Dance Downtown 2022 Press Release

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Media Contact: John Hill  
510.435.7128  
ODC/DANCE PRESENTS ITS 50+ ANNIVERSARY HOME SEASON
Dance Downtown 

Featuring world premieres by Dexandro Montalvo and Amy Seiwert alongside seminal works by Brenda Way 

March 31 – April 10, 2022 

Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA 

Cora Cliburn, left, and Miche Wong. Photo by RJ Muna. 

www.odc.dance 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, January 20, 2022 – ODC has announced that DANCE DOWNTOWN, March 31 - April  10 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, will kick off its 50+ anniversary celebrations. This milestone  season will feature the organization’s flagship dance company in world premieres by guest  choreographers Dexandro Montalvo and Amy Seiwert alongside seminal works by ODC Founder and  Artistic Director Brenda Way. Tickets start at $25, and are now on sale at odc.dance/downtown or by phone at 415-863-9834.

Taking place over two weekends each spring, Dance Downtown is ODC/Dance’s annual home season.  Program A, March 31 – April 3, includes the premiere of Vámonos by Montalvo paired with Speaking  Volumes (2005) by Way. Program B, April 7 – 10, includes the premiere of No Alibi by Seiwert paired  with Way’s Investigating Grace (1999). 

“After two years away, we are elated to return to the stage,” said Way. “This year we celebrate five  decades of choreographic adventure and exuberant, fearless dance. The two works I’ve chosen to  reprise from ODC’s repertory have particular meaning to me. Speaking Volumes was originally created  for the opening of our expanded ODC Theater, a moment of exploding opportunity and optimism, while  Investigating Grace marked a deeply personal moment of love, loss and hope in my life as a parent.” 

“Looking to the future, I am excited to introduce choreographers Amy Seiwert and Dexandro Montalvo  to the ODC stage. Both of these artists have long histories with us as resident artists, teachers and  friends. Each resonates with an aspect of ODC’s values and movement appetites, from the classical to  the transgressive. Both create work that matters.” 

The works on Program A develop ideas around “renewal.” From the initial gesture of the individual to  the exuberant power of the group, Way’s Speaking Volumes invokes the capacity of a singular vision to  grow into the full-hearted celebration of community. The climax of the work is realized by 30 dancers  including ODC alumni as well as Dance Jam and community members. Jay Cloidt composed the original  music; Alexander V. Nichols designed the set and lighting; and Laurel Hellman designed the costumes. 

Montalvo’s Vámonos is an ebullient full-company movement outpouring blending hip hop, ballet and  contemporary forms in a new work that celebrates individuality and embraces change. With a call to  everyone in the room, dancers and members of the audience alike, Vámonos urges us to look forward to  the joys that we’ve missed, gathering together in celebration of live art and moving together. The title literally means “let’s go” in Spanish. 

The works on Program B are paired around the idea of “reflection.” Swept up in the strains of Leonard  Cohen, the poet of brokenness and transcendence, Seiwert has composed an intuitive and elegiac full company response to the late singer-songwriter’s work. In No Alibi, Cohen’s timeless songs form a  springboard for physical invention marked by joy, desire and heartbreak. Collaborators include lighting  designer Jim French, costume designer Kyo Yohena and projection designer Olivia Ting

In turn, Way’s Investigating Grace draws inspiration from Glenn Gould’s youthful and intense  performance of J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. About a decade after its premiere, Investigating Grace was named an American masterpiece by the National Endowment for the Arts. Sandra Woodall designed the costumes, and Alexander V. Nichols designed the lighting. 

Since its founding, ODC/Dance has performed for more than two million people in 41 states and 13  countries. It holds the distinction of being the first modern dance company in America to build its own  home facility. In addition to a world-class dance company, ODC today comprises a school serving  upwards of 16,000 students, both children and adults, each year; a theater that fosters new  performance by Bay Area artists and serves as a foothold for touring artists from around the globe; a  clinic offering free diagnostic services and seminars for dancers; an in-person and on demand streaming  fitness program; and much more. In all, the organization's two-building campus in San Francisco's  Mission district forms one of the West Coast’s largest and most active centers for dance.    

This season, ODC/Dance’s company includes Jeremy Bannon-Neches, Jaime Garcia Castilla, Mia J.  Chong, Cora Cliburn, Brandon W. Freeman "Private", Rachel Furst, Allie Papazian, Simon Schuh, Ryan Rouland Smith, Christian Squires and Miche Wong

In addition to eight performances, including two Sunday matinees, Dance Downtown will feature ODC’s 50+ Anniversary Gala on Friday, April 1. Guests will be treated to an elegant dinner, a surprise addition  to the evening’s program A, and a rousing post-show party. Proceeds from ticket sales will help fuel the  next 50 years of ODC and its mission to inspire audiences, cultivate artists and foster diversity and inclusion through dance. For more information, visit odc.dance/gala

Dance Downtown is generously supported by CalOSBA, the National Endowment for the Arts, San  Francisco Grants for the Arts, U.S. Small Business Administration, the Bernard Osher Foundation, Hearst  Foundations, Hellman Foundation, John and Marcia Goldman Foundation, Koret Foundation, Sakana  Foundation, Shubert Foundation and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 

ABOUT ODC  

Founded in 1971 by Artistic Director Brenda Way, ODC is a groundbreaking contemporary arts  institution: a world-class dance company (ODC/Dance), a theater with year-round presenting and  mentorship programs (ODC Theater), a training school for dancers and movers of all levels (ODC School),  and a fee-free, educational Healthy Dancers’ Clinic. Known nationally for its entrepreneurial savvy and  artistic innovation, ODC is unique for its holistic vision, now including a robust digital platform. With its  home in San Francisco’s Mission District, ODC makes a dynamic contribution to the Bay Area’s vibrant  dance and arts ecosystem, cultivating artists, inspiring audiences, engaging the community, and  fostering diversity and inclusion through dance performance, training and mentorship.

Proof of full vaccination, including a booster shot if eligible, and masks are required for all in-person events. Learn  more at odc.dance/reopening