Pilot 76 Program

About the Pilot Program

Applications for the Pilot 76 cohort are now closed. Stay tuned for the next application cycle in 2027.

The ODC Pilot Program is an 11-week mentorship program that provides comprehensive artistic and production mentorship by a professional choreographer and ODC Staff. The group works within a framework for shared production responsibilities and artistic feedback. The 6 artists are chosen by a curation panel of experts in the field.

Performances:
ODC Studio B Theater
December 12 at 8 PM
December 13 at 4:00pm & 7:00pm

Pilot 76, 2026 Schedule

Weekly In-Person Cohort meetings: Fridays, 8:30-10 AM, beginning Friday, September 18th – December 11th, (no meeting Friday, November 27th, Thanksgiving week)
Composition Kick-Off Class with Mentor: Sunday, September 20, 1:00-4:00pm
First Showing: October 18, 1:00-4:00pm
Individual rehearsals with Mentor: Sunday, November 1st, 1:00-7:30pm (1 hour only, for each artist with the mentor)
Second Showing: Sunday, November 15th, 1:00-4:00pm
Tech rehearsal: Friday, December 11th, 1-11:00pm (approximate window, exact schedule TBA)
Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, December 12, 5:00pm
Performances: Saturday, December 12 at 8 PM, Sunday December 13th at 4:00pm & 7:00pm at ODC Studio B Theater
Post Performance Debrief Meeting: Friday, December 18th, 8:30-10:00am

ODC Pilot Program artists receive:

Stipend of $600, payable in two installments
10 hours of free rehearsal time at ODC, and 50% off after 10 hours (all rehearsals upon availability)
Sessions with choreographic mentor: 1 group composition class, 2 group showings, 1 individual rehearsal
Production mentorship by resident ODC staff
Small group stipend for marketing costs and reception

Pilot 76 Cohort

Isaac Bates-Vinueza

Isaac Bates-Vinueza

Isaac Bates-Vinueza is an American choreographer, dancer, and writer who lives and works in San Francisco. He made his professional choreographic debut with Sacramento Ballet in 2022, and that same year, he was awarded the Ann and Weston Hicks Choreography Fellowship at Jacob's Pillow. As a performer, Isaac has danced with the Sacramento Ballet, SFDanceworks, Post:ballet, Amy Seiwert's Imagery, and LED Boise. He's worked with artists like Natasha Adorlee, Bryan Arias, Rena Butler, Lauren Edson, Jodie Gates, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Laura O'Malley, Mosceleyne ParkeHarrison, Penny Saunders, and Amy Seiwert. Isaac is an alumnus of Pacific Northwest Ballet School and holds a B.A. in English from UC Berkeley.
Ria Fifield

Ria Fifield

Ria Fifield is a San Francisco–based dance artist and choreographer, born in Russia. Her work explores shape, texture, composition, and the expressive possibilities of the body, with an interest in how movement can create relationships, images, and shifting structures in space.

Her performance background spans contemporary dance, theater, and interdisciplinary work, including New Ballet Theatre, the Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre, the Open Look Festival, and the Circle of Light. She has worked with choreographers and artists including Yaniv Abraham and Guy Shomroni, Daniel Ezralow, Kim Epifano, Tara Pilbrow, Alexandra Pirici, Amy Lewis, Straw Dogs, and Alyssandra Katherine Dance.

After participating in Pilot 75, Ria is thrilled to return to the program this year.

@riakamalala
James Jared

James Jared

James Jared is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor in San Francisco. He received a Certificate in Modern Dance and Choreography from Princeton University, and is a former dance faculty member at both ODC and Rae Studios as a heels instructor. He has choreographed and performed for local San Francisco organizations including ODC and Rae, as well as Electroluxx, Comfort & Joy, West Edge Opera, Oaklash, 200 Channels, and more.

James’ work explores themes of interconnectedness, self-expression, and kinesthetic empathy through the lens of post-modern contemporary movement with commercial and urban style influences. He is interested in the cross-pollination of formalized dance techniques with the raw, untrained movement languages found in social dance environments, and how this blend can be used to investigate and make tangible different types of relationships. James’ work is designed to be malleable, capable of transforming to fit equally on a well-lit stage or in a crowded club.
@jams_jard
Eli Shi

Eli Shi

Eli Shi is a San Francisco based choreographer and freelance dancer. They are a Stanford graduate with a Bachelor's in Human Biology and minors in Ethnic Studies and Theatre and Performance Studies. Recent choreographic credits include Run all the way home (ODC Pilot 75, FACT/SF Fieldwork '26), Bruce Lee and Wong Jack Man (Story Fest SF), Once again, for me (Qualia Contemporary Art), Constellations (Stanford IDA Fellowship). Eli is excited and grateful to participate in ODC Pilot again.

@eli_shi
Elizabeth Wiehe

Elizabeth Wiehe

Elizabeth Wiehe is a dance artist and choreographer based in San Francisco. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a minor in Journalism from George Mason University. She is the founder and director of Pearl Street Dance Collective, a female-run collective dedicated to producing original work, fostering collaboration, and creating performance opportunities for early-career female artists.

As an artist, Elizabeth is drawn to sharing an authentic physicality through movement. Her work highlights women’s power and strength while honoring the tenderness, care, and vulnerability that shape the way they move through the world.

