David Poland

David Poland speaks to Best Supporting Actress nominee Saoirse Ronan.

David Poland speaks to Best Actor nominee Viggo Mortensen.

ODC Artistic Director/Founder Brenda Way discusses her world premiere dance piece, 'In the Memory of the Forest.' She was inspired by her late mother-in-law, Iza Erlich, who, as a teenager in 1941, walked from Warsaw to Lithuania to Moscow in search of her husband-to-be. With a girlfriend, she set out across Poland, Germany and Russia to find her future husband who had departed months earlier. Iza recorded her memories on a set of four audiotapes and always imagined that her story might be material for a dance. Iza, a social worker by trade, believed in the power of art to communicate emotional experience, said Ms. Way. Her story of intrigue, grit, and humor offers a hopeful note in our own tumultuous times. In the Memory of the Forest is an exploration of resilience and ingenuity. Way has assembled a world-class group of collaborators for this new work. Video artists David and Hi-Jin Hodge s stunning footage, shot at White Oak Plantation during ODC s 2007 residency, serves as a component in her new work; composer and longtime ODC collaborator Jay Cloidt s commissioned score features excerpts from Ms. Erlich s audiotapes; and acclaimed lighting designer and visual artist Elaine Buckholtz, who has worked with Merce Cunningham and Meredith Monk, will serve as light designer and visual director for the collaboration.

Sept. 17: New York Times’ David Sanger discusses President Barack Obama’s decision to scrap the Bush administration’s plan to base interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic.