Directors/Dancers
Wendy, a native New Yorker, has been dancing and breaking furniture since age 3. With a B.A. from Brown University, she worked with Misnomer Dance Theater in both Providence and NYC before jumping coasts and co-founding RAWdance. In San Francisco, Wendy has had the privilege of dancing with local artists Amy Seiwert, Deborah Slater, Alma Esperanza Cunningham, Nancy Karp, Mary Carbonara, and Todd Eckert, among others. She has worked on dozens of dance film projects with RJ Muna, and teaches through Rhythm & Motion.
Ryan received his B.A. in Theatre Arts from Brown University, performing in works choreographed by artists such as Carla Maxwell, Danny Buraczeski, Anthony Rizzi, and Danny Grossman. A co-founder of RCJ Dance in Providence, he has always been supportive of the beauty of collaborative projects. Since moving to SF, Ryan has been blessed with the chance to work with artists such as Alma Esperanza Cunningham and Stephen Pelton, and to be a member of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company since 2005, performing in several national tours as well as internationally in India, Japan, China, and Israel.
About RAWdance
RAWdance is an award-winning contemporary dance company, known for transforming theaters and public spaces with intellectually and emotionally layered performances. Through the unique partnership of Co-Artistic Directors Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein, the company has earned a reputation for its visually striking, kinetically charged works that consistently push into exciting territory. SF Weekly dubbed the company’s work “edgy, sexy inventive fare designed to speak to audiences.” Critical Dance has described it as “experimental work done brilliantly.” And the SF Chronicle heralded the Artistic Directors’ “genuine partnership, one of the more thrilling in Bay Area dance.” The SF Bay Guardian honored RAWdance with a GOLDIE in 2014.
A resident company of ODC Theater, RAWdance has been supported through residencies at Ucross, Djerassi, CounterPULSE, Zaccho Dance Theatre, and Center for Sex and Culture. The company has performed through commissions and festivals in Asia and across the U.S., as well as throughout the SF Bay Area. RAWdance’s 2013 short dance film since you went has been screened at festivals in Europe, Asia, South America, and the U.S.
In addition to theatrical performances, RAWdance believes in bringing dance directly into the public sphere, increasing access to the art. The company has performed throughout SF’s art galleries, UN Plaza, Union Square, Yerba Buena Gardens, City Hall, and SF’s Westfield mall, among other venues. Furthering efforts to engage the community, in 2007 RAWdance launched the biannual CONCEPT series, an informal and intimate salon of contemporary dance. Named “Best Way to Sample S.F.’s Contemporary Dance Scene” by SF Weekly, the CONCEPT series has presented the work of 74 artists to date.