Avant Garde Dance Company & The Place present:
Fagin’s Twist
The Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome
Thu 20 & Fri 21 Oct 7.45pm

The first major production and UK tour by Avant Garde Dance Company since their highly successful music-inspired dance work The Black Album in 2012.

Fagin’s Twist is an ambitious reimagining of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist by innovative hip hop / contemporary dance company Avant Garde Dance Company, led by Artistic Director Tony Adigun. Taking the classic piece of literature as its starting point, Fagin’s Twist presents an evocative story of Fagin’s youth, corrupted by greed and worn down by poverty.

Dickens wrote the novel less than 15 minutes’ walk away from The Place in the borough of Camden as a commentary on child poverty and social injustice. Tony Adigun adds a twist to this to create a poignant, coming-of-age dance drama which draws parrallels between Victorian London and the modern society we inhabit.

Fagin’s Twist features five of the familiar Oliver Twist characters: Oliver; Fagin; Bill Sykes; Nancy and the Artful Dodger but reimagines the paths of their lives and their individual circumstances. Some offer us rare glimpses of human pathos, whilst others are seen in a darker, more mysterious light.

For the production, the company has worked with dramaturg Adam Peck and writer Maxwell Golden to add subtle layers of texture and precision. The eclectic score is made up of music meticulously selected by Tony Adigun, with sound design by Brian Hargreaves. It includes original compositions by Benji Bower and Seymour Milton and tracks by underground artists including Mika Vainio and Tisme.

Tony Adigun about why he decided to create this show: “I have always been excited by the idea of retelling a popular tale. I wanted to add a mischievous twist that would play with, and challenge audiences’ perspectives of a much loved classic.”

Fagin’s Twist runs at The Patrick Centre at Birmingham Hippodrome on Thurs 20 & Fri 21 October. Tickets are £12 and can be booked on 0844 338 5000† or from birminghamhippodrome.com.

Fagin’s Twist is commissioned by Theatre Bristol, East London Dance, Pavilion Dance South West, Dance East and The Place, and co-produced by The Place. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. Tony Adigun is a Work Place artist.

ENDS

For press enquiries please contact:

press@birminghamhippodrome.com OR
Rosie Neave, rosie.neave@theplace.org.uk

*Prices and discounts subject to change, 5% transaction charge applies (excluding cash sales in person), postage from £1.
† 0844 calls cost 4.5p plus your phone company’s access charge.

Notes to Editors:

Birmingham Hippodrome is an independent, not-for-profit, registered charity welcoming an average 500,000 visits annually making it the most popular single auditorium in the UK. Birmingham Royal Ballet and DanceXchange are resident partners; the theatre presents all of Welsh National Opera’s repertoire, co-produces the award-winning International Dance Festival and welcomes the best in international dance, major touring dramas, and West End musicals. Home to the world’s biggest Pantomime it also houses the 200-seat Patrick Centre, with extensive events facilities, and its own restaurant.

As a charity with no public revenue funding, Birmingham Hippodrome receives generous support from the business community through sponsorship and other partnerships; from individuals through donations and memberships; and from grant-making Trusts for special programming and infrastructure projects. It is a major employer and plays a leading role in the Southside Business Improvement District.

Through Hippodrome CREATIVE we deliver successful projects in education and the wider community. With numerous supportive partners we have recently co-produced and produced new events including Minimum Monument, The Voyage, Summer in Southside, About Town, Blitz, the 4 Squares Weekender and Birmingham Weekender (celebrating the opening of New Street and Grand Central alongside the Rugby World Cup). Furious Folly will be presented this summer in Sutton Park co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW for the World War One commemorations.

Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre Trust Ltd, Charity No. 510842.
Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB.
birminghamhippodrome.com