ODC/Dance is known worldwide for its athleticism, passion
and intellect. Our three resident choreographers, Brenda Way, KT Nelson, and
Kimi Okada, have created a dynamic movement vocabulary over the last four
decades that has significantly influenced a generation of dancers and
choreographers.
Founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way who
trained under the legendary George Balanchine, ODC (Oberlin Dance
Collective—named after its place of origin, Oberlin College in Ohio) loaded
up a yellow school bus and relocated to San Francisco in 1976, bucking the
dance world assumption that New York City was the only destination for
dance. Her goal was to ground the company in a dynamic pluralistic setting.
ODC was one of the first American companies to return,
after a decade of pedestrian exploration, to virtuosic technique and
narrative content in avant-garde dance and to commit major resources to
interdisciplinary collaboration and musical commissions for the repertory.
Today, our company of eleven world-class dancers performs
its imaginative repertory for more than 50,000 people annually. In addition
to two annual home seasons at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San
Francisco, past highlights include numerous appearances at the Joyce Theater
in New York, sold out performances at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.,
four standing room only engagements in Europe and Russia and a USIA tour to
Asia. In 37 years, ODC/Dance has performed for more than a million people in
32 states and 11 countries, with support from the NEA, the U.S. State
Department, and many state and city arts agencies. The company has been
widely recognized for its fusion of ballet and modern techniques and for its
numerous groundbreaking collaborations with, among others, writers Leslie
Scalapino and Rinde Eckert; actors Bill Irwin, Geoff Hoyle and Robin
Williams; and visual artists Wayne Thiebaud and Eleanor Coppola.
Known nationally for entrepreneurial savvy, ODC was the
first modern dance company in America to build its own home facility in
1979, the ODC Theater. In September 2005, ODC also opened an additional
23,000 square feet facility, the ODC Dance Commons, which houses ODC/Dance,
ODC School, administrative offices and the Healthy Dancers' Clinic.
Through our various programs ODC strives to inspire
audiences, cultivate artists, engage community, and foster diversity and
inclusion through dance performance, training, and mentorship.
ODC Dance Company Photos Below From
http://www.odcdance.org
