Brenda Way
Encyclopedia
Brenda Way is the Artistic Director/Founder of ODC/Dance
(Oberlin Dance Company)ODC has since become the premier contemporary dance company of the West Coast, performing for more than 50,000 people a year.
Under Way's leadership, ODC became the first modern dance company in the United States to build its own facility, which includes the ODC School, Theater, and Gallery, serving as a home for the resident dance company, offering classes for adults and young people, and presenting programs of national and international dance performers and companies. The ODC Dance Commons, is a five-studio rehearsal and office complex in the Mission District, San Francisco, California
. ODC relocated to San Francisco in 1976 on a yellow school bus, with a vision of challenging the view that, a dance company must locate itself in New York City to be considered successful.
Ms. Way been called the first "post-modern" choreographer, who "constructs" dances. ODC/Dance is known throughout the world for its athleticism, passion and intellectual depth. The company has been widely recognized for its fusion of ballet and modern techniques and for their numerous groundbreaking collaborations. She received her early training at The School of American Ballet
and Ballet Arts in New York City. She holds a Ph.D. in Aesthetics and is the mother of four children.
Ms. Way is a national spokesperson for dance, has published widely, and has received numerous awards and 30 years of support from the National Endowment for the Arts
. She is a 2000 recipient of the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Brenda Way was honored with a prestigious residency at the American Academy in Rome
for the academic year 2008-2009.
Brenda Way has choreographed 76 dance pieces over her 35 year plus career. These commissions include:
ODC/Dance
ODC/Dance is a contemporary dance company founded in 1971 by artistic director Brenda Way. ODC relocated to San Francisco in 1976 and was the first dance company in America to build its own home facility in 1979 from which it still operates...
(Oberlin Dance Company)ODC has since become the premier contemporary dance company of the West Coast, performing for more than 50,000 people a year.
Under Way's leadership, ODC became the first modern dance company in the United States to build its own facility, which includes the ODC School, Theater, and Gallery, serving as a home for the resident dance company, offering classes for adults and young people, and presenting programs of national and international dance performers and companies. The ODC Dance Commons, is a five-studio rehearsal and office complex in the Mission District, San Francisco, California
Mission District, San Francisco, California
The Mission District, also commonly called "The Mission", is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, USA, originally known as "the Mission lands" meaning the lands belonging to the sixth Alta California mission, Mission San Francisco de Asis...
. ODC relocated to San Francisco in 1976 on a yellow school bus, with a vision of challenging the view that, a dance company must locate itself in New York City to be considered successful.
Ms. Way been called the first "post-modern" choreographer, who "constructs" dances. ODC/Dance is known throughout the world for its athleticism, passion and intellectual depth. The company has been widely recognized for its fusion of ballet and modern techniques and for their numerous groundbreaking collaborations. She received her early training at The School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
and Ballet Arts in New York City. She holds a Ph.D. in Aesthetics and is the mother of four children.
Ms. Way is a national spokesperson for dance, has published widely, and has received numerous awards and 30 years of support from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. She is a 2000 recipient of the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Brenda Way was honored with a prestigious residency at the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
for the academic year 2008-2009.
Brenda Way has choreographed 76 dance pieces over her 35 year plus career. These commissions include:
- Unintended Consequences: A Meditation (2008)
- Equal Justice Society
- On a Train Heading South (2005)
- CSU Monterey Bay, Remnants of Song (2002) Stanford Lively Arts
- Scissors Paper Stone (1994) Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Western Women (1993)
- Cal Performances, Rutgers University, and Jacob's Pillow; Ghosts of an Old Ceremony (1991) Walker Art Center and The Minnesota Orchestra
- Krazy Kat (1990) San Francisco Ballet;
- This Point in Time (1987) Oakland Ballet;
- Tamina (1986) San Francisco Performances
- Invisible Cities (1985) for Stanford Lively Arts and the Robotics Research Laboratory.
External links
- http://www.odcdance.org
- http://www.odctheater.org/
- http://www.odcschool.org