Professional dancer, Adedayo Liadi, is popular in the music industry for his dance in the music video of Olori Oko, a song by Infinity. He has since blazed several trails. In this interview, he talks about why he won’t dance in another music video, the health implication of his kind of dance and how lucrative dancing around the world can be.
What informs your choice of dance at an event?
Generally, we have dances from different parts of Africa. Dances are created from North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and all other places. What we do is to infuse them into the event we are organising.
Would it be right to say that dancing is your comfort zone?
I have done so many kinds of stuff; I have worked with so many artists all over the world. I have done contemporary dance, musical dance, African modern dance, and creative dance, many things. I don’t think I have a comfort zone when I am working because I experiment a lot and try different things and different kinds of stuff.
How long have you been dancing?
I have been dancing for 30 years. The first five years was for training. So, professionally I have been dancing for 25 years.
Is dancing your means of livelihood?
This is all I do, nothing else.
How does a man settle for dancing as a means of livelihood?
I am from a dance family. My dad was a beautiful dancer; my mom was a dancer too. I found myself in a family where my parents were dancers. When we have parties in my family, it is like a competition between me and my brothers and sisters. The boys are competing with the girls and the girls are competing with the boys. It is fun. I am from a fun family.
What is the remuneration for dancing like?
I wouldn’t want to talk about how I am being paid for security reasons, but I am grateful to God. I have been to sixty seven countries around the world since I started and I am well paid. I don’t do small shows. I only do it to encourage young artists; I love encouraging young artists to help them boost their stuff.
How were you discovered?
I was discovered at the age of 16 by some foreigners who came to Nigeria. Immediately after my secondary school education, I got a scholarship to go and study dance in France at Centre Choregraphique National De Nantes (National Choreography Center of Nantes). After that, I got another scholarship to study dance at the International School of Dance and Choreography in Senegal, after that, I got another to study in Danceweb in Vienna. I got so many, but the last one was eight years ago when I studied at a University in Korea.
Would you prefer to dance live or in a music video?
They are both memorable. I only did one music video because I am not a music video dancer by training. I did Olori Oko because I wanted to prove a point to music video dancers.
What was the point?
That you can take dancing away from the ordinary. That was the reason for doing Olori Oko and it was a highly experimental dance. I just wanted to prove a point and it was well accepted by Nigerians and Africans alike.
Would you want to do another music video?
I wouldn’t want to do another music video like Olori Oko. I would rather be a dance consultant for any other music video and help them achieve it as a dance consultant and a dance director. I am not a music video dancer. My training is to perform live and conceptualize different dance ideas around the world, in Africa and in different countries. I love music videos, but if I am well paid. Musically, videos don’t give good money, and that is the major reason why I don’t go for it. I go for mega projects.
Does your kind of dance have any health implication?
If you don’t take care of your body, it will fight back. When you are dancing, you have to be careful, don’t dance with everything, but use everything. You have to dance with care.
Tell us about the other dances that you have toured in the world?
I have toured Ori, When The Gods Go Crying and In Imagination. Some are my own choreography, others I co-choreographed with other choreographers from abroad. I do a lot of co-choreography between Europe and Africa most especially South Africa, Uruguay France, Germany, and several others.
How would you rank yourself in Africa?
I would say that I am one of the best. We have so many great dancers in Africa. Some are my senior because they trained me. There are legendary choreographers in the world and I always see them as my inspiration and mentors.
Does it get to a point when you say I have seen it all?
Dance is my life, so I am not quitting.
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