PUSH

Raissa Simpson’s PUSH Dance Company Builds Vibrant Contemporary Dances To Gain A Deeper Understanding Of The Challenges Attributed To Mixed Heritage.

  • Embodied Racial Equity Workshops [LINK IN BIO]

The @CalArtsCouncil is offering free online public workshops intended to advance racial equity within the state’s arts and cultural field throughout the month of November. This three-part workshop series was co-created through a partnership with the Bay Area’s @PUSHDance and @DancingAroundRace as part of a pilot project supported by the Government Alliance on Race & Equity’s Innovation and Implementation Fund.

✳️ Thursday, November 3 | How to Begin Addressing the Impacts of Systemic Racism
✳️ Sunday, November 6 | Decentering Whiteness in Education
✳️ Thursday, November 10 | Economics of Race: Intention, Impact, and Consequences
  • CONSTRUCTION starts this week!!!

We’re building a new dance sanctuary in SF and looking for someone to join our operations team! Apply today! [LINK IN BIO]

As we move into the prospect of operating our own dance studio, we need a dedicated Operations Coordinator (PT) who brings sustainable program & project coordination, non-profit administration, payroll and budgeting practices to our growing arts organization. You will manage and train our team allowing us to thrive in a creative and positive environment. You will help steward the coordination and growth of our programs. You help shepard the programming to our stakeholders and the general public. This job is onsite 4-5 days a week with occasional evenings and weekend events.
—
  • PUSH Forward Round 4 is taking applications—previous applicants and recipients welcome to apply! [link in bio]

PUSH Forward supports dancers, choreographers, teachers, and administrators whose work is based in the exploration and expression of the African diaspora in the San Francisco Bay Area. This small relief fund centers “Recovery” and, for this round, will be distributing funds of $500 to 10 selected individuals and organizations.

Applicants from the nine SF Bay Area counties are welcome to apply:  Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma.

Applications due October 18, head to the link in our bio for more information and to apply today!
—————————————————————————
[💃: Lydia Clinton
📸: Robbie Sweeney
Image Description: A dancer in black tank top and leggings is centered, with green and yellow concentric circles behind her and around her head. She has one leg raised high behind her, bent at the knee with toes curled. By her raised foot are stars. The image contains lime green and black text. 
Text reads:
RECOVERY & RELIEF

P4C
APPLY TODAY
SEPT 5 - OCT 17

A SMALL RECOVERY & RELIEF FUND FOR BLACK DANCE & MOVEMENT ARTISTS FUNDED BY THE KENNETH RAININ FOUNDATION AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT]
.
.
.
#p4c #pushdance #relieffund #dancemaker
  • We are so thrilled to announce our 4th round of PUSH Forward—open now through October 18! [link in bio]

With the ability to grant 10 black dance makers/orgs/administrators $500 in relief funds, we encourage both prior and new applicants to partake in our very simple application process. For this round, we are centering RECOVERY, prioritizing individuals and organizations who have been impacted by the current health crises.

For more information on what you'll need and what this is, the link above takes you to our P4C page—complete with application
 
We cannot wait to receive your applications! Should you have any questions, please reach out to our Program Coordinator, Sean Gonzalez at office[@]pushdance.org
—————————————————————————
[📸: @robbiesweeny 
Image Description: A man wearing a black and white block jacket with the zipper halfway down his torso. He holds his hands before him angularly, with one palm facing up and the other palm facing the viewer. Arching over and below his upper hand is his afro, short facial hair along his jaw and upper lip, with brown eyes peeking from behind the hands. Behind him is a red background, with concentric circles in varying shades of red surrounding his image. The lower portion on either side of him features yellow text, as well as on his front-facing palm surrounded by more concentric circles, and the very bottom of the image. Text reads:
PUSH FORWARD

P4C

APPLY TODAY
DUE OCTOBER 17

A SMALL RECOVERY & RELIEF FUND FOR BLACK DANCE & MOVEMENT ARTISTS 
FUNDED BY THE KENNETH RAININ FOUNDATION AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT]
.
.
.
#pushdance #p4c #relieffund
  • The HART Application ends TODAY!
Thursday, Sept 1st [link in bio]

This is your opportunity to create and perform your own music, dance and visual art/film. All musicians, dancers, visual and interdisciplinary hip hop artists who identify as Black/African American are welcome to apply. Apply now!

