SAFEhouse Arts Reopens in July with RAW: RESIDENT ARTISTS WORKSHOP

SAFEhouse for the Performing Arts presents RAW: Resident Artists Workshop live performances and film screenings for in-person audiences one night only, Saturday, July 31, 2021.

The lights are coming up on the artists who have been busy coming up with all new works in anticipation of this grand reopening of their 145 Eddy Street venue in San Francisco's Tenderloin. Three seating times at 7:00pm, 8:00pm, and 9:00pm are meant to encourage audience members who wish to come for one or more of the three different events to buy individual tickets for each program at $10 each. There is limited general seating so advance ticket purchase highly encouraged. Ticketholders should check website for safety protocol updates.

SAFEhouse Artistic Director, Joe Landini, had to come up with a hybrid format to accommodate the company's resident artists who have been working steadily this year in a variety of genres. Buzz is brewing for the freshest, in-person performances starting at 7:00pm. Five artists opted not to gamble on making live shows in the event Covid restrictions were extended. Their pre-recorded films range from a 70's disco homage to a rebooted Medusa tale. They all reflect the inescapabability of pandemics, racism, misogyny and gender identity. They all bring a resurgence of creative energy to RAW, which in turn provides the venue for rehearsals, videotaping and performances, plus mentorship, marketing and production support!

PROGRAM A: Live show at 7:00pm

Two dances by Aishwarya Chandrashekhar

The first piece is a Jathiswaram, an entirely rhythmic dance set to only swarams (notes) that follow a variety of rhythmic patterns. The fast paced and non-stop nature of the music presents a test of stamina for the dancer. The second piece is an original piece inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.

PROGRAM B: Live show at 8:00pm

Strikethrough 21 is a collaborative installation with concept and choreography by Maxine Flasher-Düzgüneş; text and animation by Jade Lien; and sound composition by Michael Wall. It asks: Can language erase our memories as easily as filling them? What do words mean when we scatter them and sparingly pick up the pieces? On that lonely tour through not-knowing, where does dance enliven what it means to know?

kapwa by Angelica Velez is a solo dance. Velez asks the audience to share space and ask questions together. Bring an ancestor with you to connect with personal spirituality and Indigenous knowledge.

Untitled by Maggie Ogle is a solo using spoken text and contemporary movement to examine social cues and the impact physical distance invokes on relationships through casual interaction and fleeting moments of ambiguous connection.

PROGRAM C: Films at 9:00pm

Venomous is the latest solo of Jessica Fudim who solicited the help of more than three dozen contributors who each offered a single word toward the rewriting of Medusa's tale. Voiceless in the classic legend, Medusa now takes her narrative away from Ovid, the man who murdered her and invites us to see through her eyes. Set to Morten Harket's rendition of Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Fudim's vision is haunted by ancient Greek statues and punctuated by raw physicality.

Until The Next Breath by Raven Malouf-Renning is an autobiographical dance theater film which chronicles Raven's battle with COVID-19 in December 2020. It is dedicated to all whom we have lost, to those who have lost loved ones, to long-haulers still suffering, and to those who have recovered but are still haunted by the impact of having had the virus.

Reflections on Wildness by Rebekah Enderle is a film on the meditation of impermanence.

Untitled bellydance solo by Larissa Archer.

Love and Loneliness by Kat Flipse and hearthdance is a film on how glamour and mundanity intersect and manifest through escapism. The company dove into queer identity through the lens of the disco era and they pay homage to how the 70's aesthetic presents in modern society. Their writing, movement and choreographic exercises were done in their own homes.

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