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PUSH

@pushdance

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COMPANY | SANCTUARY | CLASSES
Non-profit dance organization showcasing the Bay Area’s first BIPOC Sanctuary.

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PUSHLab Performance Workshops — Meet the Choreographers!

This fall, PUSHLab invites dancers of every level to build technique, expand their movement vocabulary, and discover new strengths across four distinct styles. Each eight week workshop is led by a skilled choreographer dedicated to helping students grow with intention, leaving every class feeling stronger, more confident, and connected to their body.

✨ ASHLEY GAYLE
📅 Saturdays, 2–3:30pm | 8 weeks, starting August 8
Blend the dynamics and funk of Jazz with the flow and breath of Modern. A technique based warm-up leads into rhythmic choreography for all levels.

✨ TING ALVAREZ-MAQUINTA
📅 Wednesdays, 11am–12pm | 8 weeks, starting August 12
Explore Indigenous Filipino dance through Pangalay, Igal, and Pansak. Build skill through warm-up, technique drills, historical context, and original choreography.

✨ CARMEN CROCKETT
📅 Wednesdays, 6–7pm | 8 weeks, starting August 12
A soulful blend of old school hip hop and modern dance for all ages and backgrounds, culminating in a professional performance.

✨ SWETHA PRABAKARAN
📅 Thursdays, 6–7:30pm | 8 weeks, starting August 13
Modern Natya fuses post-modern fluidity with Bharatanatyam technique, improvisation, and contemporary movement vocabulary for all levels.

Eight weeks of growth leads to the stage: all four workshops culminate in a shared performance at 1pm on October 3 and 4, at PUSH Dance Company's Black Box Theater, 447 Minna Street, San Francisco.

🔗 pushdance.org/workshops
#PUSHLab #PUSHDanceCompany #TheSanctuarySF #HipHop #JazzModern #ModernNatya #FilipinoDance #SFDance by @pushdance

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3 months ago

We're heading to Merced! 🌟

PUSH Dance Company is thrilled to take the stage at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center for ONE NIGHT ONLY — a cutting-edge performance fusing dance, technology, and narrative into an experience you won't forget.

Co-presented with UC Merced's Center for Africana Studies @ucmcas, and co-sponsored by UC Merced's Division of Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence @ucm_ejie as part of the 2025/26 UC Merced Arts Season.

📅 April 3, 2026 | 7:30 PM
📍 Merced Multicultural Arts Center, Merced CA
🎟 $15 GA | FREE for students & children

Don't miss this. 🖤 by @pushdance

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7 months ago

Congratulations to the PUSHfest Awards Winners!

PUSHfest 2026 was a celebration of artistry, community, and the courage it takes to share your work on stage. We are thrilled to honor three artists who brought their full hearts to our Black Box Theatre:

🏆 ALAFIA DANCE ENSEMBLE
🏆 POOJA GANESH
🏆 AYO & COMPANY

Thank you for the passion, craft, and vision you shared with our audiences. Your work reminded us why we gather, create, and PUSH forward together.

To every choreographer, performer, and audience member who made this festival so special: thank you. We are so grateful to move with you.

Congratulations again to our winners! 👏

#PUSHfest2026 #PUSHDanceCompany #DanceCommunity #SanFranciscoDance by @pushdance

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5 days ago

We're proud to be a 2026 San Francisco Arts Commission and Grants for the Arts grantee! 🎉

Thank you, @San Francisco Arts Commission and @SF Grants for the Arts, for investing in PUSHfest Dance Festival, PUSH Dance Company's annual celebration of dance.

Over the next year, this support will help us sustain the festival, present a new lineup of national artists, deepen connections with audiences, and nurture the creation of new dance works.

We're grateful to be part of San Francisco's thriving arts ecosystem! 💛

📸 Pictured: PUSHfest Dance Festival Program D | Photo by Dr. Halifu Osumare by @pushdance

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12 days ago

🧟 THRILLER WORKSHOP 🧟
with Ronnie Reddick
All levels welcome

Learn Michael Jackson's iconic "Thriller" choreography and perform it LIVE for Halloween!

📅 Wednesdays @ 6pm
Oct 14 · 21 · 28
📍 The Sanctuary, 447 Minna St
🎃 Performance: Sat, Oct 31 @ 3pm
Yerba Buena Gardens

$35 drop-in
$75 full workshop (just $25/class!)
Spots are limited. Come dance with us this October!

👉 pushdance.org/workshops
Co-sponsored by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

#Thriller #MichaelJackson #PUSHDance by @pushdance

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14 days ago

PUSHfest is THIS WEEKEND! 🎉 Oct 3–4, 447 Minna St, SF.

Program D is SOLD OUT! 💜 Seats remain for:

🎟️ Program A, Sat 1pm: STEAMROLLER Dance Company/Jesselito Bie, Carmen Crockett, Ting Alvarez-Maquinta, Swetha Prabakaran, and Ashley Gayle

🎟️ Program B, Sat 3pm: Dr. Ayo Walker (Ayo & Company), bhumi b. patel (pateldanceworks), Alafia Dance Ensemble, BrasArte, and Ashley Gayle

🎟️ Program C, Sun 1pm: Pooja Ganesh, Carmen Crockett, Ting Alvarez-Maquinta, Swetha Prabakaran, and Ashley Gayle

Bid in our Silent Auction for the Youth Scholarship Fund and see soloist Marc Chappelle perform an exclusive new work by Raissa Simpson! by @pushdance

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17 days ago

PUSHfest has been listed as one of San Francisco Chronicle's Date Book Picks!

