STATE OF PLAY Festival Programming Revealed at ODC Theater

ODC Theater has announced the complete program for its 12th annual summer dance festival, August 1 - 4. STATE OF PLAY invites audiences to join the creative process through a curated artistic exchange, presenting premieres alongside works-in-progress.

This year’s festival will feature four days of activities across ODC’s campus, including six world or West Coast premieres, an expanded version of a work which premiered at ODC Theater last year, three works-in-progress and a host of ancillary activities. Single event tickets range from $0 to $80, and day and festival passes are $80 and $300 respectively. For reservations visit odc.dance/stateofplay.

This year’s festival is co-presented with CounterPulse, which has generously contributed rehearsal space, artist housing, outreach, hospitality and programmatic support. Partnering with ODC Theater for a second year is San Francisco Ballet, which will provide additional studio space for the artists showing works-in-progress. “We believe that it is through deep collaboration and partnership that we can strengthen our Bay Area performing arts communities,” said ODC Theater Creative Director Chloë L. Zimberg. “We invite the public to join us for discussions, performance and mixer opportunities throughout the festival.”

ODC Theater's Resident Curator is Maurya Kerr. Kerr, a former ODC Theater Resident Artist, is the artistic director of tinypistol, a contemporary dance company. She is also a critically acclaimed poet. Over a span of 12 years earlier in her career she danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Kerr joined Zimberg in curating the festival. She will also perform with Paufve Dance on August 1 and 2. Kerr and Zimberg will discuss their curation of the festival, moderated by CounterPulse Artistic and Executive Director Julie Phelps, during ODC Theater’s Lobby Night event on Friday, August 2.

Three artists or companies have been chosen to present evening-length works. They are Paufve Dance, Peiling Kao Dances and SFDanceworks with choreographer Bryan Arias. Four additional projects were selected as part of a series of shorter finished works. Artists in this category include Audrey Johnson, returning after showing a work-in-progress last year, David Harvey & Babatunji, hadar ahuvia and Guillermo Gómez-Peña & La Pocha Nostra. Finally, three artists will show works-in-progress. They are Brenton Cheng, Brianna Elyse Torres and Sierra Serban.

Among the highlighted events surrounding the ten curated works is Revelry!, a party to benefit ODC Theater, free to patrons with a festival pass or a single day pass on August 3, and in the immediate run-up to the festival, July 29 – 31, the State of Play Workshop, a three-day dance- and movement-based workshop featuring a selection of artists from State of Play. The instructors this year are Cheng, Gómez-Peña, Johnson, Kao, Kerr, Paufve and Torres. Additional events include post-show discussions, a panel discussion with Kerr, Phelps and Zimberg, and a community mixer on Sunday.

“We have some incredible dance performances coming your way, and we can't wait to share them with you,” said Zimberg. “We hope audiences will engage with us in the festival’s spirit by taking risks on new artists, being curious about their process and experimenting within to access new pockets of love and kindness.”

A description of each of the curated events follows below. All the evening-length and shorter works will take place in the B. Way Theater at ODC Theater. And each of the works-in-progress will take place in the Argyle Studio at ODC Dance Commons. For more information about these and other events taking place during the festival visit odc.dance/stateofplay.

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