The Wendy Osserman Dance Company

Theater for the New City presents The Wendy Osserman Dance Company. Osserman, a “Tragi-Political Dance-up Comic,” has been confusing the personal with the political and historical for the past three decades. She struggles to comprehend world events with humor and drama. On the twentieth anniversary of her company, Deborah Jowitt described Osserman as “a woman of taste and talent.” Village Voice, 1/30/96.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary season, The Wendy Osserman Dance Company performs a program of new work, including Imagine/non lethal force. This piece was produced by Dancenow/NYC/DancemOpolitan at Joe’s Pub in February; it exudes a black humor/ vaudeville quality that people love to hate and hate to love. Osserman’s choreography, called “blessedly nonliteral” by Jennifer Dunning, The New York Times, 1/29/02, explores the many sides of our personalities and relationships. This season is a culmination of a consistent output of collaborative work with her company and artists such as painter Annie Sailer and photographer Liz Magic Laser. The program is dedicated to veteran member and assitant to the choreographer, Victoria Lundell, who has contributed her beauty and knowledge to the Company for the past 9 years. Bodyscape, the only revival, is a collaboration between Osserman, Lundell and video artist, Kevin Freeman.

Wendy Osserman Dance Company members are Miral Kotb, Josselyn Levinson, Ofelia Loret de Mola, Victoria Lundell, Emily Quant, Aya Shibahara, Patrick Welsh, Enrique Guzman, and Wendy Osserman. The Company has toured widely and appeared regularly in NYC venues such as DTW, St. Mark’s Church, Dixon Place, and the Kitchen. Recent performances have been presented by TNC, Joyce Soho, Friends of Hudson River Park, Dancenow/NYC/TheFestival, and produced by Dancenow/NYC/DancemOpolitan at Joe’s Pub. Before forming the company in ’76, Osserman performed her choreography in Europe and danced with Kei Takei, Frances Alenikoff, Valerie Bettis, Alice Condodina, and the Hellenic Chorodrama throughout Greece. She studied choreography with Anna Sokolow, Robert Ellis Dunn, Bessie Schönberg and Martha Myers.

Opening night, May 4: $15/ $30 includes 7pm benefit reception.