Five bodies share a room, bound by the act of waiting — each for a different longing. This dance-driven film explores the intersection of time, desire, and connection.
Experience the highly anticipated theatrical premiere of Waiting Places, the newest film from dance luminaries Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber. Adapted from a live piece of the same name, this dance film explores the intersection of time, desire, and connection as five individuals inhabit a room, bound by the act of waiting.
Immediately following the screening, Smith, Schraiber, and dancer Jeremy Coachman (LA Dance Project) will perform excerpts from two powerful works: an emotionally-charged solo from Seasons of Dance set to Max Richter’s reimagining of “Vivaldi, The New Four Seasons”, and a dynamic duet from The Cello Player which excavates the complexity of ancient relationships.
This special event also includes a Q&A, offering a chance to hear directly from the artists as they discuss their critically acclaimed work on stage and in film, ranging from live works for companies like Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Ballet BC, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani and upcoming films like Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind (2025), and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride (2026).
Preceding this event is a movement workshop led by Bobbi Jene Smith from 4:30-5:30PM.
Waiting Places is co-presented by ALL ARTS, the Jewish Film Institute, and the San Francisco Ballet.
EVENT DETAILS:
SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2025
4:30PM Workshop
6:30PM Screening, Performances, Q&A
ODC THEATER
3153 17th St, San Francisco
Waiting Places
(United States, 2025) 54 minutes
Directors: Or Schraiber, Bobbi Jene Smith
ABOUT THE FILM
The magnified sounds of quotidian life create a sense of heightened reality in the new narrative dance film Waiting Places. Doors creak open; light switches flip off and on; footsteps click across the bare floor; chalk scrapes down a wall; a dancer exhales; water pours into a glass; a landline phone rings. These sharp auditory cues accompany solo dances in silence and moments of transition between scenes as dancers enter and leave the black-and-white framing of the film. In between, sections of solo piano burst forth like melodic, fanciful daydreams, encouraging them to dance in pairs or as a group. The contrast builds a mounting tension as five dancers reckon with time, suspended and interrupted, inside a sparsely furnished room.
Choreographed and directed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, and produced by DFSF Artistic Director Garen Scribner, Waiting Places explores the multitude of emotions that liminal spaces, both physical and psychological, can induce. The film is adapted from a stage work of the same name from 2024, with a cast of current and former Royal Danish Ballet dancers, Astrid Elbo, Alexander Bozinoff and Kizzy Matiakis, collaborating and dancing alongside Smith and Schraiber.
THE CREATIVE TEAM:
Direction: Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber
Original Cast: Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber, Astrid Elbo, Kizzy Matiakis, Alexander Bozinoff, Yonatan Daskal
Scenography: Christian Friedländer
Original Music: Yonatan Daskal
Light Designer: Christian Vest Berntsen
Dramaturgy: Marie Haugsted Mors
“Bobbi Jene and Or Schraiber’s choreographic language conveys emotions everyone can relate to – Waiting Places is the waiting room we don’t want to leave.”
— Sceneblog
ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES
Seasons of Dance (Excerpt)
Conceived by Or Schraiber, Bobbi Jene Smith
Performed by Bobbi Jene Smith
A solo created for the 2025 film Seasons of Dance
Set to Max Richter’s reimagining of Vivaldi, The New Four Seasons – Summer II, the piece traces the volatile rhythms of internal weather, where memory, longing, and resilience converge in motion.
The Lamentatio Duet from The Cello Player
Conceived by Or Schraiber, Yahya Logothetis, Coleman Itzkoff
Co-Produced by Orsolina28 and AMOC
Performed by Or Schraiber and Jeremy Coachman
Dance-music piece excavating the complexity of ancient relationships: the tortured conception of friendship as a messy amalgam of love, hatred, insecurity, and neediness.
MOVEMENT WORKSHOP WITH BOBBI JENE SMITH
Sunday, June 8, 4:30-5:30PM
at ODC Theater (3153 17th St, San Francisco)
Open to the public (ages 16+), participants will have a unique opportunity to explore movement and creativity led by dance luminary Bobbi Jene Smith, whose work delves into themes of expression, freedom, and the contradictions within us. Smith will guide participants through a warm-up followed by immersive movement prompts (no structured choreography or repertoire). Don’t miss this special time to dive into your own creative practice and physicality with one of the dance world’s brightest lights.
Bobbi Jene Smith is from Ames, Iowa. She is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. From 2005-2014, she was a member of the Batsheva Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin. In collaboration with Or Schraiber, she has choreographed original works for the Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet BC, Los Angeles Dance Project, VAIL Dance Festival, the Batsheva Ensemble, Theater Basel, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, and others. She is a founding member of American Modern Opera Company.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Bobbi Jene Smith is from Ames, Iowa. She is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. From 2005-2014, she was a member of the Batsheva Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin. In collaboration with Or Schraiber, she has choreographed original works for the Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Ballet BC, Los Angeles Dance Project, VAIL Dance Festival, the Batsheva Ensemble, Theater Basel, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, and others. She is a founding member of American Modern Opera Company.
Or Schraiber is a dancer, choreographer, actor, and filmmaker. He danced with the Batsheva Dance Company, studied acting at the Stella Adler Studio, and performed in the Broadway production The Band’s Visit (1st U.S. tour). He has choreographed for Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Gothenburg Opera, Ballet BC, Batsheva Ensemble, and L.A. Dance Project. In 2023, he co-choreographed the Off-Broadway production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the Lucille Lortel Theater. His film work includes Aviva (2019), The Way of the Wind (2025), and The Bride (2026). A founding member of The Broken Theater and AMOC*, he also directs films and music videos.
Jeremy Coachman is a professional dance artist originally from Riviera Beach, Florida. He earned his BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School in New York City in 2015, and since graduating, has worked extensively within the concert and commercial dance worlds. Jeremy has performed with renowned dance companies including Ballets Jazz de Montréal and L.A. Dance Project, and has collaborated with esteemed choreographers such as Bobbi Jene Smith & Or Schraiber, Andonis Foniadakis, Benjamin Millepied, Jill Johnson, Juliano Nuñez, Anne Plamondon and Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit, among many others. In the commercial realm, he has had the pleasure of working with artists such as Miguel, Dua Lipa, Half.Alive, Mergui, Kate Hudson, Coeur de Pirate, and Maude Audet. His choreography and movement collaborations extend to visionary artists including Ryan Heffington, Teresa “Toogie” Barcelo, Charm La’Donna, Jillian Meyers, Dana Wilson, Denna Thomsen, and JA Collective. Through his work, Jeremy continues to explore the intersection of emotional depth and physical precision, offering a practice rooted in presence, curiosity, and transformation. He is passionate about creating space for others to unlock their own artistry and authentic expression through movement.
VENUE ACCESSIBILITY
ODC is ADA Accessible. Additional wheelchair seating is provided for select shows. ODC Theater seats are 17 inches wide.ODC Theater and ODC Annex restrooms are All-Gender, and in the ODC Dance Commons, All-Gender restrooms are located on the second floor. Curb cuts are located both at corners of Shotwell Street and 17th Street, and South Van Ness and 17th Street.
CO-PRESENTED BY:
COMMUNITY PARTNERS:
