Local Actress Nike Imoru Recounts A Life In ODE

Dance, music, and story telling combine in Seattle's newest piece of dance-theatre, Ode, a life story of sorts recounted through art from acclaimed local actress Nike Imoru. Ode is a truly gripping human story told through the lens of an immigrant girl whose sometimes ruthless reality shows us how choices, actions, and consequences can inspire us to do extraordinary things in life. Set to play West of Lenin in Fremont, Seattle from April 20 - May 21, 2017, tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets online at http://bpt.me/2913856.

In the wake of trauma can come beauty. Sixteen months ago, Nike underwent a sudden surgery, an operation that awoke in her the desire to move. "I wanted to dance!" Nike commented. "I had not seen or spoken to John (Britton) for 30 years before I reached out to him to direct me in what has become Ode. We had worked together in our twenties when we were both into physical-dance theatre, and after my operation I realized I needed to rehabilitate my body with beautiful movement and he popped into my mind. I just had a feeling he could bring subtle mastery to the work."

Most recently seen as Warwick in Seattle Shakespeare's acclaimed 2017 production of Bring Down The House, Nike's resume is vast and includes acclaimed local appearances at Seattle Repertory Theatre amongst others. Also the executive casting director for "Z Nation," Syfy's top-rated original show, Nike is global with a PhD from University of Warwick, named amongst 'Most Influential Women' in 2016 by Media, Inc., and acting credits starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Home of the Brave and Ray Liotta in The River Murders. Nike was born in London; raised in London and Nigeria

For Ode, Nike has carefully crafted a professional team to the live out her vision.

Director John Britton comes to his first Seattle directorship with Ode. An internationally renowned director, teacher, performer, and writer, whose work is based in a deep understanding of the potential of the human body, he is best known for directing and teaching across the worlds of theatre, physical performance, dance, circus, improvisation, site-specific work, and hybrid performance. Together, he and Nike have engaged in the creative process of putting this show together in a true collaboration from start to finish. "Originally we - John and I - wanted three actors," Nike explained. "We wanted a musician-actor, who would play on stage and an edgy dancer, disciplined with the possibility of going beyond and 'dancing outside of the box'." Simone Bruyere Fraser's role in Ode is complex in that she is continually on stage, always part of the action, often silent. "I'm asking her to do something way outside conventional acting or dancing," John described. "It requires a special skill and intelligence to tackle that ambiguity, talents that Simone amply brings to her performance."

Ode features 90 minutes of original musical compositions by Ryan Leyva, a Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer, and performer. "Music is massive for John and myself," Nike commented. "I conceived the show as a 'stage song' and the music is truly a third character, a complex and vital part of the experience. Originally, I wanted an actor-musician, so when I wasn't coming up with the right fit for that role, John Changed the musician-actor into a composer, and we found Ryan." John added, "We needed music that could evoke complex worlds of memory, trauma, passion and humor, without becoming too filmic or overwhelming. The music sometimes drives the action, sometimes responds to it. It's a fine and complex balance."

Ode is a universal, human story - it's a journey about the personal striving of a young immigrant girl. "It's a tale for a sanctuary city with themes of war, struggle, inspiration, the power of art, and the capacity of the human spirit to overcome adversity," Nike comments. "And, of course, there's a great dose of comedy as well."

The Ode creative team includes John Britton; director; Geoff Korf, lighting design; Ryan Leyva, composer; Monika Holm; Stage Manager. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from Brown Paper Tickets online at http://bpt.me/2913856.

ABOUT THE TEAM

NIKE IMORU

Nike Imoru is an actor, mostly. She also directs, coaches, teaches, writes, and casts for television, film, and theatre. For three seasons she has been the executive casting director for "Z Nation," Syfy's top-rated original show. She has cast numerous films and worked alongside established movie directors and actors, as coach and 'caster. Her real passion is the actor and the stage. She has travelled extensively, taught extensively in the United Kingdom - Universities of Loughborough, Leeds, Hull, and United States colleges. Her work as an actor/director has taken her to the Royal National Theatre; Delphi, Greece; Seattle Repertory Theatre; The Getty Museum, Malibu; The Edinburgh Festival; BBC radio; and some 20+ countries. She has published works on theatre history, gender, colonialism, identity, and diversity. She gained her PhD from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. She is a member of the Casting Society of America, SAG-AFTRA and the Actor's Equity Association.

SIMONE BRUYERE FRASER (DANCER)

Simone Bruyere Fraser began her artistic work as a ballet dancer for ten years in a company in New York. She branched into acting and dramatic work, and received her Bachelor's in a double degree in drama and dance from the University of Washington. She expanded into writing and multimedia communications in her master's degree in Communications from Ithaca College, and Cornell University. She has been in numerous theatre productions, commercials, T.V., film, print work, and music videos in Los Angeles, New York, and in Washington State. In addition to this, she has worked at Saturn Films, Morgan Creek Productions, Creative Artists Agency, and Benaroya Pictures. She currently works as an actress in Seattle, is a team member with Nike Imoru Casting, as well as cultivating her own projects. She acts, dances, and writes spoken word that is crafted into songs, and performed in theatrical music video presentations.

RYAN LEYVA (COMPOSER)

Ryan Leyva AKA Johnny Nails is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer, and performer from Seattle. Ryan has toured internationally in projects with American Idol stars, rappers, soul singers, grunge heroes, punk rockers, metal heads, western folk, and jazz bands. Ryan has composed music for commercials, movie trailers, and sound tracks for Lexus, Victoria's Secret, Thor, Resident Evil, and as a producer/musician he has worked with Dave Grohl, Robert Glasper, Duff McKagan, Wynton Marsalis, routinely calling on his vast knowledge of musical history to create something unique for each project. He is co-owner of The Red Room Studio in Seattle, WA where he can often be found Producing Artists, composing music, and mixing records. Connect >> GoGoWildcat.com

John Britton (DIRECTOR)

John Britton is an internationally renowned director, teacher, performer, and writer, whose work is based in a deep understanding of the potential of the human body. He directs and teaches across the worlds of theatre, physical performance, dance, circus, improvisation, site-specific work and hybrid performance, with recent productions in United Kingdom, Greece, Australia, India, Sweden, and elsewhere. He is Artistic Director of DUENDE - an international collective of artists committed to intercultural ensemble practices and international collaboration. He is the Founder and Director of The DUENDE School of Ensemble Physical Theatre, a professional training initiative currently based in Greece, which teaches John's unique approach to physical training. He is also an experienced performer, especially of solo and ensemble improvisation. In 2013 he published 'Encountering Ensemble' (Methuen/Bloomsbury), the first text book dedicated to analyzing ensemble practices. He is just completing a new book that will give detailed insights into his approach to training performers. It will be published later this year.