Let’s dive deep with Azuki Umeda, our featured choreographer, as she discusses her upcoming piece, ‘how i became kinder, and kinder,’ showcased in our DANCE AT THE ODYSSEY Festival.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in San Jose, CA, Azuki Umeda is a first-generation Japanese queer artist. She holds a BFA in Dance and a BA in Integrated Educational Studies from Chapman University, where she earned recognition with the Nancy Dickson-Lewis award for Outstanding Choreography.

Azuki’s has collaborated with renowned artists such as Twenty-One Pilots and FINNEAS. Her work has been showcased at prestigious dance festivals, including the Capezio ACE Awards and World of Dance. She is the founder of AU.THENTICITY, a dance company dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment for artistic exploration. Recently, Azuki was named one of the Ann & Weston Hicks Choreographic Fellows at the Jacob’s Pillow 2023 Program.

Witness Azuki Umeda’s distinctive choreographic voice at the DANCE AT THE ODYSSEY Festival!
“how i became kinder, and kinder”
February 9th – 11th, 2024

For the 7th year, this unstoppable dance festival’s mixed programs offer a wide range of dance over six weeks hosting six companies, twenty choreographers, forty-nine performers, a “dance wrecking” and four world premieres. Reminding us that the language of dance is universal.

Celebrated choreographers and companies include Rebecca Pappas, Lily Chumas, Punto de Inflexión, Goblin Party, Azuki Umeda and Galiana&Nikolchev’s Useless Room: https://odysseytheatre.com/whats-on/dance-january/

BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA – Post Show Discussion

We are joined by…

Playwright, Anna Ouyang Moench

Director, Peter Richards

Our Cast, Arye Gross and Jacqueline Misaye

And the Natural History Museum’s Ornithologist, Dr. Allison Shultz.

Get a sneak preview of the solo act BEFOK with the show’s lead… Lola Luvv! At the Odyssey through November 5th!

Arye Gross Watching BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA & More

Peter Richards, our director for “Birds of North America,” talks with us about the themes in our upcoming production.

Ron Sossi (Artistic Director; and Writer/Director of “Elephant Shavings”) tells us about the inspiration behind “Elephant Shavings.”

Our box office manager, Heather, is taking us backstage at the Odyssey!

“Thresholds of Invention” at Odyssey Theatre, is where artistic brilliance meets its first audience! Join us as Tony Abatemarco takes us behind the scenes of this groundbreaking series, providing a unique platform for artists to showcase their unreleased masterpieces…

An ongoing series here at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Vanessa Hernández Cruz (she, her, ella) is an interdependent Chicana Disabled dance artist & Disability Justice activist. She is from the unceded lands of the Tongva & Kizh lands colonially known as Los Angeles, California. She graduated from California State University Long Beach with her BA in Dance Science. The World Premiere of her latest piece, “Metal, Plastic, Skin” is part of our Dance at the Odyssey Festival — coming July 23, 2023.

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