The delightful, moving, creative and beautiful ODC dance

Last night, I went to see the opening night of two world premiere dance pieces by the ODC Dance Company.

"Grassland" was gorgeous, mythic and powerful, a dance interpretation of (I think) the vibrant world of insects in the grass beneath our feet. The choreography reminded me of the beauty of the human form. I also loved the original score for the piece and that it was performed by a string quartet-plus-piano.

"In the Memory of the Forest" was more theatrical and more experimental and very, very cool. I had seen a rehearsal of the piece two weeks ago, but not in its finished form, which incorporates original (and at times trippy) videos. The piece is a dance interpretation of choreographer Brenda Way's mother-in-law's escape from Poland in 1941, and the year she spent in the forest thereafter.

A videographer filmed the dancers running through a forest then played with the speed to make it a bit funky. That image was illuminated on a big screen behind the dancers, who simultaneously ran across the stage. It was a moving and creative construction of life in the forests of Poland.

After, I went to a gala reception in honor of the 38th season of the modern dance company, and each dancer introduced him/herself and said a few words. It was heart-warming to be among a community of artists and art supporters.

Go see these shows! They're playing through March 29 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

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