ODC/Dance, San Francisco's internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company, is pleased to present the world premiere of World's on Fire, an evening-length work that tackles issues of kinship, belief, suffering, love, and the will to survive. Performances run March 7-10, 2019 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Featuring choreography by ODC Resident Choreographer Kate Weare, World's on Fire is co-directed by Weare and ODC Founder and Artistic Director Brenda Way. Also collaborating with the choreographers is composer, arranger and musician Jeff Kazor, who leads the celebrated Old Time band, The Crooked Jades.
The five members of The Crooked Jades perform live onstage, working their magic within the lineage of Old Time music. They are integrated seamlessly into the performance, communicating, moving and interacting with each other and ODC's nine dancers.
"When I saw The Crooked Jades perform, I was struck by the inclusive quality of their music, how they gathered the audience into an intimate, unselfconscious space through the nature of their playing," says Weare.
In World's on Fire the dancers, musicians and audience become one community.
On her interest in working on this piece Way says, "I wanted to look more deeply into our 'heartland culture.' To what extent can we understand the turmoiland dissatisfaction of ruralpopulations as they see their way of life disintegrating? Condescension cannot be part of the conversation."
ODC's Home Season also includes its annual Spring Fundraiser, "ODC Dance Around Town Gala," on Friday, March 8, 2019at the St. Regis at 6pm. The luminary evening will include a pre-performance dinner, a performance of World's on Fire, and an after-party. Proceeds support ODC's creation of innovative new work. More information is at www.odc.dance/gala.
As part of ODC Dance Around Town, the company also reprises ODC Co-Artistic Director KT Nelson's Path of Miracles at Grace Cathedral for a limited run, Feb 28 - March 2, 2019 The acclaimed site-specific performance is inspired by British composer Joby Talbot's a cappella score on the famed Catholic pilgrimage, the Camino de Santiago. It was created in collaboration with San Francisco's 17-member vocal ensemble, Volti. About ODC/Dance The ODC/Dance Company is widely recognized for its rigorous technique and numerous groundbreaking collaborations, balanced with its commitment to accessibility and inclusive dance experiences for all community members through its school and extensive outreach. Comprised of nine world-class dancers, the company performs its imaginative repertory for more than 50,000 people annually. Two annual home seasons in San Francisco include Dance Downtown and the holiday production,
The Velveteen Rabbit. Recent highlights include appearances at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music Next Wave Festival in New York, MODAFE Festival in Seoul Korea, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, Royce Hall at UCLA and in past years, standing-room-only engagements in Europe, Russia, and Asia. Founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, ODC is known nationally for entrepreneurial savvy and was the first modern dance company in the United States to build a home facility, the ODC Theater. In 2005, ODC expanded its campus to include the ODC Dance Commons, which houses ODC/Dance, ODC/School, a Pilates studio, Robin's Cafe, and a Healthy Dancers' Clinic.
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