Tony Adigun is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Avant Garde, a cutting-edge contemporary dance company that is based in the UK. Indian audiences will get to see his production THE BLACK ALBUM at the Park's New Festival presented by the Prakriti Foundation. Tony Adigun talks about THE BLACK ALBUM, his dance company, and of what inspires and motivates him to constantly innovate.
By Deepa Punjani
Deepa Punjani (DP): The YouTube video of THE BLACK ALBUM promises a stunning performance. All that light and speed- very gripping. What inspired you to do it?
Tony Adigun (TA): We stand in a fairly unique place where we have performed in many venues, both indoor, outdoor and site specific across the whole of the UK. People have seen a range of our work, some have been more hip hop led, some more contemporary, some circus and others more youth focused. But now with THE BLACK ALBUM we want to share the Avant Garde aesthetic, vocabulary and style - A real mixture of hip-hop and contemporary which is entertaining, emotive and embedded with strong visual imagery. I wanted to show the power and range we have as a company and I already had two pieces in our repertoire that would work to showcase this (Omega & Classical Break). I then created a final piece (Dark Matter),which would compliment the two pieces and be the perfect finale for a full length show that we could tour to both small to mid scale theatres.
We have already visited most of these UK cities with our outdoor work TAXI and SILVER TREE, but we are keen to develop audiences across all styles of our work. We are notorious for challenging convention, and with this show we are presenting a not so conventional show in conventional spaces. We want to make sure every piece we do is a total surprise and is totally different, so that our audiences enjoy the exciting journey of work we produce and present.
DP: There are three segments, exploring different kinds of music and movement. You describe the production as a 'concept album'. Can you explain that?
TA THE BLACK ALBUM is built around the idea of a concept album, in which three distinctly different choreographies are seamlessly woven together. Set in what could either be a club, bedroom or one's imagination, we bring to life a new way to listen to dance and a new way to watch music. We take the audience on a soulful journey through Jazzanova to Mozart, Woodkid to Trentemoller, James Blake to Beethoven, so the choreography spans a wide range of styles and emotions. No two sections are the same, and the overall concept is the unifying theme that every piece of music, not matter what is it can make you move through the power of musicality. In creating the true clubbing experience, audiences will receive a link to listen to THE BLACK ALBUM club mix, offering a digital aspect to the live show.
DP: Tell us a little about how did it all begin for you? What were you thinking when you set up your company?
TA The company was formed in 2001 as a creative release from the world of commercial dance that I was working in. I was touring as the choreographer for Mel B (Spice Girls), and after two years of touring I felt limited in my creative output and knew I had much more I could give the industry. I wanted to push my creativity, I wanted to bring together and support a group of like-minded dancers to explore more unusual, abstract and artistic ideas away from the mainstream. So 'Avant Garde' felt like the right name to represent those intentions.
The company celebrates uniqueness and individuality and offers me the opportunity to produce work where we can be involved with the total experience. The lighting, costume, set, audience experience to me is just as important as the dance itself.
I am also very passionate about supporting young dancers and emerging choreographers and within the company's ethos and education programme, I am wholly committed to this. Some of the dancers you will see on stage with this tour, have been training through the youth company for five years, before joining the main company two years ago.
DP: Your company's mantra is to 'Innovate Never Replicate'. Avant Garde, your company's name would ratify that. Innovation always sounds wow but how do you see 'innovation' in your own practice?
TA Some people say that I'm a man of many hats: creative director, curator, choreographer, dancer, educator and mentor. No matter what I do, I try and approach everything with the same passion, creativity, musicality and style. The way I engage with innovation in my own practice is by always bringing new ideas, new concepts or new ways of working to each of my areas of work and to the shows. In working with new disciplines, new collaborators, etc informs the way I work and I try and learn from other industries to bring something innovative to my practice.
With the shows themselves, I started essentially by trying to be innovative with hip hop, pushing the boundaries of hip hop and contemporary dance. As a Company we are constantly playing with styles and genres, and have developed a unique approach to what we produce. We strive to create fresh and exciting work that moves forward. We embrace new concepts, challenge conventions, break boundaries and enjoy making work for traditional and unusual spaces, and site-responsive work. I really enjoy challenging myself and have had the opportunity to collaborate with various disciplines such as circus, Chinese pole, clowning, theatre, film, 3D sound and audio visual projection. My style is that there is no style - no two shows are the same, keeping myself and our audiences on our toes.
DP: Tell us about your process. How do you start off when you have an idea/s? How do you approach your vision?
TA Music is my major influence. I am constantly listening to music, spanning genres cultures and sounds. I usually work with beats, finding the musicality and quality of the sound, which then informs the choreography.
I tend to listen to music late at night/early in the morning and in this kind of transcendental state I start to see everything as a film. I then try and translate this strong imagery onto the stage. That is usually my starting point for an idea. Or I tend to get a brief, and then I listen to as much music as possible to break all convention with this.
I am also majorly influenced by fashion, art, photography and film. Check out my Tumblr to see what inspires me.
DP: Have there been dancers/companies that have influenced your work? Did you have any mentors?
TA Dance Companies which have influenced my work are Rubberband Dance (NYC). I loved the hip hop fusion with contemporary. With Bounce Dance Company (Sweden) for the first time I saw Hip Hop presented in a theatre as a show, and David Hughes Dance for its theatricality and fearlessness.
Artists I admire - Dieter Rams (industrial designer of consumer goods) for his minimalism and aesthetics, Robert Glasper (hip hop jazz pianist) for his experimentation with rhythm and texture, James Thiérrée (circus performer, actor/ musician) for his range and talent, Gecko Theatre Company (physical theatre) for their ambitious and imaginative cross art-form productions, Alex Ferguson (football manager) for his leadership qualities, value in team work and focus on supporting youth. And finally entrepreneurs Alan Sugar, JayZee, Richard Branson for their creative and astute approach to business.
I have support from a number of dance organisations who mentor me and the company, including Eddie Nixon (The Place) and Polly Risbridger (East London Dance).
DP: Contemporary dance is a wide field, open to different possibilities and interpretation. How would you describe your own style and philosophy?
TA: Our style is eclectic both in movement and in form. We celebrate individuality and uniqueness and we encourage the dancers to bring their own style and personality to the stage. This opens the opportunity for many possible interpretations and relationships, which means there are no rules and no limits to what we can create. We are notorious for challenging conventions and I want to make sure every piece we do is a total surprise and is totally different, so that both our dancers and audiences enjoy the exciting journey of work we produce and present our philosophy is - Against the Grain...
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