PHOTOS COURTESY OF ODC
Corey Brady’s performances are so focused, passionate and memorable that audiences are transported into what feels like a magical spell woven by a true dance master. With the Oberlin Dance Collective (ODC) for over a decade now, Brady is a crowd favorite. Check out his “Sixty Second Self-Portrait” online, odcdance.org/videogallery.php?param=159&p=1, and you’ll get a taste of how he beautifully plays with gender in performances, representing the full range from muscular power to sensitive, graceful artist. We were thrilled to get a chance to learn more about Corey and ODC’s upcoming LGBTQ Night.
Bay Times: Please tell us about your career and how you first became interested in dance.
Corey Brady: I started dancing while in a middle school program for the performing arts. I was studying music and taking private piano lessons. During my 8th grade year, I was encouraged by one of my friends to take a few ballet classes at her local studio. I enjoyed it, but did not think I was talented enough to pursue it. Later that year, I auditioned for Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in both instrumental music and dance. I was accepted to the Dance Department, and dancing took over from that point forward. I later attended the University of Oklahoma, earning a BFA in Dance. My time at OU allowed me to study under many great teachers and guest artists while learning about all aspects of professional theater. I also had the opportunity to go on three separate international tours to Paraguay and Mexico. I auditioned for ODC after my last semester of school and got the job, which brought me to San Francisco in 2003. Since moving to the Bay Area, I have also had the chance to work with RAWdance and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery Contemporary Ballet.
BT: What role does dance play in your life? Its importance seems to transcend what’s in any given performance, both for dancers as talented as you are, and for audience goers.
CB: Dancers, professional or not, connect with the physical and emotional implications of movement. We have a deep relationship with these elements. For many, it can be easier to express ideas or feelings through movement rather than words. Audiences have the chance to be transported from their everyday life. Witnessing dance gives them the opportunity to find their own meaning in what they see, and maybe even be inspired to view art in a new way.
BT: What can you share with us about the purpose of ODC’s upcoming LGBTQ Night? When did this event begin, and how has the response been from the community?
CB: This event is designed to engage the LGBTQ community with our work. This is the second year. It has been a great way to introduce new audiences to dance. I hope that the future will bring a heightened kinship between the LGBTQ and local dance communities.
BT: What is the program for the upcoming LGBTQ Night? In addition to the performance itself, what else will be featured at the event?
CB: The LGBTQ Night will be program A, which is boulders and bones, a new work by ODC choreographers Brenda Way and KT Nelson, inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, and with live music by cellist Zoe Keating. This is our world premiere for 2014. In addition to the performance, there will be a pre-party at the YBCA terrace with cocktails, conversation, and small bites.
BT: What message would you like to send to Bay Times readers?
CB: This is an exciting time for dance in the Bay Area, despite the challenges local artists are facing these days. I encourage all to get out there and take part in the many opportunities to engage in art, no matter what form it takes.
LGBTQ Night at ODC/Dance Downtown, Friday, March 28 at 7 pm, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. For tickets and additional information about this and other ODC performances, please go to: odcdance.org/index.php
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