Loving Still Choreography/Direction
WENDY REIN (she/her) is a native New Yorker and has been dancing and breaking furniture since age 3. With a BA from Brown University, she brings over 20 years of professional experience in the field to her work as a performer, choreographer, producer, curator, and teacher. She worked with Misnomer Dance Theater before moving to San Francisco, where Wendy co-founded RAWdance with Ryan Smith and had the privilege of performing with Amy Seiwert, ODC/Dance, Deborah Slater, Alma Esperanza Cunningham, Nancy Karp, Mary Carbonara, and Todd Eckert, among many others. She also worked for seven years both in front of the camera and behind the scenes on a series of dance film projects with RJ Muna. Wendy moved to NY’s Hudson Valley in 2019 as the company expanded to two locations.
RYAN T. SMITH (he/him) is a queer dance-maker, performer, curator, and connector. A Co-Founder of RAWdance, he has served as Co-Artistic Director since 2004, creating works for stage, alternative locations, and film with creative partner Wendy Rein. He was a member of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company from 2005-2016, touring nationally and internationally, and participating in collaborations with artists and organizations in Kochin, Kolkata, Guangzhou, and Jerusalem. Originally from outside of Boston, MA, Ryan received his BA in Theatre Arts and French Literature from Brown University before moving to San Francisco. In 2019, after 16 years in the Bay, he moved his primary residence to High Falls, a hamlet in NY’s Hudson Valley.
Performance/Collaboration
MCKAY ELWOOD (he/him) is from Delano, MN. He studied vocal performance and contemporary dance in Utah at Brigham Young University, where he met his husband Luke. While there, McKay performed with DancEnsemble, and Contemporary Dance Theatre. Having moved to the Bay Area in 2021, he’s performed musical theatre with several companies such as Berkeley Playhouse, New Conservatory Theatre Center, 42nd St Moon, and SF Playhouse. He recently performed in “A Chorus Line” with SF Playhouse. McKay teaches private voice lessons, music directs, and coaches with Musical Theatre Works.
YEBEL GALLEGOS (he/him) is a multi-faceted dance artist from El Paso, TX. He played an important role in founding Cressida Danza Contemporánea in Yucatán, Mexico. During his time with Cressida Danza, Yebel was a dancer, company teacher, and rehearsal director. More recently, Yebel concluded a six-year tenure dancing full-time with the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, based in Salt Lake City, UT. Yebel has also traveled globally as a performer and educator and has recently earned his MFA degree from the University of Washington. He currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bard College.
BRANDON GRAHAM (he/they) was born in Rochester, NY and trained at School of the Arts and Odasz Dance Theatre under Jessica Odasz. He since has graduated from Alonzo King LINES’ BFA program. He has had the opportunity to work with Flockworks, Robert Moses, Kara Davis, Christian Burns, and Gregory Dawson. After graduating from the BFA program in 2020, he has been doing freelance work with Kristin Damrow, David Herrera Performance Company, Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Alyssa Mitchel, and more. Most recently, Brandon finished his first season with Sean Dorsey Dance on a 10-city international tour.
W hy a referral Process
KYLE LIMIN (they/them) is an educator, choreographer, and performing artist with a focus on contemporary and hip hop dance. They continue to contribute over fifteen years-worth of art to their hometown, San Francisco, and the greater Bay Area. Kyle runs the dance program at Creative Arts Charter School and teaches at several studios in the city.
JUAN L. RUIZ (he/him) is a San Franciscan native dancer and mover. He began his training at the age of 17 at San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA) and later joined the ODC Dance Jam. Upon graduating the ODC Dance Jam, he then attended the LINES Ballet BFA program where he expanded his training in contemporary ballet. Since graduation, Juan has been dancing with local Bay Area choreographers.
RYAN T. SMITH (he/him) see above.
