RAWdance Presents Triple Bill Of New Works In March 2020

After expanding to the East Coast in 2019, RAWdance's three artistic directors will unite March 12 - 15, 2020 for TRIPLE TAKE, an eclectic trio of new works for an ensemble of ten dancers. Performances run Thursday to Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets, $25 - $60, are now on sale at odc.dance/tripletake. Triple Take is co-presented by ODC Theater.

With a program drawing inspiration variously from our digital lives, traditional Chinese medicine and the Surrealist drawing game known as "Exquisite Corpse," RAWdance presents original choreography by each of its co-artistic directors. Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith are collaborating on a multi-part work, titled Shadow, the first chapter of which will be performed in March. "Shadow is a deep dive into our murky, expanding digital footprints," said Rein. "We're exploring what this digital debris might mean for the future as each click, search and download creates an alternate identity that is bought and sold." Rein and Smith are working in collaboration with composer Surabhi Saraf, whose current research centers on emotional materiality and Artificial Intelligence.

The Healer, with choreography by Katerina Wong, mines the ancient history, systems and beliefs of traditional Chinese medicine and holistic practices to shed light on our innate ability to overcome physical and emotional suffering. A work for four women, Wong conceived the piece as a tribute to her recently deceased aunt, who was an energy healer herself.

Triple Take's program closes with choreography by all three RAWdance directors. Currently untitled, the new work borrows from a parlor game invented by a group of avant-garde artists and writers including André Breton and Marcel Duchamp. Participants took turns drawing sections of a body, then folding their work to hide their contributions. The next player added to the whole without knowing how the final result would appear. By emphasizing free play, unpredictability and collaboration, the game was quite popular in Surrealist circles in the 1920s and 30s.

In adapting the game of Exquisite Corpse, the RAWdance directors have agreed to rules capitalizing on the physical distance between them. Rein and Smith, working in New York's Hudson Valley, will alternate with Wong, based in San Francisco, trading via video snippets of 30 seconds of choreography as seeds for the creation of full sections of the dance. Neither Rein and Smith, nor Wong, will see the totality of material that each team creates. At the end of the creative process, all of the sections will be assembled as a whole for public viewing.

"By following such a disciplined structure, we are encouraged to reach beyond our reflexive habits and creative pathways," said Smith. "It is a unique strategy for devising a collaborative work," added Wong, "and one that playfully challenges the power dynamics within the company."

In addition to its directors, RAWdance's veteran performers this season include Michaela Cruze, Kelly Del Rosario, Carly Johnson, Tayler Kinner, Nick Wagner, Juliann Witt and Stacey Yuen. Additional collaborators include scenic designer Chad Owens and lighting designer Del Medoff.

RAWdance is an award-winning contemporary dance company known for transforming theaters and public spaces through a mix of performance, curation and collaboration. The company's works for stage and screen have been produced throughout the U.S. and in Asia. In 2019, the company expanded to two coasts, with Co-Founders Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein moving to New York's Hudson Valley, and Katerina Wong assuming the role of Co-Artistic Director in San Francisco. RAWdance has been a Resident Company of ODC Theater since 2015. The company has also presented works by over 100 local artists through its CONCEPT series salon. Most recently, 48 Hills and the San Francisco Bay Guardian named RAWdance the "Best Dance Company" in the Bay Area. For more information, visit rawdance.org.

To purchase tickets call 415-863-9834. Or online visit odc.dance/tripletake or odc.dance/tickets.

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