ODC, formerly the Oberlin Dance Collective, is a contemporary dance and arts organization founded in 1971, in Oberlin, Ohio, by current artistic director Brenda Way. ODC relocated to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

in 1976 and in 1979 became the first modern dance company in America to build its own facility, from which it still operates. ODC comprises ODC/Dance, its contemporary dance company, ODC Theater, and ODC School, which provides classes and training for youth, teen, and adult dancers. ODC/Dance's programs involve 16,000 artists and students and reach 50,000 audience members annually. The company is noted for its fusion of classical and modern techniques and for its collaborations, including with writers

Leslie Scalapino Leslie Scalapino (July 25, 1944 – May 28, 2010) was an American poet, experimental prose writer, playwright, essayist, and editor, sometimes grouped in with the Language poets, though she felt closely tied to the Beat poets. Writes Hejinian: ...

and Rinde Eckert; actors Bill Irwin, Geoff Hoyle and

Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...

; and visual artists

Wayne Thiebaud Morton Wayne Thiebaud ( ; November 15, 1920 – December 25, 2021) was an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his la ...

, John Woodall, and Eleanor Coppola.

Name and move

The company was named after Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, where Brenda Way was a member of the faculty. In the 1976 move, the company moved west in a yellow school bus.

Repertory and awards

ODC/Dance Company has three resident choreographers, Brenda Way, KT Nelson, and Kimi Okada. (Kimi Okada was actually Oberlin College's first dance major.) The company's repertory of over 120 works includes commissions for

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) is a modern dance company based in New York City. It was founded in 1958 by choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey. It is made up of 32 dancers, led by artistic director Robert Battle and associate ...

, the

and Oakland Ballets, the

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and Santa Fe Operas, the

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, to ...

and the Festival des Etoiles, among others. Awards include five

Isadora Duncan Dance Award The Isadora Duncan Dance Awards or Izzies honor San Francisco Bay Area dance artists for outstanding achievements in a range of categories including: choreography, sustained achievement, individual performance, company performance, costume design, ...

s, a Guggenheim Fellowship (American Academy of Rome) residency for Way, and a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nomination for Okada. ODC was named "Best Dance Company" in the ''

San Francisco Bay Guardian The ''San Francisco Bay Guardian'' was a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1966 by Bruce B. Brugmann and his wife, Jean Dibble. The paper was shut down on October 14, 2014. It was relaun ...

'' for 2005 and 2006 and the San Francisco Business Arts Council's choice for "Exceptional Non-Profit Arts Organization—2004". Composed of eleven dancers, ODC/Dance performs its repertory for more than 50,000 people annually. ODC/Dance presents two home seasons at the

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, nati ...

, which feature new and repertory work, and the family production of ''

The Velveteen Rabbit ''The Velveteen Rabbit'' (or ''How Toys Become Real'') is a British children's book written by Margery Williams (also known as Margery Williams Bianco) and illustrated by William Nicholson. It chronicles the story of a stuffed rabbit's desire ...

'' during the winter holiday season. ODC/Dance's touring roster has included the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, the

Spoleto Festival The ''Festival dei Due Mondi'' (Festival of the Two Worlds) is an annual summer music and opera festival held each June to early July in Spoleto, Italy, since its founding by composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 1958. It features a vast array of conce ...

Jacob's Pillow Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for a Summer dance festival. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives a ...

, (BAM)and the

Joyce Theater The Joyce Theater (“The Joyce") is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. The building opened in 1941 as the Elgin Theater, a movie house, and was gut-renovated and reconfigured in 1981-82 to re ...

, as well as venues in Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and regions across the former Soviet Union.

ODC School and Rhythm and Motion Dance Program

ODC School and Rhythm and Motion Dance Program offer a weekly schedule of over 200 classes for all ages and skill levels. In conjunction with ODC Theater, the School provides several mentoring programs for emerging and mid-career choreographers and was the first organization in San Francisco to offer a modern dance curriculum for children. ODC School offers tuition scholarships and educational outreach to

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

youth. Its diverse array of classes include ballet, dances of the African diaspora, salsa, belly dance, hip hop, and tap, among other forms.

ODC Theater

The ODC Theater is the site of over 150 performances a year involving nearly 1,000 local, regional, national and international artists. It sponsors curatorial, educational and mentoring opportunities, including a comprehensive three-year residency program that offers presentation, development and advocacy subsidies for emerging and mid-career artist in the San Francisco Bay Area.

References

External links

*
ODC Theater

ODC School/Rhythm and Motion Dance Program
{{DEFAULTSORT:ODC Dance Dance companies in the United States Contemporary dance companies Dance in California Theatres in San Francisco Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco Arts organizations established in 1971 1971 establishments in California Education in San Francisco Art in San Francisco