CALVIN L. THOMAS JR. (he/him) hails from Maysville, KY, and received foundational training at the Otto M. Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet. He supplemented his studies at Boston Ballet School, The School of American Ballet, Ballet Austin Academy, and The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. Since moving to the Bay Area, he’s performed with Company C Contemporary Ballet, New York Theatre Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Dance Theatre of San Francisco, Kiandanda Dance Theater, Mark Foehringer Dance Project, Garrett Moulton Productions, and ODC Dance. Calvin enjoys time in the studio sharing knowledge, teaching the next generation, and has recently developed a passion for coaching.
NICK WAGNER (he/him) is a body mover and somatic healer in the Bay Area holding a BFA in dance performance and a minor in kinesiology from Chapman University. He is also a certified massage therapist (CMT) and a first level Responsive Body practitioner (RESPONSIVEBODY.COM). When not in the studio, Nick manages his bodywork practice NWBODYWORK.COM. The intersection of somatic experience, expression, and touch, as its stretched across time, is what interests him the most.
Choreographic Assistance
CLAIRE FISHER (she/her) was born and raised in Tracy, CA. She received a majority of her training from Alonzo King LINES Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Northwest Dance Project. Now a freelance artist in San Francisco, she has appeared in several works and collaborations with wonderful artists and companies such as Brannigan Dance Works, Dazaun Soleyn, Fullstop Dance, Garrett + Moulton Productions, Liv Schaffer, RAWdance, ZiRu Dance, and The MoveMessenger(s).
JULIANN WITT (she/her) was born in Marin. As a young dancer she trained at the California Academy of Performing Arts and attended summer programs with American Ballet Theatre and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. Juliann received her BFA in Dance Performance from SUNY Purchase and performed briefly in NYC post graduation. Since returning to the Bay, she has had the pleasure of dancing with artists and companies including DTSF, Nol Simonse, Dexandro “D” Montalvo, Fullstop Dance, Robert Moses’ Kin, Liv Schaffer, Concept o4, and the San Francisco Symphony. She has been a member of RAWdance since 2018.
ERIN YEN (she/they) holds a BFA with Distinction in Dance from The Ohio State University, where she became fluent in the Laban Systems of Movement Analysis. She was the first to use Labanotation to document Doug Varone’s work, and she can be found polishing this notated portion of Possession (’94.) Erin has danced with companies such as Alvin Ailey and BalletMet, and she has performed works by artists Ohad Naharin, Bebe Miller, and Johannes Weiland. Since moving to the Bay Area, Erin has performed at venues such as Glen Park, CounterPulse, and the Green Room. She is a current resident of San Mateo.
Music
JOEL ST. JULIEN (he/him) is a San Francisco-based composer, musician, songwriter and sound artist who has written music for documentaries, short/feature films, podcasts, and dance. He is a firm believer in experimentation/fusion with acoustic and electronic elements in sound oscillating through escapism and the mysticism of the present tense. Loving Still marks Joel’s 10 years of collaboration with RAWdance. JOELSTJULIEN.COM
Costume Design
MARY DOMENICO (she/her) is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and is an award-winning costume designer and small business leader in the commercial photography industry. She has worked as a costume designer in the Bay Area since 2001 and has been collaborating with RAWdance since 2009. Her costume designs have been presented at Carnegie Hall, toured internationally, and featured on the cover of the New York Times and PDN, among other publications. She has collaborated with a number of dance companies (including ODC, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Liss Fain Dance, Robert Moses’ Kin, Garrett + Moulton Productions, and Risa Jaroslow, among others), as well as numerous theater and opera companies. After spending years as a set tailor for clients that ranged from Vogue to Vanity Fair, in 2014, she founded a unique family of companies that serve the commercial photography industry: LuLu Artists Collective; Blackbird Tailoring; BULA Billing; and OOTB Solutions. Nicknamed “Miracle Mary” early in her career for her skill at pulling off the seemingly impossible, Mary continues to create and evoke the unimaginable through her costume designs and business ventures.