, and Shoreditch Town Hall. Avant Garde is supported by Studio Wayne McGregor through the FreeSpace programme.

Founded in 2001, Avant Garde Dance Company (AGDC) is an ACE NPO, led by Artistic Director and CEO Tony Adigun. AGDC is a critically acclaimed company at the forefront of London’s innovative Hip hop/Contemporary Dance scene. Dedicated to creating and distributing world-class dance, the company enjoys a broad appeal to diverse, intergenerational and multi-cultural audiences nationally and internationally.

AGDC has produced over 20 productions, events and platforms, touring nationally and internationally, with works commissioned, co-produced and presented at venues and festivals including: The Place, Sadler’s Wells, Pavilion Dance, Southbank Centre, The Barbican, DanceXchange, Greenwich Dance, Brighton Dome, Stratford Circus, Breakin’ Convention, Latitude Festival, British Dance Edition, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, Barcelona Festival and Shanghai International Arts Festival.

AGDC’s recent works have reached over 170,000 audiences and engaged over 2000 young people taking part in learning and participation opportunities.

Nominated for the Best Independent Dance Company category in the National Dance Awards, The AGDC mantra ‘Innovate Never Replicate’ is evident throughout the work, as the company embraces a sense of difference and individuality.

“Daring, dynamic and hugely enjoyable.” **** The Times

AGDC remains focused on its ambitions to take its artistic work to new audiences, to provide innovative development opportunities to diverse artists, children and young people and to build a magnetic brand on multiple platforms.

“Adigun hits you with fast, precise choreography – contemporary dance sharpened by hip hop." The Stage

Tony is a choreographer, director, curator, dancer, educator and mentor with a razor sharp eye for dance composition, musicality and form. His unique dance vocabulary has gained respect from the highest echelons of the dance industry.

His iconic choreography and style has resulted in commissions to choreograph work for Cirque de Soleil in Andorra, Fontys in Tilburg, and for festivals in Vietnam, America, Poland, Russia and Portugal, as well as in the UK with Breakin Convention, The Place/Alston Takes Over and Greenwich and Docklands International Festival.

Tony was a semi-finalist in The Place Prize 2012 and was also commissioned by The Place to remake Richard Alston’s ‘Wildlife’ as part of Dance Umbrella 2011, which subsequently went on tour with graduate company Edge. In 2012 he was invited by Breakin’ Convention to research and develop a new work in conjunction with Parc de la Villette in Paris. He was co-choreographer on the Royal Opera House Education and East London Dance production of The Last Genie. He was guest choreographer for The Exhibitionists, an international ensemble of acrobats and dancers brought together for the oad Show festival on Exhibition Road.

Commercially he has performed with internationally recognised artists including Janet Jackson, Usher, Ashanti, Mel B, JoJo, Cheryl Cole and Whitney Houston and was the Creative Director for Sky 1’s ‘Got To Dance’.