For Immediate Release: Contact Susanne Voeltz, Associate Director, Kanopy Dance susivoeltzpr@gmail.com 608.284.0848
Kanopy Dance
Breaking Boundaries in Modern Dance
On April 16, 2026, Kanopy Dance Opens
Divine Mythologies:
Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes” + Other Luminous Voices
A Groundbreaking Collaboration
Between Kanopy Dance &
NYC’s Sokolow Theatre/ Dance Ensemble
Featuring a Fusion Performance
of Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes”
Two Exciting Modern Dance Companies Performing Together in Two Cities
April 16-19, 2026
Promenade Hall, Overture Center for the Arts Madison, WI
Thursday 7pm, Friday 7pm, Saturday 4 & 7pm, Sunday 2pm
Promenade Hall, Overture Center for the Arts
https://www.overture.org /Box Office 608.258.4141
Saturday, April 25 & Sunday, 26,2026, 7PM
MMAC theater 248 West 60th Street, New York City.
https://ci.ovationtix.com/36899/production/1265085
Madison, WI…February,22 2026…NYC’s Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble and Madison, WI based Kanopy Dance will present Divine Mythologies: Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes” + Other Luminous Voices (Divine Mythologies) at concerts in Madison, WI at the Overture Center for the Arts April 16-19,2026, and in New York City at the MMAC theater , April 25 & 26, 2026.
The collaboration marks the first time ever that two companies jointly perform Anna Sokolow’s (Sokolow) epic masterpiece “Odes”, a 20-minute-long choreography in three sections that debuted in 1965. A luminous vision of humanity inspired by the turbulent world of Greek mythology, Sokolow’s “Odes” is set to the music of Edgard Varèse, a progressive French/American composer and acclaimed pioneer of electronic music.
Sokolow (February 9, 1910 – March 29, 2000) was an international cultural icon, daughter of immigrants, and social activist whose powerful theatrical choreography profoundly shaped the course of modern dance. Her transformative work remains a vital force--a powerful choreographic voice that has never been silenced.
“Odes” demands intense physical concentration and dramatic depth, with choreography that posesmultiple challenges in timing, dynamics, balance,
and projection through space. It is a singular artistic challenge that will require the 20 dancers (cast from the two companies) to work in harmony as one---yet sensitively maintain their individuality.
The program also features Kanopy co- artistic director’s Lisa Thurrell’s (Thurrell) Ekstasi, a celestial journey inspired St. Peter’s Basilica, the cathedral of art in the Vatican City, that chronicles the ecstasy and the agony of pursuing a divine path or transcendence. Staged against a tableau of Renaissance Baroque masterpieces, including those of Bernini, Giotto and Michelangelo, Thurrell’s choreography artfully lifts the dancers—costumed in ethereal in flowing silks- in their spiritual ascent with a stunning series of ensemble pieces, a solo and duets.
And Kanopy’s co-artistic director, Robert E. Cleary, presents Transformations, a tumultuous and poignant solo, examining the search for individual growth and mindfulness.
Divine Mythologies: Anna Sokolow’s Epic “Odes” + Other Luminous Voices
Madison, WI
April 16-19, 2026 (Thursday 7pm, Friday 7pm, Saturday 4 & 7pm, Sunday 2pm)
Overture Center for the Arts
201 State Street
https://www.overture.org /Box Office 608.258.4141
New York City
April 25 & April 26,2026, 7PM
248 West 60th Street, New York City.
For NYC Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/36899/production/1265085
About Kanopy Dance
Madison, WI based Kanopy Dance, an Overture resident company, cultivates the dynamic growth of modern dance--- advancing important artistic benchmarks by training emerging talent, presenting original works featuring internationally renowned guest stars, and creative collaborations. Among its accolades, in 2024, Kanopy was one of only six companies word-wide vetted in observing “GRAHAM100”- a three-season celebration of Martha Graham Dance Company’s 100th Anniversary- with its production of Graham: In HER Voice.
Most recently, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts filmed Kanopy’s acclaimed Polaris, starring Daystar/Rosalie Jones, founder of the first indigenous modern dance company in the U.S., Daystar: Contemporary Dance Drama of Indian America, and Daniel Fetecua Soto, former soloist, Limón Dance Company for permanent inclusion in the prestigious Jerome Robbins Dance Division Archives. located in Lincoln Center.
In addition to its professional company, Kanopy maintains a Studio Company of pre-professional dancers, (Kanopy 2), and operates the Kanopy Dance Academy offering comprehensive dance training for all levels and ages. https://kanopydance.org/
About Sokolow Théâtre/Dance Ensemble
Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble is the modern dance company dedicated to presenting Ms. Sokolow’s vast body of emotionally riveting work. Over a 70-year career, Anna Sokolow continuously broke the silo of modern dance, focusing on the human experience and accessing any genre to fulfill her artistic purpose. Her masterpieces remain relevant to our times and touch the hearts of all people as we struggle with the universal issues of living, regardless of differences in place and culture. The company’s projects include reconstruction, reimagination, deconstruction, historical performance, teaching, lectures, archiving, and partnering with contemporary choreographers—all modes through which we step inside Sokolow’s masterworks and draw from this perspective to better frame our future. ST/DE was founded by Sokolow protege Jim May and is currently under the artistic direction of Samantha Geracht. For more information, please visit www.sokolowtheatredance.org
Published on March 16, 2026
