| |
 |
|
Raissa Simpson, award-winning choreographer and performer, founded Push Dance Company in 2005. Simpson is the recipient of ChoreoProject’s Audience Award, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company’s CHIME, the Regional Dance America Award, and multiple grants including CA$H, The San Francisco Arts Commission, and The Zellerbach Family Foundation. Her company has toured extensively and has been featured in the Evolve Dance Festival, APAP, and the Black Choreographer’s Festival as well as bi-coastal performances at the Washington Ensemble theater, ODC, and Joyce SoHo.
Simpson, who is African American and Plipina American, uses non-traditional dance forms to illuminate the complexities of mixed race heritage. After receiving her BFA from the conservatory of dance at SUNY Purchase, Simpson has had an extensive performance career in the San Francisco Bay Area dancing with Robert Moses’ Kin and
|
Award from San Jose State University, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company’s CHIME, Regional Dance Joanna Haigood’s Zaccho Dance Theatre, among others. Village Voice dance critic Deborah Jowitt notes, “Simpson dances big.” Her daring approach to movement informs her innovative and multidisciplinary work with Push.
Seamlessly integrating multimedia with cutting-edge choreography, Simpson’s pieces do not reside merely on stage—they are also site-specific installations in public spaces like museums and city centers. Her work is sweeping, vibrant, multi-layered, and socially relevant often involving multiple aspects such as video projection, live music, and aerial dance. Her extensive choreographic experience has led to work with Lucas Films and commercial music videos. Simpson is committed to diverse community partnerships and education; she has worked with Stanford University, 3rd St Youth Center and Clinic, and the San Francisco County Jail as a visiting artist. Her work is not restricted by conventional boundaries, she currently teaches her unique approach to movement in schools and dance studios across the United States. |
