Odyssey Dance Theatre’s mission is to provide quality entertainment and artistic excellence in theatrical dance as a professional dance company; to provide employment for Utah’s talented dancers; to exercise and maintain fiscal responsibility and be debt free; and to make theatrical dance more accessible to a wide audience, by utilizing current social themes and music, as well as creating and re-creating classical and full-length works that are exciting to young and old alike. Odyssey Dance Theatre operates within the following context: 1. Historical – reflecting ballet’s ancient roots and history. 2. Aesthetic – reflecting dance’s evolution into one of the most refined, energetic, and entertaining art forms. 3. Contemporary – commitment to performing works by the world’s best and most innovative choreographers. 4. Popular – reflecting its commitment to making dance more accessible to a wide audience. Founded in 1994 and directed by Derryl Yeager, former Ballet West Principal, Broadway, Television, and Film veteran, Odyssey Dance Theatre explodes with world-class bravado, passionate charm, and choreographic invention, combining the classical virtues of ballet with the attack of jazz; the freedom of modern dance; the raw energy of hip-hop; the syncopated rhythms of tap; the fluid partnering of ballroom; and the spirit of Broadway and Vaudeville to create a fresh dance vocabulary and entertainment genre that engages audiences across the country and around the world. Odyssey is the “common man’s” dance company, with something for everyone to enjoy – not just for those who see dance as an “elitist” form of entertainment. The use of contemporary, popular music, along with classical, makes it exceptionally appealing to a broad based demographic.