RAWdance

RAWdance Lighting Designer Del Medoff shares, I was asked to give a response to ‘What does The Healer mean to you?’ on the day that the Capitol Building was stormed. It has been almost 100 years since the last time that happened. I think we all need some healing right now. 2020 was a very hard year indeed, but a new year does not wipe the wounds clean. We all need to do the work to heal ourselves AND our broken country. Right now, ‘The Healer’ means a few days to collaborate... and commune with a community that I have been cut off from for almost a year. It is a respite. Del is an Oakland-based lighting designer/technician who has designed for dozens of Bay Area companies including Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, Christy Funsch, Peiling Kao, Sharp and Fine, 13th Floor Dance Theater, Bellweather Dance, and many more. He has always felt strongly connected to dance and is grateful to the community for giving him a home. You can’t have a light without a dark to stick it in. -Arlo Guthrie "The Healer" a virtual world premiere and holistic online experience Co-Presented by RAWdance and ODC Theater Jan 29-30, 2021 Secure your tickets now! Visit: http://odc.dance/thehealer Tomorrow (1/12) is the last day to order Sensory Offerings to ensure you receive your package by the premiere! Visit: https://rawdance.square.site//the-healer-sensory-offeri/28

Today the dancers of "The Healer" are taking over our Instagram stories! Join Stacey, Juliann, and Michaela as they offer a sneak peek into our rehearsals in the theater, our podding experience, and more! See you @_rawdance

Yesterday was our first day back at ODC Theater to restart in-person rehearsals for "The Healer" again! It's been over 9 months since we've been together in a dance space and it feels amazing to be back! We can't wait to share the virtual premiere with you Jan 29 & 30: http://odc.dance/thehealer

APAP Conference NYC+ begins today and while we wish we were gathering together in the chilly air of NY, we're happy to be a part of The Joyce Theater's American Dance Platform's retrospective, highlighting curated companies from the program's last 5 years. In 2017, we had the honor of performing excerpts of "Double Exposure". Check out our page here: https://www.joyce.org/adp2021/rawdance. And if you're attending this year's virtual conference, let us know so we can say hi!

RAWdance scenic designer Chad Owens shares, ‘The Healer’ being resurrected and presented, despite all the obstacles, is like a candle in the darkness. It represents hope for artistry, fellowship, dance, theater, performance, being part of a live audience, all the things that seem lost and impossible now. Chad has created original staged designs for more than 100 productions, for companies including Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Theatre of Sain...t Louis, Cal Performances, Aurora Theatre, and West Edge Opera. Set Design and Art Direction for film include Blue Jasmine, Milk (Oscar and Art Director’s Guild noms for best production design), Chasing Mavericks, Haywire, The Pursuit of Happyness (sic), The Wild, Haiku Tunnel, Woman on Top, and Bunraku. Owens has also worked extensively as an Art Director for TV, and an Associate Designer on Broadway. He is based in Oakland. "The Healer" a virtual world premiere and holistic online experience Co-Presented by RAWdance and ODC Theater Jan 29-30, 2021 Secure your tickets now! Visit: http://odc.dance/thehealer

RAWdance Co-Artistic Director/performer Katie Wong shares, "Reimagining ‘The Healer’ virtually has been an incredibly challenging undertaking. But the opportunity to return to this work and finally share it with our audience is a true blessing. I hope it brings us all a chance to ground ourselves, breathe, and dream together." Katerina (Katie) Wong is a dancer, choreographer, arts administrator, and the Co-Artistic Director of RAWdance. Since graduating from Princeton Univers...ity and moving west, she’s performed with over 15 Bay Area dance companies including Printz Dance Project, PUSH Dance Company, LEVYdance, Concept o4, and the San Francisco Symphony. Katie’s choreography has been commissioned by PUSH Dance Company, FACT/SF, Cutting Ball Theater, California Academy of Sciences, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, and ACLU of Northern California. In 2017 she was the first dance artist to tour nationally with Pop-Up Magazine, which culminated in a performance at Lincoln Center. She is a 2019 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training mentee, and a member of APAP’s Emerging Leadership Institute Class of 2020. Photo by Hillary Goidell

"Voting is not only our right, it is our power. When we vote, we take back our power to choose, to speak up, and to stand with those who support us and each other." -Loung Ung Photo of "14" (2019) by Hillary Goidell

Have you had a chance to stream "Utopia", our premiere with Cutting Ball Theater and Creativity Explored, yet? Check it out here: https://bit.ly/35KHvrc Or join us at our next Watch Party on Saturday, Nov 14 at 5pm PT/8pm ET! RSVP: https://bit.ly/3kDeyUr (If you want to join us at the party, don't purchase your streaming access until Nov 8 since the rental only lasts 7 days) See you there! Videography by Chani Bockwinkel Music by Joel Chapman

