Push Dance Company and MoAD Present World Premiere by Raissa Simpson May 21, 2011

Saturday, May 21, at 2pm and 4pm; Sunday, May 22, at 1pm and 3pm; Saturday, May 28, at 2pm and 4pm; Sunday, May 29, at 1pm and 3pm

The vibrant diversity of contemporary multi-racial communities takes center stage in dance, film, spoken word and interaction as Push Dance Company and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) present the world premiere of choreographer/director Raissa Simpson's "Mixed Messages" in eight performances May 21-29 throughout the stunning public spaces of MoAD in San Francisco. The performance/ installation will take place throughout MoAD's public spaces including galleries, atrium and stunning multi-story glass staircase on the building's Mission Street facade, intermingling performers and public.

Simpson uses her own internal and external experiences, perceptions and observations of what it feels like and means to be mixed race as the jumping off point for "Mixed Messages". Deftly weaving in intergenerational and inter-community voices and visions into this mix, she has created a complex, multi-layered and dynamically evolving work about the subject that presents a kaleidoscope of angles and perspectives. Mixed race is rarely seen, discussed, or presented in a public setting, and "Mixed Messages" provides an opportunity to examine issues the surround and affect us all.

Co-created by Simpson's Push Dance Company and 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic, "Mixed Messages" has been commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission. Its title refers to the slang term, "mixed," referring to a person or communities that share one or more ethnic backgrounds. The work features choreography and direction by Raissa Simpson, film and interviews of members of San Francisco's multiracial community, soundscape by El Kool Kyle, lighting by award-winning designer Elizabeth Mendana and sets designed by Marlene Sagana Ingram. Dr Albirda Rose and Dr. Catherine Macklin will lend their voice and research of diaspora to the work's sound score. Five Company dancers will be joined by more than ten youth performers from Bayview, Albirda Rose's Village Dancers and San Jose.

Official Website: http://www.pushdance.org