#hiphop #residency #socialjustice #application
HART is a collaborative partnership between Zaccho Dance Theatre and PUSH Dance Company, funded by the City of San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Initiative.

❤️‍🔥Contact erik@pushdance.org for questions
📷: @deekshaphotographs
  • APPLICATION
DEADLINE EXTENDED: [link in bio]
Apply for HART until Thursday, SEPT 1ST, 2022 

All musicians, dancers, visual and interdisciplinary hip hop artists who identify as Black/African American are welcome to apply. https://pushdance.org/hart

HART resident artists will receive:
◉ A stipend of $2000
◉ Access to a dance/recording studio
◉ Mentorship and Workshops
◉ Social Media skill building

#hiphop #residency #socialjustice #application
❤️‍🔥Contact erik@pushdance.org for questions
-----------------------
HART is a collaborative partnership between @zacchosf and PUSH Dance Company, funded by the City of San Francisco’s @dreamkeepersf

Film: What is HART? by @pushdance
  • Hip Hop Workout with Angel
1pm-2pm  at 5M Park [FREE]
EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY

This is a fun class for all levels and everybody who wants to move their bodies. Hope to see you there!

Where's 5M Park? It's right next to 447 Minna Street, our future home. 
#hiphopworkout #dance #sfdance #outdoors
  • As summer slowly comes to a close, we have some happy Back-to-School news. Our artistic director Raissa Simpson joins the full-time faculty of the Stanford University TAPS dept.! 

Join us in congratulating Raissa on her latest journey. She'll still be our director of course and you can see her latest work in the winter! ❤️‍🩹
#dancejourney #stanfordtaps #werk

📷: Scott Horton
  • What a joy to witness all the magic of Ashley Gayle as she made her debut as Associate Artistic Director with her new dance piece, "Ascension!" And, thank you for everyone who came out to support our performance at Choreofest last Saturday.

📷: Amal Bisharat Photography

Hip Hop Artists Residency & Training
HART SHOWCASE 2023
SATURDAY, FEB 11TH
2 FREE SHOWS: 5PM & 8PM
Aleja Aleja Photo by Deeksha Prakash Photography

Music • Dance • Visual Art

HART is a 4-month residency that will provide training and performance opportunities to 8 Black resident artists (ages 18 and up) with aspirations to build a career in Hip Hop theater through addressing racial and social justice.

Jamey Williams Photo by Deeksha Prakash Photography
Current Resident Artists

{{person.name}}

{{person.title}}

{{selectedPersonData.name}}

{{selectedPersonData.title}}

Team HART

Photo: Edward Miller

Erik K. Raymond Lee, HART Director

Erik K. Raymond Lee is an Oakland native and professional choreographer and dancer for the past 11 years. He began dancing hip hop and received formal dance training from UC Berkeley, BA in Dance & Performance Studies (2010) and Mills College, MFA in Dance (2017).  He also has trained in liturgical dance and African Diasporic dances. He was Program Director for Berkeley Scholars to Cal, an 8-year mentoring program for Black and Brown youth. He became Co-Managing Director for Ailey Camp Berkeley/Oakland in 2019 after working within the organization for 4 years. He is excited to serve as HART Director.

Photography Credit: Edward Miller

Andrea Spearman

Andréa Spearman, Project Assistant

Andréa Spearman balances life as an Artist and Arts Administrator. As Artist Resource Manager, she supports artist-led community development work, and increases visibility for dance artists, locally, nationally and internationally. She has also served on granting panels for Dancers’ Group, California Arts Council, and an artist relief fund led by Dancers’ Group, Theatre Bay Area and InterMusicSF.

For 20+ years, Spearman has been a student, teacher, choreographer, and performer of a variety of modern-based movements. She creates works that draw on a diverse set of deeply rooted cultural traditions and an eclectic mix of styles. Her latest endeavor, The Black Landscape podcast, highlights Black SF Bay Area leaders, emerging and established.

Photography Credit: Self-portrait

Past HART Panelists & Workshops

Sorry, no posts matched your criteria

HART is a collaborative partnership between Zaccho Dance Theatreand PUSH Dance Company; and funded by the City of San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Initiative and Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre’s  Secure the B.A.G. re-granting program.

This event is supported by the Secure the B.A.G. regranting program, a collaboration between BVOH and SFAAACD with support from the SF Dream Keeper Initiative and the SFOEWD Invest in Neighborhoods program