Push Dance Company

	HIGHLIGHTS

2011
Push premieres Mixed Messages, the first dance company to perform for more than one day at the MoAD (Museum of the African Diaspora) in the history of the museum. The Company also attends the Evolve Dance Festival in New York and hires its first Administrative Director. Later in the year, the Company learns of a semi-finalist award for Company C Contemporary Ballet’s New Commission Project.

Month	Venue	City
February	Master Class at Molanga Casquelourd	Oakland
March	Evolve Dance Festival	New York
April	Dancing on the Avenue	San Jose
May	Museum of the African Diaspora	San Francisco
September	Master Class at San Francisco State University	San Francisco
September	Central Market Arts Festival	San Francisco
September	Dance Mission Theater	San Francisco
October	Master Class at Keith Bank's Studio 10 Dance	San Jose
November	Master Class Valley Christian HS	San Jose
November	ChoreoProject Awards/ San Jose State University	San Jose
December	African American Art & Culture Complex	San Francisco
December	CHIME Live Margaret Jenkins Dance Company	San Francisco

2010
Push celebrates its 5th Anniversary to sold out audiences and critical acclaim at ODC Dance Commons. After celebrating the company embarks on a debut tour to New York City for its own full program. Raissa Simpson is awarded CHIME to work with San Francisco State professor Cathleen McCarthy. For the first time, Push hires an General Manager and raises over $10,000 from 70+ donors. Raissa is invited to choreograph for students at Stanford University in Robert Moses’ experimental Fall into Dance presentation.

Month	Venue	City
February	Master Class at Molanga Casquelourd	Oakland
February	Seminar: conference panelist Raissa Simpson	Oakland
February	Black Choreographers Festival	San Francisco
March	Master Class at Zaccho Dance Theater	San Francisco
April	Master Class at San Francisco State University	San Francisco
June	African American Arts Cultural Complex	San Francisco
July	New York debut at Joyce SoHo	New York
October	Guest Choreography at Stanford University Dance Division	Palo Alto
November	Benefit at Buriel Clay Theater	San Francisco
December	CHIME Live Margaret Jenkins Dance Company	San Francisco

2009
Push is commissioned to partner with 3rd St Youth Center & Clinic by the San Francisco Arts Commission to explore the San Francisco’s Multiracial Community. Through the commission Raissa visits the Mavin Foundation in Seattle and studies national identity in Puerto Rico.

Month	Venue	City
February	Black Choreographers Festival	San Francisco
March	Residency at Zaccho Dance Theater	San Francisco
April	Washington Ensemble Theater	Seattle
April	Western Ballet National Dance Week	Mountain View
April	Mark Foeringher Dance Project/ Gold Gate Park	San Francisco
April	Bay Area National Dance Week	San Francisco
October	See.Think.Dance/ MoAD	San Francisco

2008
Push is awarded Company Residency at Garage Artspace. The company presents Shorts Stories III with guest choreographers Marina Fukushima and David Herrera. Raissa creates Judgments In Milliseconds with media artist Marlon Sagana Ingram.

Month	Venue	City
February	Residency at Zaccho Dance Theater	San Francisco
April	Western Ballet National Dance Week	Mountain View
April	Moving Art Dance	Layfayette
April	Wicked Dance Productions	Santa Clara
April	Bay Area National Dance Week	San Francisco
October	See.Think.Dance/ MoAD	San Francisco
December	Company Residency Garage Artspace	San Francisco

2007
Push receives the 2nd annual Peoples Choice Award from San Jose State University as it premieres Buried Alive to new audiences. Raissa is commissioned by the Black Choreographers Festival to produce Inner Cinema she travels to Harlem, NY to film with Elizabeth Mendana. The company is awarded its first organizational grant from Theatre Bay Area’s CA$H.

Month	Venue	City
February	ChoreoProject Awards/ SJSU	San Jose
February	Black Choreographers Festival	San Francisco
April	Mountain View Dance Festival	Mountain View
April	Moving Art Dance	Layfayette
September	Linen Life Park Avenue	Emeryville
September	Collaboration Dance & Music	San Francisco
September	Triple Threat, 418 Project	Santa Cruz
November	2nd Sundays	San Francisco

2006
Push is opens its doors to another sold out season with Short Stories II featuring guest choreographers Kara Davis and Elizabeth Mendana.

Month	Venue	City
February	ChoreoProject Awards/ SJSU	San Jose
April	Dancin Downtown	San Jose
August	San Francisco Dance Festival	San Francisco
September	2nd Sundays	San Francisco
September	Collaboration Dance & Music	San Francisco

2005
Push’s Inaugural year opens with Short Stories a showcase to combine the works of choreographers with multimedia. Presented with funding from Zellerbach Family Foundation, the company presents the works of Raissa in addition to Michael Mayes and James Atkinson of Oakland Ballet.

Month	Venue	City
February	American Cancer Society	Palo Alto
April	Benefit Performance	San Jose

	Raissa Simpson
	Highlights
	Dancers
	Board/ Staff