Merce Cunningham

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.

Breath Made Visible: Anna Halprin -- BREATH MADE VISIBLE is the first feature length film about the life and career of Anna Halprin, the American dance pioneer who has helped redefine our notion of modern art with her belief in dance's power to teach, heal, and transform at all ages of life. This cinematic portrait blends recent interviews with counterparts such as the late Merce Cunningham, archival footage, including her establishment of the first multiracial dance company in the U.S., and excerpts of current performances such as Parades and Changes at the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, to weave a stunning, inspiring account of one of the most important cultural icons in modern dance.

Trailer for the documentary Breath Made Visible. Breath Made Visible is the first feature length film about the life and career of Anna Halprin, the American dance pioneer who has helped redefine our notion of modern art with her belief in dance's power to teach, heal, and transform at all ages of life. This cinematic portrait blends recent interviews with counterparts such as the late Merce Cunningham, archival footage, including her establishment of the first multiracial dance company in the U.S., and excerpts of current performances such as Parades and Changes at the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, to weave a stunning, inspiring account of one of the most important cultural icons in modern dance.