“It feels satisfyingly authored, with controlled, dignified choreography. The fine art equivalent might be found at the White Cube. This subtle piece is mature and commanding.”
Mission Statement
We're a multidisciplinary dance company that produces exceptional physical work directed/choreographed by British East-Asian artist, Daniel Phung. Our company believes in pushing boundaries wihtin Contemporary and Urban Movement, Visual and Theatre by focusing on sociopolitical work, constantly attempting to answer our questions through theoretical, factual and emotional responses.
Our Team
Daniel Phung - Artistic Director/Choreographer
Instagram: @danielphuuung
Daniel Phung is a British ESEA dance artist graduating from Leeds Metropolitan University and the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, since then Daniel has worked as the director/choreographer of Company Nil. Daniel focuses on making socio-political work. He has previously made work on grief, cultural masculinity and most recently freedom with Company Nil’s short dance film ‘Room’ in collaboration with Kayleigh Price Dance.
“As a British born and raised ESEA dancer, I believe it’s inevitable to speak about activism. For me, I’ve particularly faced many trials when it comes to my ethnicity and identity, having been raised in an ESEA household in a British working-class environment, I often experience clashes that often confuse my identity”.
Kayleigh Price - Rehearsal Director/Dancer
Instagram: @kayleighpricedance
Originally from Manchester, Kayleigh trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Verve ’14. Being a freelance dance artist Kayleigh has worked with many people such as ACE Dance and Music, Southpaw Dance Company, Chhaya Collective, FRONTLINE dance, Eleesha Drennan, Tangled Dance, Tino Sighal, to name a few, and is the rehearsal director for Company Nil.
She is the choreographer and Artistic Director of Company K making autobiographical work using her own experiences to demonstrate shared commonalities with her works ‘The Left one out’, ‘Familiar’ and ‘ROOM’ in collaboration with Company Nil. Kayleigh is also a guest lecturer and has taught at the Leeds Beckett University, NSCD, Swindon Dance, professional class for The Place, Pro Dance Leeds, Trip Space and company class for Rachel Clarke Dance Company, company Nil, FRONTLINE Dance.
Ciara Clayton - Rehearsal Director
Instagram: @ciara.clayton
Ciara Clayton is a freelance dance artist currently based in the West Midlands, originally from Lancashire. Ciara completed her dance training in Leeds, then moved to London to freelance. During this time, she has worked as a dance teacher and rehearsal director.
Ciara has been rehearsal director to Company Nil, Rachel Clarke Dance Company, The National Youth Ballet of GB and Professional Dance Experience, working alongside choreographers such as Daniel Phung, Rachel Clarke, Louise Bennett, Sophie Laplane and Charlie Brittain.
She has also assisted with English National Ballet’s Youth Company and was an Ambassador for One Dance UK which involved being a vocal advocate for dance and assisting with delivering activities at local, regional and national level.
Ciara is currently Rehearsal Director and Programme Manager for Sonia Sabri Company in Birmingham which is a music and dance company which presents Kathak Dance in a contemporary context. She is also on the Artist Advisory Panel at 2Faced Dance Company.
Tom Foskett-Barnes - Musician
Instagram: @tomfoskettbarnes
Tom Foskett-Barnes is a composer, sound designer and musical director.
Film credits include the Academy Award-nominated Black Sheep (dir. Ed Perkins, 2017), BAFTA TV-nominated toni_with_an_i (dir. Marco Alessi, BBC4), and Four Quartets (dir. Marco Alessi, 2017, Berlin International Film Festival, Special Mention from the Crystal Bear Jury).
For stage, Tom has composed and served as musical director for Anna Bella Eema (Arcola Theatre, Offie-nominated for Best Sound Design, BWW Award-nominated for Best Musical Direction), FITTER (Soho Theatre), Pufferfish (VAULT Festival), Treasure Island (Arts Ed), and All’s Well That Ends Well and The Two Gentleman of Verona (Changeling Theatre).
Tom trained at the Royal College of Music as a Soirée d'Or Scholar generously supported by a Clifton Parker Award and was also the recipient of a BAFTA UK Scholarship. Tom is a participant in the 2019 BFI NETWORK x BAFTA Crew programme.
“To close the evening, Company Nil presents Not Free From Care, a piece that confronts and negotiates the dancer’s sense of inner-self conflict. This multifaceted piece explores the notion of courage, which bifurcates along conceptual and choreographic lines.
This courageous choice of scenography was further complimented by the improvised collaboration between dancers Daniel Phung and James Olivo. ”
Works
ROOM (2021)
An ambitious short dance film collaboration from Daniel Phung (Artistic Director) and Kayleigh Price that tells the compelling story of a woman and a man journeying through a passage of time, their need for connection and how they are redefined by tradition, love, hopes and dreams. ROOM takes audiences through a personal story of identity, need for connection and space. This is Company Nil’s and Kayleigh Price's debut film project as they navigate the ever changing creative landscape and this project incorporates a coming together of art practices (dance, film, music) to offer a holistic experience.
Blowin’ In The Wind (2020)
Can masculinity, as a social construct be associated with attributes other than strong, dominant, and decisive? Can softness, vulnerability and femininity be regarded and equally accepted as masculine’s qualities? Is it appropriate for Asian, African or other cultures to also be placed underneath the lens of western contemporary ideals/social-norms of masculinity?
As a company that strives for equal representation across gender, culture and social background, Company Nil aims to draw a satirical portrait of the performative aspect of masculinity, highlight its absurdity and give it a meaning that is in accordance with our time.
Not Free From Care (2019)
‘Not Free From Care’ is a direct English translation to ‘Insecurus’ in Medieval Latin which of course means, ‘Insecure’. The piece of work derives from the idea of Ownership and Insecurity. We, a man and a boy, will explore into these issues and our personal struggles we have to face from time to time, in doing so we will hopefully gain enough courage to give a half-decent attempt to confront our problems.
