RAWdance and TJPA's Salesforce Park Present STEP/SONG/STORY: A Sunday Series at Salesforce Rooftop Park

RAWdance has announced Step/Song/Story: A Sunday Series at TJPA's Salesforce Rooftop Park. Conceived, curated, and choreographed by RAWdance Co-Artistic Director Katerina Wong, Step/Song/Story is a live, collaborative storytelling event bringing together Bay Area dancers, musicians, and text-based/literary artists for a public cross-disciplinary performance.

On the third Sunday of each month from September-November, the Main Plaza of TJPA's Salesforce Park will come alive with original choreography, music, and spoken word, celebrating the power of each individual medium to move us, and amplifying the transformative experience that occurs when they come together in creative conversation.

Performances are free and take place twice each day at 12pm and 2pm. Each month will feature a different mix of contributors alongside the movement collaborators of RAWdance, highlighting the expansive array of local artistic voices. Participating storytellers span three generations - youth to elder - to honor the stories of our past, present, and future. On September 18, San Francisco-based writer, educator and advocate Kevin Dublin brings together poets from The Living Room Reading Series & Salon to collaborate with Oakland-based DJ and electronic music producer Madre Guía (aka Stephanie Hewett). On October 16, Executive Director of Bay Area Creative (BAC) Mike Taylor unites BAC artistic collaborators - spoken word poet/rapper/actor Jamey Williams, author, spoken word artist and motivational speaker Bri Blue, and a select BAC Youth spoken word artist - with R&B singer and piano duo Cocoa Keys from the WOC (Women of Color) Bay Area music collective. On November 20, participants of Litquake's Elder Project, Grace D'Anca, Mary Gayle Thomas, Helen Dannenberg, and Matthew Greer will share their stories alongside the sounds of Bay Area-based jazz drummer and vibraphonist Dillon Vado. A different ensemble of RAWdance company members will perform at each event to round out the collaborations.

"After a wonderfully rewarding experience last fall premiering Portal, which was the first-of-its-kind site-specific, multimedia dance performance at TJPA's Salesforce Park, I'm thrilled to have the chance to continue our relationship uplifting the Bay Area performing arts community in this unique public space," said Wong. "This time we're focusing on bringing together artists from various creative communities to showcase the power of interdisciplinary, intergenerational storytelling." "We are excited for RAWdance's Step/Song/Story: A Sunday Series at our Salesforce Park this year, which will showcase the iconic beauty of the Park using live, collaborative storytelling," said Adam Van de Water, TJPA Executive Director. "We invite everyone to come watch these free dance performances occurring over the third Sunday from September to November."

Step/Song/Story is presented in partnership with the Transbay Joint Powers Authority, owner and operator of the Salesforce Transit Center and Rooftop Park. At nearly four-blocks long and home to 600 trees and 16,000 plants arranged in 13 different botanical feature areas, this iconic garden oasis brings together the city's vibrant and diverse communities, from technologists to artists, from locals to visitors, in a shared artistic gathering space. Audiences of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. The performance will adhere to current city-mandated Covid protocols at the time of the events to ensure the safety and comfort of all in attendance. ASL interpretation will be available at all performances.

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