.:. ODC .:. Dance Company

"The performances - dances and dancers - were simply wonderful, I have had images of all of them in mind all day as I worked through biz meetings ;). Such a gratifying reminder of the power of art to touch us, to revitalize and nurture the soul...always vital, but perhaps even more so during stressful times. The progression of the pieces last night couldn't have been more wonderful, KT, Brenda's collaboration with Laurie A. -- both just so perfect -- and with the power-punch ending of Brenda's In the Memory of the Forest, truly an archetypal fairy tale as well as biographical, and even perhaps a metaphor for our global economic times, as well -- frantic, fear-filled, rounds of darkness to daylight to darkness, confusion, fleeting visions of people running in all directions at synapse speeds, hiding, reaching out, trying to escape, to survive, yet beautiful in the struggle somehow, and in the connecting bond...with so dramatic and optimistic a conclusion. I replay her mother's voice ending Brenda's piece, in the dark, with 'we were safe'... perfect."

In the Memory of the Forest
“What a beautiful and powerful new piece! Your dancers are more beautiful than ever! Thrilling!! Strong rich, emotional theme paired with movement and that screen that had just enough visual interest but not too much... I love seeing you at the height of your game!” — Eleanor Coppola

“Brenda, a big congrats to you. I think this is the best piece I have seen of your work —or at least my favorite. I love the balance between the video, the dancing, the lighting and the score, each served the other with perfect economy. I love your use of just the right amount of text to give us the narrative… At one point the video reminded me of performing in Joanna's underground railroad piece, where dancers were running through the woods at Jacob's Pillow.” —Jo Kreite

Grassland
“KT's new work (Grassland) is so fabulous I don't have the words, but let me try. The whole experience was like looking under a kaleidoscopic microscope examining the physical world we inhabit, and yet in which we also participate. This desperate, conflicted, complex need to individuate and connect is constantly informed and also bull-dozed by the reality of our species and identity: we thrive most perfectly in the context of a tribe/community/pack. When we are all released into the "we-ness" of our nature, we can soar. The audience was so excited to take that visceral experience and probe for nuance and truth. — LC

Unintended Consequences: A Meditation
“I was so pleased to have seen the subtlety of the language and the nuance of the gestural field: all of a whole and quite moving.” – Margaret Jenkins

Hunting And Gathering
“KT's Hunting and Gathering is such a powerful, riveting piece. It's simultaneously brutal and beautiful; I don't think I took a breath during the entire time.”

They've Lost Their Footing
“KT's Footing was luscious. I thought it mesmerizing the way she peeled back the surface of the human condition to reveal all the messy, turgid, passionate complexity roiling just beneath the surface of nonchalance.

"Dear Brenda,
I looked for you tonight [March 12, 2009, Opening NIght], but whenever I could break out, you were deep in conversation and vice versa. I don’t think I ever been so enraptured by one of your pieces as I was tonight. I sat center D…so close enough to feel the dancer’s breathing and far enough away to appreciate the composition and staging of the piece. I came to the unplugged and was so moved by your handling of this very personal, and yet politically potent material. But tonight I was just immersed. I ceased to be a witness to this journey, and became a part of it. My pulse literally quickened with the sound of gravel under boots. The imagery, soundtrack, movement and narrative all came together for me in a way that was both unified and layered. Yayoi was extraordinary, as were all the dancers tonight. I can’t wait to come back again." — Lisa Gerould

“The highlight of my dance experience in 2008 was the ODC-San Francisco concert at the Joyce Theater in New York and especially Brenda Way's choreography in Book of Hours. The sheer inventiveness of movement opened up a new vocabulary of love, possibilities for human connection that went so far beyond anything I had seen or imagined that I was left with a desire to see this astonishing work over and over again. Brenda Way's new work is mesmerizing, riveting in its boldness and tenderness, and her company danced brilliantly.” — Dr.Carol Gilligan, NYU

“Amazing! I see many dance performances and I was very impressed! This was my first time seeing ODC. I will definitely come back and spread the word! Choreography was very innovative and I loved the costumes and the lighting!”

“Dedicated, talented dancers. Great music accompaniment. Appreciate ethos of company director.”

“I love ODC — they are one of my very favorite groups and I see a lot of modern dance.”

“ODC dancers are outstanding performers. I love to watch them. They fulfill my idea of a true aesthetic experience.”