The Rule of Seven, an Illegal Dance Short Film

A young searcher finds himself enticed by the murmurings that lie behind closed doors. 

Peering through the keyhole our searcher soon finds himself swept into the whirlwind. A world of rehearsed speeches and practiced sincerity. Where a luxurious life of fine dining and flamboyant excess conflicts with the repressed urge to move freely. No longer in the shadows, our young searcher finds himself continuing his adventure into the world of Illegal Dance.

Illegal Dance explores a future where artistic expression is forbidden by oppressive regimes around the world. It combines dynamic contemporary choreography with innovative technical stagecraft to portray the tensions in a society that pits order against chaos, security against freedom, and individualism against collective will.

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 powerhouse iLL BLU @iLLBLU whose producing and remix credits include Stormzy, Sam Smith, MoStack, Headie One, IAMDDB & Tion Wayne.

Watch Online  

14th April – 18th April 2022

TICKETS

Cast  

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

Credits 

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

Production Designer: Katy Mason
Editor: Fiorella Santaniello
Colourist: Chris Francis, Company 3
Costume Design: Nancy Flaherty 
Visual Effects & Online Edit: Dan Thompson
Music Composer & Audio Effects: James Grant 
Trinity Operator: Sebastian Joy 
1st Assitant Camera: Christopher J Orr
Sound Recordist: Matthew Senuik 
Gaffer: Gavin Farlie 
Spark: Tristian Hutchinson 
Set Manager: Stela Kailides
On-set Assistant: Lily Laryea
Hair & Make-Up 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

Shoreditch Town Hall, Production Manager: Sam Evans
Shoreditch Town Hall, Technical Assistant: Maggie
Shoreditch Town Hall, Venue Manager: James Pigeon 

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.

[Show slideshow]

About the creators

Avant Garde Dance

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. 

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

About Tony Adigun 

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 Road 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’.