Ohio Dance Theatre is a ballet based contemporary dance company that presents works with a strong theatrical element.
In the winter of 1993, a pre-professional training program and community curriculum in the form of an attached school was begun. The school was established offer a full range of dance and movement classes for ages three to adult; a program including community classes and a pre-professional training program for the serious young dancer. The school of Ohio Dance Theatre currently provides a comprehensive dance curriculum that offers training in various disciplines, including ballet, pointe, jazz and modern dance. This pre-professional curriculum gives students the opportunity to develop the discipline and performance skills essential for a professional career in dance.
F o u n d e r A r t i s t i c D i r e c t o r D e n i s e G u l addd text.
Ohio Dance Theatre receives ongoing support from
Since its inception the company has stretched the limits of dance by including actors, musicians and singers in many of its productions.
The critically acclaimed ODT repertoire features a wide range of style from powerful, thought provoking pieces to lighter works, which combine athleticism and lyricism.
Ohio Dance Theatre has provided artistic excellence in the field of dance to Northeastern Ohio since the spring of 1992 when it received a generous seed grant from the Nord Family Foundation.
Founded under the direction of Denise Gula as Phoenix Repertory Dance Theatre, the company originally made its home at Lorain County Community College and six professional dancers where engaged for the premiere season.
Dahlia Berfroid in Come Rain or Com Shine
Janet Strukley in Come Rain or Com Shine
In 1996, the organization changed the company's name to Ohio Dance Theatre and relocated to beautiful downtown Oberlin making their home, along with five other Nord Family supported arts organizations in The New Union Center for the Arts.
In 1997, with funding from both the Community Foundation of Greater Lorain County and The Stocker Foundation, ODT established DANCE LIVE!, the organzation educational outreach program.
Under Ms. Gula's leadership, Ohio Dance Theatre has continued its commitment to the creation of new work and the restaging of classical treasures. The companies repertoire, includes its own full-length productions of The Nutcracker, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Beauty and the Beast, Firebird, House in the Woods and The Ballad of Barbara Allen and Carmen. The contemporary repertoire includes contemporary works and original theatrical productions.
Ohio Dance Theatre is governed by it's Board
of Trustees who make personal and financial contributions to the development of the institution. The organization is committed to collaboration among artistic and managment staff and the board of trustees in order to sustain an institution of cultural, educational, and social merit that continually strives to stimulate and inspire audiences.
