With RAWdance’s latest home season, San Francisco continues to prove itself as a treasure trove of exciting dance talent. RAWdance, a contemporary dance company based in both San Francisco and Hudson Valley, New York, showcased its 2026 repertoire with “There and Back” at the ODC theater in Mission District.
Featuring the Bay Area premiere of three stunning works, co-artistic directors Wendy Rein and Ryan T. Smith display an absolute mastery of contemporary dance technique, movement and partnering in their layered choreography. The intricate details of each piece surfaced beautifully in ODC’s smaller venue, making for a riveting performance experience.
The opening ensemble piece, titled “Art is a Guarantee of Sanity,” burned into audience members’ memories with its stark lighting, white flowing costumes and atmospheric music. The piece seemingly reflects its inspirations, namely Louise Bourgeois’ artworks, “Arch of Hysteria” and “10 am is When You Come to Me,” alongside Susannah Cahalan’s memoir “Brain on Fire.” Bourgeois’ artworks specifically come into focus between the arched backs and reaching hands of Rein and Smith’s choreography. Additionally, Bourgeois’ sculpture “Art is a Guarantee of Sanity,” besides being the titular inspiration for the number, is also the name of a spider-web patterned, mirrored sculpture presented in 2006 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Rein and Smith seemed to reflect the sculptures’ fractured, thought-provoking reflection in the intricate staging of their piece, with dancers’ bodies shifting patterns across the stage. Recurring floorwork was another highlight of this piece, managing to be impressive and dynamic each time while still not being overused. Repetition in the choreography became an effective tool to convey the piece’s themes of hysteria, art and identity. The piece overall didn’t subvert contemporary dance norms or stretch itself into a realm of discomfort, but it did use that contemporary technique to its fullest potential.
The second dance, “Time Passed,” was an absolute highlight of the show — one that had the entire audience gasping and muttering once it ended. This piece, performed by Rein and Smith, showcases a veteran partnership that hasn’t graced a Bay Area stage since 2019 — and what a partnership it is. The skill of their lifts is to be commended, but what is most enchanting is the pure trust that is visible in their interactions. They rely on each other, their bodies telling a story of an evolving connection through tangled limbs.
The work played out like a vignette, the lighting changing as the picturesque choreography morphed from one stunning moment to the next. The technique is impeccable; both dancers formed truly beautiful lines through their clear strength and precision. The music swelled with an emotive delicacy, and Rein and Smith’s facial expressions reflected the tenderness of both the composition and their physical entanglement. It was a singular, beautiful piece that tells the story of two people, of the subtle joys of love and vulnerability.
After a brief intermission, RAWdance continued to highlight their partnering skills with the vigorous “Veneer,” another ensemble piece to close out the show. The name “Veneer” gestures to a protective sheen, and this piece investigates the angst and complex emotions underlying the surface of daily life. Long tables were used as props to frame key moments, a smart use of an everyday object that unsettles any feeling of familiarity. The dancers matched the intensity of the varying choreography, with several partnering moments that proved the entire cast — not just Rein and Smith — can pull off complex lifts with strong technique. There was a gravity to all the movements that carried through the smooth transitions between dance sections. The music fluctuated from groovy to ominous to even silence as the dancers all yelled across the table at each other in a musical theater-esque juncture. “Veneer” left everything out on the table, making sure to leave an impression.
RAWdance proves there is still more to discover from the Bay Area dance scene, with new, exciting works that display a wide range of human experiences, while managing to be aesthetically beautiful at each literal and figurative turn.