A woman lies crumpled on the floor in her best evening gown. A man stands over her. He tries to lift her up in his arms, but she twists out of his grasp and falls to the ground. The man tries to lift her again, but she eludes his grasp for a second time, dancing away into a corner. He removes his tie and lunges for her. This time, the woman rolls away from her pursuant and watches, smirking, as he drops to the floor; he is now the one lying prostrate.

What is the scene? A dinner party gone horribly wrong? No—Anne Zivolich and Brandon “Private” Freeman (a former Army National Guard officer) are performing with ODC/Dance at the CFA Theatre.

“Private” is not a typical nickname for a professional dancer, but then again, ODC/Dance is anything but a typical dance company. Founded at Oberlin College in 1971, ODC relocated to the Bay Area in 1976 and has become one of the most successful performance troupes in the region.

Still artistic directed by founder Brenda Way after 37 years, the group specializes in an iconoclastic style that is both intellectual and physical. Wesleyan was lucky enough to host them for seven days this July as part of an initiative by the Center for the Arts.

ODC/Dance arrived in Middletown on July 4 for a week-long residency during which the performers worked with the Wesleyan Summer Programs’ Center for Creative Youth (CCY) in an intimate workshop setting. Photography students were allowed to bring their cameras to rehearsals and capture the movement of the dancers on film. The dance students received master classes on the same pieces that ODC performs at their theater in San Francisco. All students in the program attended a talk in which members of the company expounded on the creative process.

Finally, the residency culminated in performances on July 10-11 as ODC/Dance brought its signature hybrid of ballet and modern styles to the CFA Theater. The group presented four pieces before a highly receptive audience of CCY and other summer school students, Middletown residents and local youth groups.

“24 Exposures” began the evening. Way choreographed this piece to a recording composed by Edgar Myer and played by a string ensemble featuring Yo-Yo Ma. The work showcased the entire company of 10 dancers onstage against a brightly colored backdrop that changed between pink, orange and teal. The dancers wore equally colorful tights and leotards and spent the better part of 20 minutes showcasing their leaping skills in powerful yet graceful jumps.

The troupe then fractured into a series of small groups, each performing their own individual routines. The rush of color and movement in “24 Exposures” lacked the cohesion and thematic weight of the following three pieces and for all of the dancers’ effortless movement, the first routine allowed the audience to lose attention too easily.

However, the final image of the piece was breathtaking and expressed the ethos of ODC/Dance clearer than any press release: three female dancers, each held in the air in ascending order, formed a freeze-framed picture of a woman taking flight.

“Shenanigans,” choreographed by former CCY dance department chair KT Nelson, featured Zivolich and Freeman in a hormonally charged and comic piece set to a jaunty Darius Milhaud piano score. The two performed against a black backdrop amidst gold lighting, wearing formal evening wear—a tuxedo and a party dress suitable for waltzing, not a high-energy romp. But the music and costumes made for a dissonant juxtaposition with the choreography, which featured sly innuendo and floor-writhing in-between the twirls and jumps. The performers made it clear that wit, not just athleticism, is a key component of the ODC aesthetic.

For “Unintended Consequences: A Meditation,” the stage was set with grids of white fluorescent light fixtures reminiscent of the work of minimalist artist Dan Flavin. Way’s choreography was set to various songs by Laurie Anderson, including “O Superman,” a song which includes a main musical motif of the word “Ha” repeated over and over.

Though the song had little variation in dynamics, rhythm or melody, the dancers struck simple yet dynamic poses which made the song’s mournful tone all the more poignant—the sight of a figure stretching out their arms as if in flight and then crumpling to the floor conveyed a mournful commentary on the hubris of America’s foreign policy in the Middle East.

The evening concluded with Nelson’s “Walk Before Talk,” which featured eight dancers. After an hour and a half of movement the company refused to let up, and the piece had possibly the highest energy level of the night. A reverse of the reflective tone of “Unintended Consequences,” the finale proved to live up to its title.

Dressed in firey colors and set against a sunset-like backdrop, the company threw themselves about the stage in the most passionate explosion of movement that night. The performance played like a more seamless and concentrated version of “24 Exposures,” as the company used its powerful kicks and fluid arms to give the audience a final jolt.

When the performance was over, the dancers were covered in sweat. But their smart and passionate work—as well as their willingness to teach during their residency—proved that the University’s CFA is just as vibrant in the summer as during the academic year.