Dear RAWdance community, We sync our breath, filling our lungs with the shared air. We find a common rhythm so our steps fall in sync. We feel warmth pass between our bodies. We navigate the space, the time, the chaos, together. Our work as artists — our vision — has always been one of collaboration, not a solo act. For us, it all started as an exchange of ideas and movement between two people. Now, two decades later, RAWdance has grown to include 16 dancer/collaborators on both coasts, 2 Fellows with roots in the Bay, Mexico, and the Philippines, and thousands of audience members, students, co-conspirators, and supporters on the West Coast, East Coast, and in between, all coming together in community. Our art is a testament to the power of empathy and collective navigation — a give and take of weight and physicality, ideas and (sometimes raw) emotions. At this inflection point in our country and culture, the role of art will be different for each of us. But art remains undeniably essential to our shared experience. Art can be joy. Art can be healing. Art reminds us that beauty is all around us. Art educates. Art provokes. Art can be a healthy distraction. It can be therapy. For some, art pays the bills, and for others it feeds the soul. Art reflects the times. Art helps us navigate change. Art compels progress. And art is at risk. With rising costs and increasing competition for philanthropic support, RAWdance is more reliant on the generosity of individuals than ever before. We need your help to continue: - building community through dance via the CONCEPT series salon,
- equitably engaging new perspectives through our Radiate Fellowship for early career BIPOC dance makers, and
- creating and fostering new dance that helps us make sense of the world.
Ticket sales and grants cover only a small fraction of what it takes for RAWdance to bring art into the world. Our budget relies on support from individuals like you. Simply put, this community would not exist without you! We are so grateful to all who’ve played a part in RAWdance’s first 20 years. Thank you for joining us in the dance. |
