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Home > Hancher > ODC/San Francisco - The Velveteen Rabbit

Program - ODC/San Francisco - The Velveteen Rabbit (In memory of Gio) (Sunday, May 8, 2005 - 2 p.m.)

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. About the Artists
  3. ODC/San Francisco

Introduction

This performance supported by Douglas and Linda Paul and The Wallace Foundation.

Picnic supported by Hy-Vee Food Store, Iowa City, Waterfront Drive.

Choreographed and Directed by KT Nelson.

Artistic Director, Brenda Way.

Based on the story by Margery Williams.

Cast

Act I

Intermission

Act II

Crew

Use of the works by Benjamin Britten was made possible by Boosey and Hawkes, Inc. publisher and copyright owner: Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Canadian Carnival, Matinees Musicals, “Four Sea Interludes” from Peter Grimes, Scottish Ballad, Prince of the Pagodas, and Simple Symphony. “Playful Pizzicato” from Simple Symphony performed by arrangement with Oxford University Press, Inc., New York.

About the Program

Brenda Way and I have long desired a family production for our company. As mothers, we believe in the importance of shared artistic experience for the family and in the power of art as a moral force. The Velveteen Rabbit is a story that speaks across generations. I was drawn to it because of its central metaphor about becoming real. In poetic and touching form, Margery Williams suggests that age and experience give us the opportunity to achieve greater humanity, that the power of love can mend us, and that loyalty and perseverance can bring meaning to our lives. For me, the gift of art to our young is a gift of imagination. Like love, imagination is a force that can both move the world and feed the spirit.

- KT Nelson, Choreographer

Hancher Auditorium thanks Douglas and Linda Paul and The Wallace Foundation.

Picnic supported by Hy-Vee Food Store, Iowa City, Waterfront Drive.

The generous support of our sponsors enables Hancher Auditorium to bring the world’s finest performing artists to our region.

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About the Artists

ODC was formed at Oberlin College in Ohio by Brenda Way. The group of 16 dancers, musicians, artists, choreographers and composers later traveled west in a big yellow school bus, relocating to San Francisco in 1976. Since then, "ODC has become one of the few thriving modern dance companies anywhere," notes the SF Examiner. In their 33-year history, ODC has built a dance school, a children's company, an active touring schedule and a building of its own, the ODC Theater, where the company not only teaches and rehearses but presents other performers from all over the world.

Brenda Way (Artistic Director) received her early training at The School of American Ballet and Ballet Arts in New York. She is the founder and artistic director of ODC/San Francisco and creator of the ODC Performance Gallery, a community performance and training facility in San Francisco's Mission District. Ms. Way created ODC and an inter-arts department at Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music in the late 1960s before relocating to the Bay Area in 1976. She has choreographed some 70 pieces over the last 30 years. Among her many commissions are Remnants of Song (2003) for Stanford Lively Arts, Scissors Paper Stone (1994) for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Western Women (1993) for Cal Performances, Rutgers University, and Jacob's Pillow; Ghosts of an Old Ceremony (1991) for Walker Art Center and The Minnesota Orchestra; Krazy Kat (1990) for the San Francisco Ballet; This Point in Time (1987) for the Oakland Ballet; Tamina (1986) for San Francisco Performances; and Invisible Cities (1985) for Stanford Lively Arts and the Robotics Research Laboratory. Ms. Way is a national spokesperson for dance, has published widely, and has received numerous awards and 20 years of support from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is a 2000 recipient of the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship. Ms. Way serves on the Zellerbach Family Fund Community Arts Board, holds a Ph.D. in Aesthetics and is the mother of four children.

