“Collected Breath:” a Collaboration with Jim Campbell’s Studio
Times
Nightly, from midnight – 1am
Throughout the month of May
Listen while you watch!
Venue
The Top of Salesforce Tower
San Francisco, CA 94105
Suggested viewing locations: Elevated points in Potrero Hill, such as Jackson Playground, or from points in Dolores Park, Alamo Square Park, Washington Square Park, Twin Peaks and more. If further from the tower, binoculars are recommended!
From midnight to 1am, each night for the month of May, RAWdance will be poised 1,070 feet above the city, lighting up Jim Campbell’s Day for Night installation as part of the artist’s studio’s monthly “midnight artist collaboration,” in partnership with Boston Properties, owner of Salesforce Tower. Created by RAWdance Co-Artistic Directors Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith, Collected Breath features eight dancers embodying an elaborate breathing score, synced up with original, streamable music from local composer Joel St. Julien.
Dancers connect through breath. It’s how they sync movement onstage. It’s how they perform as one unit—one living organism—tuning into each other’s most natural and basic rhythm. And breath has never had more weight, or been more acutely tied to our physical and emotional lives, than at this moment. A deadly virus and smoke from forest fires put our air at risk. Masks are a constant accessory. And the horrific phrase “I can’t breathe”, the last words of Eric Garner, George Floyd, and too many other Black Americans, stand as a tragic metaphor for systemic racism, violence, and oppression in this country.
Collected Breath aims to connect watchers throughout the city through the unconscious synchronization of breath. With footage individually filmed by company dancers under social distancing protocols, and edited by Rein, the work lights up 11,000 LEDs with a rhythmic breathing score developed by frequent RAWdance collaborator Joel St. Julien available for synced streaming. With St. Julien’s original 10-minute sound score, music brings another layer of shared experience while watching the work, connecting viewers from vistas around the Bay. Listen here! Headphones recommended for optimal listening experience.
Join RAWdance for a Collected Breath Watch Party!
Join us on Tuesday, May 25th at 5pm PT / 8pm ET for an intimate virtual gathering for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Collected Breath. Watch a recording of the film as seen on top of Salesforce Tower and hear from RAWdance Co-Artistic Directors Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith about how they created this new work.
Creative Team
Choreography & Direction: Ryan T. Smith & Wendy Rein / Film Editing: Wendy Rein / Dancers: Kelly Del Rosario, Jhia Jackson, Wendy Rein, Ryan T. Smith, Nick Wagner, Juliann Witt, Katerina Wong, Stacey Yuen / Soundscore: Joel St. Julien / Production Assistance: Juliann Witt & Katerina Wong / Technical Assistance: Emma Strebel & Jim Campbell
Image by Emma Strebel