In addition to her work with Pearl Street Dance Collective, Elizabeth has performed in works by Rafael Bonachela, Martha Graham, Lawrence Jackson, and Susan Shields. She has worked with DC-based companies, including ChamberDance Project and Company Medusa, and in San Francisco, she currently collaborates with DragonsDance, directed by Erin Yen, and Tether Dance Project. Her choreography has been presented at the George Mason School of Dance, Carmel Dance Festival, RAW Artist Showcase, Flux & Form Festival, Art Pärdê Salon, The CONCEPT Series by RAW Dance, ArtIs immersive multidisciplinary performance, and Pearl Street Dance Collective performances.

@Elizabeth22wiehe
Lauren Settembrino

Lauren Settembrino

Lauren Settembrino (she/her) is a Bay Area-based movement artist. Her practice centers around bombastic, raw movement and theatric world-building.

Throughout her career, Lauren has worked with choreographers Stefanie Batten
Bland, Crystal Pite, Ori Flomin, Giada Matteini, Kristen Klein, and more. She has
performed throughout the greater NYC area at theaters such as BAM, New York City
Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the Ailey Citigroup Theater. She has also toured
along the East Coast and Midwest. As a choreographer, Lauren’s work has been
presented in festivals and showcases throughout the country. Her 2023 solo, titled “Flee porneia,” has been regarded as a “deeply personal dance that’s impossible to ignore.”

Before relocating to the Bay Area, Lauren worked in New York as a principal dancer with Neville Dance Theater and performer/collaborator with installation contemporary company Angie Moon Dance Theater. She holds a BFA in Dance from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, with additional training with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and RUBBERBANDance Group.

In 2026, Lauren produced GREENLIT Choreography Showcase, a new mixed-bill showcase designed to highlight emerging Bay Area choreographers. Stay tuned for GREENLIT 2027!

@lauren_sette

FAQs

When is the next Pilot?
Pilot 76 will be December 12-13, 2026.
Applications are due on Friday, August 14, 2026, by 5:00 pm.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by September 1st, 2026.
How can I receive more information on the program and/or help on my application?
There are two ways to gain info and help on the application process:
1) Have general questions? Please email kimi@odc.dance
2) Informal Zoom group info session on Wednesday, July 22nd 5:00-6:00pm.
Zoom link.
Meeting ID: 835 9920 4868
Passcode: 431825
How is Pilot Organized?
6 artists are chosen by a curation panel which includes ODC staff, the Pilot mentor, and an invited guest curator. In your application we invite you to clearly share your artistic intention and how you specifically plan to realize your vision by submitting a written proposal and video work sample(s) no longer than 5 minutes maximum. Please do not send longer videos with time codes.
These 6 selected artists form a collective with shared production responsibilities. Each person becomes a manager of a certain job (i.e. facilitator, flyer design, social media management, etc.) and reports back to the group at the weekly Friday meetings.
Eligibility requirements?
1) Every applicant must submit a proposal within the application period, with the application fee of $20.
2) Participating Artists are required at all events, including regular Friday morning in person meetings, but dancers and collaborators are only required for performance related activities.
3) Participants must be local Bay Area residents
4) The program is intended to serve a wide-range of dance and movement practitioners from the beginning to mid- career level.
What do participating choreographers receive as part of the experience?
Artistic guidance with an artistic Mentor (a professional dance artist), who will attend and advise during:

1) A composition kick-off class
2) Two group showings of all choreographers’ work
3) One dedicated hour-long rehearsal visit by the mentor for each artist at ODC
4) A post-performance artistic wrap-up session

In addition to artistic guidance, the group is further mentored by resident ODC staff professionals with production seminars in PR, marketing, technical and digital production, box office, events coordination, and professional theater relationships to help foster self-presenting skills.
Additionally, each artist will receive:

1) 10 hours of ODC studio space per artist at no charge, with 50% off of ODC studio space for any time after 10 hours
2) $600 Artistic Stipend
3) Small discretionary fund for production-related expenses for the group as a whole
* Each selected choreographer will work with ODC’s Front Desk Team starting in September to schedule and manage their studio time. Pilot Artists are encouraged to schedule time well in advance to best access studio availability.
How long does my choreographed work need to be?
The only requirement is that no piece can be over 10 minutes in length.
What is the performance Space?
Studio B is a 3,000-square-foot studio theater and rehearsal space with retractable seating for 94 audience members.
50 ft. X 61 ft.
Theatrical sound and light system
Retractable bleachers
Light grey Marley floor
What kind of tech is available?
Pilot is designed to be a “low-tech” performance. That being said, a Production Manager/Lighting Designer is hired who gives each piece a special look with the capacity for some internal cues. Artist should not rely on complex light design nor have heavy tech or equipment needs as there is only 1 hour tech time per artist.

Live music is possible with only minimal tech setup needs.

We discourage the use of projections since there is such limited tech time per artist and Studio B does not have an extensive digital capacity.
All technical needs must be discussed and approved by the Production Manager well in advance
Marketing, equipment, and videographer costs?
The group is given a minimal budget for the entire production and it must be spent on items that benefit the entire group with cohort consensus (production equipment, videographer, flyer printing, etc.). Pilot is promoted by the participating artists, though ODC does promote through its marketing channels.
Does ODC have a dancer audition for Pilot?
Unfortunately, this is not currently possible on our end and it is the responsibility of each Pilot artist to recruit their own dancers.
Do I get comps for the show?
Because of limited seating space, no individual comps are issued to the performers, but comps are given to those who have offered services to the entire group.