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| ODC Dance | |
|---|---|
| Name | ODC Dance |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Brenda Way; Muriel Maffre |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Genre | Contemporary dance |
| Venue | ODC Theater |
ODC Dance is a contemporary dance company and performing arts organization based in San Francisco, California, founded in 1971 by Brenda Way and Muriel Maffre. The company has developed a reputation alongside institutions such as San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham for innovative choreography, community programming, and a permanent performance venue. ODC has collaborated with artists and organizations including Mark Morris Dance Group, Twyla Tharp, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Pilobolus, and institutions like Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and War Memorial Opera House.
ODC Dance was established during a period of artistic ferment that involved collectives such as Trisha Brown Company and festivals like the New York City Ballet offshoots and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Early years saw influences from pioneers including Isadora Duncan, Loie Fuller, Ruth St. Denis, and movements from the San Francisco Mime Troupe scene. The company grew through the 1970s and 1980s alongside peer organizations American Ballet Theatre, Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and venues such as Zellerbach Hall and Theatre Rhinoceros. Major expansions connected ODC with philanthropic entities like the National Endowment for the Arts, Rockefeller Foundation, Graham Foundation, and collaborations with performing arts centers including Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center. The purchase and renovation of a permanent home in the Mission Bay area reflected trends seen with Lincoln Center development and adaptive reuse projects similar to Tate Modern conversions.
The organizational structure includes an artistic leadership team, administrative directors, production staff, and an ensemble of dancers drawn from training programs similar to Juilliard School, London Contemporary Dance School, California Institute of the Arts, and New York University. Funding partnerships and board affiliations have involved entities like the San Francisco Arts Commission, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Sandler Foundation, and corporate supporters comparable to Bank of America philanthropic programs. Facility management and programming coordination mirror practices at Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Joyce Theater, and Spoleto Festival USA.
Artistic direction reflects an interdisciplinary ethos akin to works by Pina Bausch, Merce Cunningham, and Martha Graham, while presenting repertory pieces comparable to commissions by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and premieres like those at Jacob's Pillow. Resident and guest choreographers have included names in the lineage of Tere O'Connor, Lucinda Childs, Ohad Naharin, Jirí Kylián, and emerging creators from institutions such as Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Tate Modern residencies. Repertoire blends contemporary, postmodern, experimental, and site-specific works presented alongside collaborations with composers and designers affiliated with San Francisco Symphony, Philip Glass, John Adams, Meredith Monk, Annea Lockwood, and visual artists linked to Andy Goldsworthy and Marina Abramović.
ODC’s training programs parallel offerings at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, Royal Academy of Dance, and conservatories like Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln. Curriculum integrates somatic practices associated with Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, and repertory classes drawing on methodologies from Martha Graham School, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School, and Merce Cunningham Studio. Youth outreach connects with public institutions such as San Francisco Unified School District, after-school initiatives resembling Dance Theatre of Harlem education models, and community colleges like City College of San Francisco.
ODC has presented seasons and toured nationally and internationally to venues and festivals including Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Sydney Opera House, Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lincoln Center Festival, and collaborations with orchestras and ensembles like San Francisco Symphony and London Symphony Orchestra. Tours have extended to cultural exchanges echoing residencies at Cité Internationale des Arts, BAM, and programming at festivals such as Venice Biennale performing arts sections and Spoleto Festival USA.
The company and its artists have received awards and honors in the lineage of recognitions such as the MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, Isadora Duncan Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, and support from the National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council. Individual choreographers associated with the organization have been acknowledged with fellowships comparable to Bessie Awards and commissions from institutions like Dance/USA and foundations such as Rockefeller Foundation.
ODC’s outreach initiatives include community classes, school residencies, and public programs modeled after partnerships seen with San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, and neighborhood arts coalitions similar to Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and Asian Art Museum collaborations. Programs emphasize access and inclusion akin to efforts by Big Brothers Big Sisters, 826 Valencia, and nonprofit cultural networks like Americans for the Arts.
Category:Dance companies in the United States