CriticalDance Forum

We caught the last performance of the ODC series at Yerba Buena Gardens, and heard a rumor that Shannon Mitchell is retiring. Or leaving ODC? Does anybody know more about this? The performance was very well danced. The last piece, "Investigating Grace" was the most poignant. ODC really does the group interaction/balancing act brilliantly.

<P>Hi Daedalus,<P>Yes, Sunday was Shannon Mitchell's last performance with ODC/SF. I commented to one of the other dancers that she will be missed. He agreed with me. From what I understand, she was an inspiration to many in the dance community.<P>Shannon danced professionally in ballet and converted to modern dance, hence her amazing technique in ballet-like steps. Weren't her turns amazing? Here is a short bio on her:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.odcdance.org/v4/frame.company.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.odcdance.org/v4/frame.company.html</A> <P><BR>I also hear that she may be appearing in a benefit in May.<P>As an aside, when I talked to her a few months ago, she came across to me as a sweet and genuine person.

<BR>Brenda Way<BR> <P>And, oh, yes, "Investigating Grace" won best choreography for AD Brenda Way at this year's Izzies.

ODC stands for Oberlin Dance Collective. It was founded at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. where I believe Brenda Way was a faculty member...they obviously then emigrated to San Frans...but wanted to acknowledge their "roots" and history..so they kept ODC.

Technically, their name now is ODC/SF.<P>And, yes, Grace, they do have muss-kels. I can testify that those photos were not doctored.<P>There is this piece they do called "Weird Weather" that really shows off the athleticism and sensuality of their dancers.

For reviews of ODC's most recent home season, go to:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000108.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.criticaldance.com/ubb/Forum5/HTML/000108.html</A>

thanks guys, for the name explanation - it was a bit fancier than i thought...<P>so, assuming they are based somewhere in the bay area...how would you position them, azlan, in the SF dance company scene as a whole...?

Grace, ODC/SF is a very special dance company in many ways:<P><UL TYPE=SQUARE><BR><LI> They are probably among the best -- if not the best -- modern dance company in the SF Bay Area;<P><LI> Their dancers are fully professional with decent contracts (they're not part-timers with day jobs);<P><LI> They run the ODC theater (under separate management) that promotes local up and coming talent;<P><LI> Several of their dancers have had extensive ballet training.<BR></UL><P>I can probably think of a few more as soon as I go to bed tonight...<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited May 02, 2000).]

Daedalus, here you go. Shannon Mitchell will be appearing in a star-studded benefit performance for Eric Takashige Boehm, an 11-year-old dance student at Marin Ballet who has leukemia. Other dancers scheduled include SFB's Katita Waldo and ODC's Felipe Sacon.<P>The performance titled "Live to Dance! Dance to Live!" is scheduled at 2pm on Sunday, May 21, at the Potrero Middle School of the Arts in SF. For more info, go to <A HREF="http://www.baydance.com/may.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.baydance.com/may.html</A>