KT Nelson (Co-Artistic Director) joined ODC in 1976 after attending Oberlin College. Ms. Nelson is originally from Los Angeles, where she trained in music composition with Mary Robin (1967-1973) and dance composition with Bella Lewitsky (1967). From 1976 to the present, Ms. Nelson has studied ballet with Richard Gibson, Henry Berg, Yehuda Maor and Sally Streets and has worked at ODC for the last 27 years creating a movement style, teaching company class, performing (until 1996) and choreographing. Ms. Nelson has choreographed more that 45 works, as well as composed and commissioned numerous scores. In 1986, she choreographed and directed ODC’s first full-length family ballet, The Velveteen Rabbit. She was awarded the Isadora Duncan award in 1987 for Outstanding Performance and in 1996 for Outstanding Choreography for her work, Scout and in 2001 for Sustained Achievement. She received the Girl Scouts of America Daisy Award in 2000 and the California Educators Artists Award in 2002. Ms. Nelson has collaborated with Bobby McFerrin, Geoff Hoyle, Gina Leishman, Rinde Eckert, Linda Bouchard and Zap Mama. She has worked as a choreographer with Eureka Theater in 1987 and with Jon Moscone at California Shakespeare Theater in 2000. In 1995, Ms. Nelson’s commissioned work Under the White Umbrella for the San Francisco Ballet’s principal dancers Mikko Nissinen and Elizabeth Loscavio premiered at Le Gala des Étoiles in Montréal. Starting in 1997, Ms. Nelson has choreographed several works for Diablo Ballet. She has also set her works on Ballet Met and Maximum Dance. In 1996, Ms. Nelson founded the ODC Dance Jam, a youth dance ensemble dedicated to training young dancers in dance composition, technique and performance. This group also built and performed the work of several local Bay Area choreographers. In 1996, she co-founded ODC’s Children School with Kimi Okada and Livia Blankman.

Kimi Okada (ODC Associate Choreographer) is a founding member of ODC, for whom she has created over 20 works. Her work has included commissions and collaborations with Geoff Hoyle, Bill Irwin, Julie Taymor, Robin Williams, Edward Barnes and Keith Terry. She has choreographed theatrical productions for The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis, Theatre for a New Audience in New York, The American Music Theater Festival, the Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Music Center Opera, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, The Pickle Family Circus, and the San Francisco Mime Troupe. She was nominated for a Tony Award for the Broadway production of Largely New York, which she co-choreographed with Bill Irwin. Ms. Okada is also the director of the children's company, the ODC Dance Jam, and the director of the ODC School.

Brian Fisher (Dancer and Assistant to the Choreographers) is from North Monmouth, ME. He earned a BFA in dance from New York University. He has appeared on Broadway in La Cage aux Folles, and has toured nationally in productions of The Music Man and The Wizard of Oz Live in which he served as feature dancer and dance captain. Brian appeared as one of 44 dancers invited to perform in Liberty Weekend: The Opening Ceremonies. He has performed in works by Alvin Ailey, Kurt Joos, Sonya Delwaide, Mark Franko, Doug Varone, Amy Siewert, Sally Streets, Kevin Ware, Robert Moses and Brandon Freeman, among others. He has been a guest artist with Rosalind Newman and Dancers, The Mark Foehringer Dance Project, Anima Mundi, Peninsula Ballet Theater, Berkeley Ballet Theater, and Diablo Ballet. With Private Freeman, Brian was awarded the 2002 Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. Brian joined ODC in 1992.

Brandon Freeman (Dancer), better known as Private, hails from Colorado and has been with ODC since 1996. He started dancing in college and with Canyon Concert Ballet, while serving in the Army National Guard for seven years. Locally, Private has also worked as a guest artist with Berkeley Ballet Theater, Western Ballet, Peninsula Ballet, Stephen Pelton, Mark Foehringer, Kevin Ware, and Sonya Delwaide. He is a principal dancer in Matrix II: Reloaded, and is a recent recipient of an Isadora Duncan Award.

Yukie Fujimoto (Dancer) is from the Bay Area. She graduated summa cum laude from UC Berkeley with a BA in English and completed her graduate fellowship at UC Irvine with an MFA in choreography. She has studied with Ayako Takahashi, David Allan, Robert Sund, Donald McKayle, Jaclynn Villamil, Sonya Delwaide, and Dawn Wood. She has trained and performed with Colorado Ballet, Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Theatre Ballet, Tokyo City Ballet and Matsuyama Ballet. She is a principal dancer in Matrix II: Reloaded. Yukie was also invited to compete in the 1990 Jackson International Ballet Competition as a USA team member. Yukie joined ODC in 1999.

Justin Flores (Dancer) began his dance education with Debbie Busby in his native Texas. He earned his BFA from the University of Oklahoma where he graduated at the top of his class receiving the F. Donald Clark Award for outstanding senior in the College of Fine Arts. After spending one year at the Houston Ballet Academy, he joined the Eugene Ballet for its 1998-99 season and then relocated to San Francisco. Locally, he has danced with Lawrence Pech Dance Company and Smuin Ballets/SF. He is also on staff at Blue Bear School of American Music and can be seen playing bass for the local band Pedalsped. He joined ODC in 2002.

Daniel Santos (Dancer) was born in Manila and grew up in San Jose, CA. He began studying dance at the age of 18 under the tutelage of Dennis Marshall. Daniel attended the San Francisco Ballet School and later went on to study at the University of Oklahoma where he was a featured dancer in productions of Sleeping Beauty, Serenade, Spectre de la Rose, and Carmina Burana. Daniel joined ODC in 2002.

Yayoi Kambara (Dancer) was born in Tokyo, Japan and raised in the Bay Area and Surrey, England. She earned a BA in East Asian Studies from Lawrence University and a BFA in dance performance from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In the Bay Area, she has been fortunate to dance with STEAMROLLER Dance Company, Flyaway Productions, Sara Shelton Mann/Contraband and Scott Wells. Yayoi joined ODC in 2003.

Anne Zivolich (Dancer) was born in Los Angeles, CA. At age seven, she began her training in ballet, jazz and tap while also playing violin, piano and ice hockey. Anne studied on scholarship at BalletMet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. She graduated from The Juilliard School with a BFA in dance under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy. At Juilliard she performed works by choreographers Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch, David Parsons and Lila York. Upon graduation, Anne danced with Hubbard Street 2 in Chicago for two years where she also taught dance in the Lou Conte Dance Studio and conducted master classes in the Chicago public high schools. In addition, she has performed on television for the Academy Awards Show and in the movie Toys. Anne joined ODC in 2003.

Corey Brady (Dancer) was raised in Houston, TX and is a graduate of Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He received a BFA in modern dance performance from the University of Oklahoma. While at OU, he also was a guest with SD Prism Dance Theatre in Seattle, and in 2002 he participated in the American Dance Festival. Corey joined ODC in 2003.

Andrea Flores (Dancer) has been dancing in San Francisco for eight years. She has performed with the San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, Lawrence Pech Dance Company, Smuin Ballets/SF, The Foundry, and has toured with Homer Avila. Andrea teaches jazz and hip-hop at the Lines Pre-Professional Summer Program in San Francisco, and at The Performers Summer Workshop in Albuquerque, NM. She is also a photographer for the San Francisco Ballet, The LINES Pre-Professional Program and other Bay Area dance companies. Andrea joined ODC in 2004.

Claire Hancock (Dancer) received her BFA in dance from the University of Arizona. As a member of the UA Dance Ensemble, she has performed at the Kennedy Center, in Mexico, Japan, Scotland, and the Netherlands. She has performed the works of George Balanchine, Mia Michaels, Randy Duncan, Robert Moses, and Alonzo King. Additional performances include guest appearances with Ben Vereen. Formative years of study include scholarships to the Houston Ballet Academy, Gus Giordano Dance Center, River North Dance Chicago, Mark Morris Dance Group, the Limon Institute, and most recently the Lines Ballet Pre-Professional Program. Claire would like to acknowledge her teachers and family for their guidance and support. Claire joined ODC in 2004.

