Odyssey to premiere 4 works, reprise 3

Odyssey Dance Theatre is trying some new things but keeping track of the old.

The company will premiere four works in the upcoming "Shut Up and Dance" performances. But it will also revive three older pieces, of which one — The Beatles-inspired "Let It Be" — was suppose to be retired last year.

"I can't get away from 'Let It Be,"' said artistic director Derryl Yeager after rehearsals last week. "I mean, the whole Cirque du Soleil's Beatles' 'Love' premiered, and I thought to myself that we couldn't compete with a million-dollar budget. So, I decided to retire 'Let It Be.' But I got so many complaints. And then I saw 'Love' and realized that its approach was different than what we were doing. They interpreted the songs differently and focused on the psychedelic. So, 'Let It Be' is back by popular demand."

"Let It Be" will run during the "Shut Up and Dance" performances Thursday night, Saturday afternoon, the evenings of March 25 and March 28.

Still, the world premieres are what really excite Yeager.

Dee Caspary's "Monsieur Loyal" is a departure for the Odyssey dancers. Caspary created an earlier work, "Collide," for Odyssey, and Yeager liked what he saw.

"So, I called him to do another one," Yeager said. "He has a unique style and an ability to create movement. It's funny because he usually creates short dance-competition works, but the two he's done for us are a good length."

"Monsieur Loyal" features longtime Odyssey dancer Eldon Johnson as the main character. And the other dancers become his slaves and vice versa.

"There are a lot of meanings you can dip into with this work," Yeager said. "And I'm looking forward to seeing how the audience reacts."

Johnson said the work is an intense and meticulous piece of movement, but there is room for adjustments.

"Dee has his ideas and we have been able to get what is inside of his head onto the dance floor," Johnson said during rehearsals last month. "But he is open to our suggestions and lets us put our own personalities into it."

"Monsieur Loyal" will be performed during the "Club Calloway" performances of "Shut Up and Dance" Thursday night, Saturday night and the night of March 26 and the afternoon of March 29.