FACT/SF WINTER Dance Lab - 2026
Information for participants
Photo of Sophie Minouche Allen by Kim Doeleman
LOCATION
ODC Theater
3153 17th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
When arriving at ODC Theater, please enter through Robin’s Cafe and then gather in the lobby. The theater door will open 15 minutes prior to the start of the day. If Robin’s is closed, please enter via the stage door on Shotwell, just to the left of Robin’s.
Public Transit
ODC Theater is just a 5-10 minute walk from the 16th Street/Mission BART station, and is additionally accessible on the 12, 14, and 22 MUNI lines.
All BART trains running through San Francisco stop at the 16th Street/Mission BART Station.
Participants flying into SFO or OAK can take BART from the airport to San Francisco's Mission District.
Parking
Public transit is the best mode of transportation and parking near ODC Theater is often very difficult. Street parking is sometimes available in the area, but limited during weekday business hours. FACT/SF anticipates that there will NOT be sufficient time during the Dance Lab to move vehicles parked in 1 or 2-hour spaces. Participants are encouraged to use public transit if they can.
helpful suggestions
What to Bring
Comfortable dance clothes (including long-sleeved shirts and socks)
Many clothing layers for outside as the weather this time of year can shift quickly
Water bottle
Pen & Paper
Local Food Suggestions
QUESTIONS
If you have any questions or would like more information, please email River Bermudez Sanders at rbermudzsanders@factsf.org. For day-of questions or concerns, text or call Charlie Slender-White at 415.407.9393.
ABOUT COUNTERTECHNIQUE
ABOUT THE TEACHERS
Sophie Minouche Allen. Photo by Sarah Jeffers.
SOPHIE MINOUCHE ALLEN
Sophie Minouche Allen performs, choreographs, teaches, and collaborates throughout Chicago and beyond. She imbues playfulness and nuance in all her endeavors and loves to make people smile. In addition to her independent projects, Sophie has had the pleasure of performing with INSÉKTA, Helen Lee/Momentum Sensorium, The Seldoms, Bob Eisen, Darling Squire, Niko8, Ayako Kato/Art Union Humanscape, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, and many others. Her choreography has been commissioned and/or presented by FACT/SF, The College of DuPage, Thodos Dance Chicago/DanceWorks Chicago, Midwest RADFest, Detroit Dance Exchange, Side Street Studio Arts, and COMMON conservatory among others. As a teacher, Sophie nurtures a nonjudgmental, uplifting class environment in support and pursuit of the joyfulness of learning and dancing together. She is currently on faculty at The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, teaches open classes throughout Chicago, and is honored to have guest taught at several companies, universities, and organizations such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The University of Chicago, DanceWorks Chicago, Chicago Movement Collective, FACT/SF, Western Michigan University, Denison University, DISCO RIOT, and many others. Sophie holds a BFA in Dance and BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from the University of Michigan. She is also a certified Countertechnique® Teacher. Sophie first encountered Countertechnique® in 2019 and successfully completed the Countechnique® Teacher Training program in 2023. To her, teaching and practicing Countertechnique® is both a thrill and a welcomed invitation to meet the challenges and pleasures of each moment with ease and courage. www.sophieminouche.com
Charles Slender-White. Photo by Alina Fejzo
CHARLIE SLENDER-WHITE
Charlie has been a Countertechnique practitioner for 19 years, and became a Certified Teacher in 2012; there are 52 Teachers worldwide. Charlie has taught Countertechnique at the American Dance Festival (Durham, NC), Velocity Dance Center (Seattle, WA), University of Calgary, Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles), University of San Francisco, CSU East Bay, L’Artere (Quebec City), Circuit-Est (Montreal), Love-In (Toronto), and at numerous dance centers throughout the SF Bay Area. He began his dance career in 2006 with Tatiana Baganova’s Provincial Dances Theatre in Yekaterinburg, Russia. In 2008, he returned to his native California to start FACT/SF in order to make his own contributions to innovation and excellence in contemporary dance. FACT/SF is the world’s only Countertechnique-trained dance company. Over the past 16 years, Charlie has created 30+ works, with commissions by the US Department of State, ODC Theater, CounterPulse, Acid Rain (Chelyabinsk), Dialogue Dance (Kostroma), the Yekaterinburg University of the Humanities (Yekaterinburg), and others. Described as ‘utterly absorbing’ and ‘mesmerizing’ (SF Bay Guardian), Charlie’s work with FACT/SF has been performed throughout California, in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and in 7 cities across Russia, working with the US Department of State to share contemporary American culture with local Russian communities as part of their ‘American Seasons’ Program. Throughout 2012, Charlie was a mentee of Elizabeth Streb as part of CHIME Across Borders at the Margaret Jenkins Dance Lab. Charlie’s graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in Dance & Performance Studies and English Literature.