Jeffrey Ruhser (Guest Artist) joins our production for his seventh season of The Velveteen Rabbit. He is originally from Fort Collins, CO, where he danced with Canyon Concert Ballet while studying business administration at Colorado State University. Locally, he has also performed as a guest artist with the Mark Foehringer Dance Project, Peninsula Ballet Theater, and the Printz Dance Project. Jeff also serves as ODC’s webmaster and systems management director.

Benjamin Britten (Composer), the leading British composer of his generation, Britten started writing music at the age of five and went on to study as a teenager with Frank Bridge at the Royal Academy of Music. His work was both prolific and varied in genre, ranging from large-scale statements such as the opera Billy Budd to the intimacy of chamber music and songs.

Brian Wildsmith (Costume and Set Designer) grew up in a small mining town in Yorkshire, England, that he remembers as predominately gray. “There wasn’t any color,” he says. “It was all up to my imagination.” In the years since then he has created more than fifty picture books, all published by Oxford University Press and all still in print. He is the winner of the Kate Greenway Medal, Britain’s highest honor for a distinguished picture book. Mr. Wildsmith currently resides in France.

Geoff Hoyle (Narrator) clowned with Cirque du Soleil, The Pickle Family Circus, and Circus Flora. He has performed his solos Feast of Fools and The Convict's Return in New York, San Francisco, London, Paris and Russia and at various regional theatres in the U.S. and in England. Mr. Hoyle has appeared in comic roles at Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., Eureka Theatre, American Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage and La Jolla Playhouse. The recipient of five NEA grants, and an Arts Link grant to visit circuses in Latvia and Russia, Mr. Hoyle recently appeared as Zazu (Drama Desk Award nomination, Best Featured Actor in Musical) in the original Broadway cast of the Tony award-winning musical The Lion King.

Gina Leishman (Songwriter), composer and multi-instrumentalist, has written music for the theater, opera, dance, film, TV and concert stage, garnering numerous awards. In dance, she has worked with Bebe Miller and Jerome Robbins, in theater with Robert Woodruff, Joseph Chaikin, Ellen McLaughlin and many regional theaters, including La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Rep, Berkeley Rep, and ACT San Francisco, as well as Lincoln Center Theater and other New York venues, both on and off Broadway. She has served as an associate professor at Long Island University and artist in residence at the University of Iowa. Ms. Leishman co-leads her own ensemble, Kamikaze Ground Crew, which began life as the stage band for the Flying Karamazov Brothers, with whom KGC occasionally collaborates. Their music is available on Koch Jazz and New World Records.

Rinde Eckert (Singer) is a writer, composer, singer, actor and director whose music/dance theater pieces have been performed throughout the U.S. and abroad. His collaborations with composer Paul Dresher include Slow Fire, Shelf Life (with Margaret Jenkins Dance Co.) and Pioneer (with Robert Woodruff, Tery Alle, and Jo Harvey Allen). Rinde has worked with Michael Palmer, John Sanborn, Joanne Akalaitis, Bruce Nauman, Jerry Granelli, Bill Frisell, Lynn Hershman, Sara Shelton Mann, Contraband, ODC/San Francisco and Ohad Naharin.

Bob Franke (Songwriter) began his professional career as a singer-songwriter in 1965 at the University of Michigan. Since then he has performed in 25 states and on four continents. His release, Brief Histories, was named one of the ten best albums of the year by the Boston Globe critic Scott Alarik and was nominated the year’s outstanding folk album by the Boston Music Awards.

David K. H. Elliott (Lighting Design & Set Realization) has designed for American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and ODC/San Francisco. He has toured with the Bolshoi, the Kirov, the Paris Opera Ballet and the White Oak Dance Project. His works for the theater include productions at Berkeley Repertory Theater, as well as for Robert Wilson, Keith Terry, the Hartford Stage Company, Playwrights Horizons and the California Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Elliott is an instructor of Stage Lighting at UC Berkeley.

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ODC/San Francisco

ODC/SAN FRANCISCO
3153 17th Street
San Francisco CA 94110
www.odcdance.org
Tel. 415.863.6606
Fax. 415.863.9833
Email: letters@odcdance.org

ODC Staff

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