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catalogue of works

Found is an engaging and lively 40-minute music & dance performance aimed at children aged 4-7 years and their families in theatre and community settings. The piece was created through R&D collaboration with three schools and three museums (Flint Institute for Arts, Bristol Museums and Galleries and V&A Museum of Childhood). Found explore what connects us to each other and our surroundings, drawing on stories of discovery, exploration and travel. Adrift on their own islands the performers bring audiences init a magical world where connections become visible as soundwaves ripple through bodies and lines and angles converge in new journeys and forms. Scenography by Kate McStraw, Music composed by Jake Alexander. The work premiered at Bristol Museum in July 2017.

Funding and support to make the work from Arts Council England, Pavilion Dance South West, Trinity Arts, One Dance UK:Trailblazer

Passing(2): the price of a ticket: This work was commissioned by LDIF 16. The creative process included the creation of a duet that was performed at Duke University. The work was then first performed as a solo at the LDIF 16 festival in Leicester. The piece continues exploration of the experience of those identifying as women [Passing(1): I right my own story, 2016 and Untitled: Women’s work, 2014]. Passing (2) explores a semi-autobiographical look at the projections encountered when identified as being a ‘Black woman’. The work draws from James Balwin’s quote ‘the price of the ticket’ to question if there is even a ticket to be had. Photos by John Diehl, Barry Lewis and Lisa Gilby.

Remain: Adesola guest choreographer activity: This piece was created when Adesola was invited back to WSU to create work for their December Dance Concert 2016. The work was devised with 21 dance students and performed at the Music Hall, Detroit. The work was inspired by the bravery of refugees traveling to Europe and in formed by the UK referendum on leaving European Union and the USA 2016 election. Photos of the performance by Scott Lipiec.

Passing (1): I right my own story: Adesola guest choreographer activity: created for Wayne State University December Dance Concert 2015. The work was devised with nine dance students and performed at the Music Hall, Detroit. The work was inspired by Adesola’s past three years dance teaching projects at the Ruth Ellis Centre, particularly in memory of Amber & Treasure. The work underlines the need to recognise the violence and injustices suffered by young Trans-women. Photos of performance by Scott Lipiec.

Untitled: Women's Work: This dance-based research looks at the lived experience of women living and working in the Flint and Detroit areas. It is an attempt to take the body seriously when we talk about women’s work/what makes a ‘good’ job. Untitled: Women’s Work is both scholarly art and artistic research using narrative inquiry, dance and film as research methodologies. During our data collection period women express what they hope for in a good job and the barriers they have encountered in searching for and keeping them. Specifically the research has drawn out two themes: relationships (developed and negotiated in the situation of work and Self), and rhythms (of Self and work institution). Initial findings presented here suggest the continual establishment, disruption, negotiation and maintenance of rhythms and relationships in the work place has an impact on what makes a ‘good’ job.

Light Steps: Created especially for children (3+) and family audiences. The piece takes inspiration from artist Spencer Finch’s current exhibition at Turner Contemporary, Margate 2014; The Skies can’t keep their secret. The work premiered in the exhibition space in August 2014. Light Steps takes the children on a 40-minute magical journey using light and colour as a portal through moments in time. American based sceneographer and costume designer Shelby Newport collaborated with Adesola in the making of the work to transport the audience to a colour-filled world of moving dance with live music composed and performed by Jacob Shirley. Characters and objects in the work are inspired by drawing and dance created with children during a residency at Bromstone Primary School in Broadstairs in Summer 2014. The work will tour schools and theatres in 2015/16

Reflections in Dance on Dan Graham’s Pavilion: The Turner Contemporary Museum, Margate commissioned Adesola to make a piece that responded to Dan Graham’s Pavilion Two Cubes, One Rotated 45 as part of their Summer Exhibition Curiosity: Art and the Pleasures of Knowing 2013 and Love Architecture Week.

The work was performed around Dan Graham’s installation with the audience viewing the work from within the installation. The piece was performed by three professional dancers, members of DancingStrong Performance Company, and fifteen Year 5 students from Bromstone Primary School.

Corsets, Grains & Greenways: Dancing Downtown Ann Arbor A site specific work originally performed in Michigan USA June 2012, by Ann Arbor Dance Works. Corsets, Grains & Greenways was a collaboration of four Choreographers Adesola Akinleye, Monica Bill Barnes, Jessica Fogel and Robin Wilson. The piece also involved Community High School and the work of Marly Spieser-Schneider . Corsets, Grains & Greenways responded to the history and architecture of four blocks in Downtown Ann Arbor. The Audience walked from location-to-location starting at the historic Pratt Block (once a corset factory), ending at the railway tracks that run along a sunken creek, the site of a proposed new Greenway.

“Akinleye…made us think about connection and boarders. She tied dancers to trees with streamers they manipulated; positioned them in stores fronts where they scribbled on their bodies and the windows with a makers (as if to say, where do I end and where does it start?); linked them to lampposts with stretchy jersey that allowed them to partner themselves into fabulous backbends.” Susan Isaacs Nisbett Freelance Entertainment Writer

“…wonderful dancing, the clever choreography, smart and witty, artful and artless, that made up this immaculately planned event…” AnnArbor.com

Vicinity: Adesola guest choreographer activity: Created for London Metropolitan University for their Third Year Dance students’ final year performance at the Bernie Grant Centre in April ’09. ‘Vicinity’ draws on ideas of identity, space and environment. The work explores the nature of ‘site-specific’ dance, creating a piece for a particular place and time. The vicinity relates directly to the specific area in London the performance space, the Bernie Grant Theatre, is located in and captures a moment in time for the performers and for the area – Haringey. The work was created in partnership with The Haringey Housing Federation. The resulting piece integrates the community, the theatre and the performers to create a piece that relates to the space and area in which it is performed. This piece uses live music by Hamish Meaney, and pre-recorded music by Angeline Conaghan and Terje Eversen (Bark). The work also uses the live film projection programme, Isadora. 

Arrive is a 4min dance film commissioned by Video Pool as part of ‘First Video Award’
Arrive is distributed by Video Pool, Distribution Department, vpdist@videopool.org

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Truth and Transparency, inspired by Ralph Ellisons novel 'Invisable Man', is a twenty minute piece with four dancers, music composed by Michael “Mikey J” Asante, lighting design Jonathan Samuels and set by Stuart Peverill. This piece uses dance and film to explore ideas raised about projection and identity. Two dancers representing a man’s mind fight for identity against the projection of persona from outside. Both dancers and projected-light solicit space and shape in their bid to claim the eye of the audience and in so doing find recognition. Truth and Transparency was commissioned by Dance North West with support from Arts Council England.

”Talent-to-watch Adesola Akinleye’s multi-layered duet… played sober, complex games with reflection and shadow, light and darkness, reality and illusion…” Donald Hutera

“Adesola Akinleye’s choreography was angular, linear and precise, balancing poise with masculinity. Sean Graham and Daniel Baird… danced with a touching intimacy.” Anthony Psaila

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