"We have no idea what 2021 has in store for the world, or even what the rest of 2020 will bring. What we do know is that art is a lifeline through uncertainty and turbulence, and that we are committed to listening deeply, and responding with passion, inspiration, grace, humor, and as many contingency plans as it takes..." - - , , : https://bit.ly/35IQ59V. Support RAWdance today: https://rawdance.org/donate/

Thank you all so much for joining us at our first "Utopia" Watch Party on Friday! It was such a blast to view the show together and hear your wonderful impressions and feedback. We'll have another one on Sat, November 14 at 5pm PT/8pm ET(RSVP here: https://bit.ly/2HH5aQQ) or feel free to stream it online at any time here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/cbtutopia.

Tonight! We stream "Utopia" together at our first Watch Party, 7pm PT/10pm ET. Here are a few behind-the-scenes photos from our film shoot to get you excited. Katie will have more stories and fun facts about the process to share throughout the stream, and you'll have a chance to offer comments and questions during the show as well. We look forward to seeing you there! Purchase your streaming access here --> https://vimeo.com/ondemand/cbtutopia Then RSVP to get your link to our virtual room here --> https://bit.ly/2Th97hI Photos by Hillary Goidell, Aiyana D'Arcangelo, and Katie Wong

"As I watched the dancers’ bodies inhabiting the scraps of nature left in the city...I felt a desire to be near them in person. I felt a yearning and a sense of loss for what might have been and what yet might be. And perhaps an envy at the way the dancers seemed so free and unconfined." - KQED. Join us for our watch party TOMORROW, 10/23 where we'll stream "Utopia" together at 7pm PT/10pm ET! RSVP here: https://bit.ly/31qSEfH

Tomorrow at 7pm don't miss 48 Hills Variety Gala! Join mistress of ceremonies Honey Mahogany and a cavalcade of colorful Bay Area performers, activists, and personalities for an all-star online tribute to independent local media! Honored to have one of our recent short films shared at the event. All you have to do is click this link to watch.http://www.twitch.tv/dragalive See you there!

Join us for a "Utopia" watch party this Friday, 10/23 at 7pm PT/10pm ET! Cutting Ball Theater presents "Utopia", a collaboration with RAWdance and Creativity Explored was released over the weekend, and we're thrilled to share it. Let's come together and watch the world premiere in our virtual "theater" so we can chat and view it in the company of one another. RSVP and learn more: https://rawdance.org/events/utopia/ Excerpt of "Utopia" videography by Chani Bockwinkel and music by Joel Chapman

Apply for Women of Color in the Arts - WOCA's Leadership through Mentorship Program through this Thurs, Oct 22! As WOCA so aptly put it, "The landscape of the #performingarts has forever changed, and #womenofcolor are at the forefront of this evolution. The LTM Program is a year-long initiative designed FOR women of color, BY women of color with the explicit purpose of cultivating long-term professional investment and self-sustainability for arts administrators of color who work in support of the performing arts. The program is FREE for WOCA members." Co-AD Katie Wong had the honor of participating in the program this year. It has been an incredibly formative and valuable experience, shaping her work as a leader in the arts. Apply today and pass it on to those who might be interested!

"Utopia" comes out tonight! We'll be hosting two online watch parties on Fri, Oct 23 & Sat, Nov 14 for those who would like to view it in the company of friends and artists. Save the date and stay tuned for more details! Grab your tickets for your 7-day rental at any time between tonight and Nov 15 (but if you want to join one of our watch parties, make sure you don't purchase it more than 7 days in advance): https://vimeo.com/ondemand/cbtutopia Photo by Hillary Goidell

"Utopia" is released tomorrow! After weeks of creative strategizing with the brilliant Cutting Ball Theater team, choreographing from home with RAWdance movement artists, and post-production editing alongside composer Joel Chapman, the virtual world premiere of "Utopia" is finally here! See this new play by sculpting pioneer of American experimental theater, Charles L. Mee, come to life through a wild woven tapestry of dance, theater, and animation. Presented by Cutting Ball Theater, in collaboration with Creativity Explored and RAWdance, Utopia celebrates the simple things in life through a vibrant and whimsical lens. Stream it online from October 16-November 15! https://cuttingball.com/productions/utopia Photo of Michaela Cruze by Hillary Goidell

This Friday, two RAWdance films will be screened around the world see "Picnic" at The Iowa International ScreenDance Festival and "since you went" at La Casa Ensamblá: Despacio Cultural's Corto y bailo festival in Seville, Spain. Visit our website for more info and pass it along if you know anyone who might enjoy! Thrilled and honored to be a part of these fantastic festivals. rawdance.org