📣"One of S.F.’s best dance festivals is back — and bigger than ever".

✨Join us this weekend, October 3–4, at the Black Box Theatre at The Sanctuary, 447 Minna Street in SoMa, for our 9th annual festival of new and favorite works by local and international artists, as we celebrate PUSH's 21st Anniversary season. Whether you're part of the PUSH family or discovering us for the first time, we can't wait to share this weekend with you.

🎟️ Tickets:
https://www.pushdance.org/festival

📰 SFGATE Datebook:
https://www.sfgate.com/culture-events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/3786062-pushfest-dance-festival-featuring-new-and-favorite-works-by-local-and-international-artists

#PUSHfest #PUSHDanceCompany #WandasPicks #BlackArts #SFDance #BayAreaDance #ContemporaryDance #SFArts #DanceFestival by @pushdance

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18 days ago

✨ PUSHfest is THIS WEEKEND! ✨

Our 9th annual festival celebrates PUSH Dance Company's 21st Anniversary season. Join us October 3–4 at the Black Box Theatre at The Sanctuary, 447 Minna Street, SF, for four programs of new and favorite works by local and international artists. 🎉

🎥 Here's a sneak peek of what we've been incubating with soloist Marc Chappelle and flying drones!

Close out the festival with Program D & Gala AfterParty on Sunday, October 4 at 3pm, featuring Dr. Ayo Walker (Ayo & Company, Chicago), bhumi b. patel (pateldanceworks), Alafia Dance Ensemble, BrasArte, Jesse Escalante, Ashley Gayle, and Raissa Simpson.

Stay for the AfterParty and bid in our Silent Auction! Every bid supports the PUSH Youth Scholarship Fund, which helps young dancers with tuition, gear, and performance fees. 💜

🎟️ https://www.pushdance.org/festival
#PUSHfest #SFDance by @pushdance

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20 days ago

✨ IN REHEARSAL

Nova Power: Peons is premiering during PUSHfest Dance Festival 2026.

🎥 See it live October 3–4 at PUSH Dance Company, 447 Minna Street, SF!

Tickets are still available but going fast! Get your tickets for Program D.

🎟️ https://www.pushdance.org/festival by @pushdance

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21 days ago

💃 IN CONVERSATION: Pooja Ganesh

PUSHfest Artist 2026: Pooja Ganesh🎭

📅 Program C: Sunday, October 4
🕒 Doors open at 12:30pm | Show @ 1pm
📍 Black Box Theater, 447 Minna Street, San Francisco

Untamed
Choreography by Pooja Ganesh

Tarana
Choreography by Gurus Smt. Nirupama Rajendra and Shri TD Rajendra

Pooja Ganesh has trained in Kathak for 17 years under Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees Gurus Smt. Nirupama Rajendra and Shri T.D. Rajendra in Bangalore, India, and has performed with Abhinava Dance Company at Mysore Dasara, the Bangalore International Film Festival, the ZEE5 Awards, and Alvas NudiSiri. Since relocating to the US, she practices under Guru Parul Shah and Guru Smt. Nirmala Madhava (Pampa) and collaborates with other dance companies on select projects.

📱 Social: @poojag.123

Tell us a little bit about your dance background.

I have been training under renowned Gurus Smt. Nirupama Rajendra, Shri TD Rajendra(SNA awardees), Smt.Nirmala Madhava and Parul Shah, whose guidance has deeply shaped my approach to this art form.

As a Kathak performer, choreographer, and educator, I have presented solo and ensemble works across India, Canada and the United States. My performances have been featured at platforms including the San Francisco International Arts Festival, Seattle International Dance Festival, Seattle Theater Group’s Moore Theatre, Consulates, Indian Fine Arts Academy, YUVA Festival, and various arts festivals across the U.S. I have also toured with Abhinava Dance Company and have created original works that explore the beauty of Kathak’s tradition while engaging with contemporary audiences.

What advice would you pass on to an aspiring choreographer?

I would encourage aspiring choreographers to value riyaaz, continuous learning, and a deep connection with their artistic roots. A strong foundation in one’s form, combined with curiosity and openness, allows creativity to grow authentically. Above all, I believe in approaching dance with the simple joy of dancing — allowing passion, dedication, and love for the art form to be the driving force behind one’s journey.

Want more? 📖 Read the full interview:

https://www.pushdance.org/poojapf26-2/ by @pushdance

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a month ago

✨ PUSHfest is in the press! ✨We're thrilled to share that PUSHfest 2026 is featured in SFGATE's Datebook AND on Wanda's Picks! 🎉

PUSH Founder and Artistic Director Raissa Simpson and Associate Artistic Director Ashley Gayle sat down with Wanda Sabir to talk about the festival and the artists taking the stage this year. We are deeply honored to be in conversation with a platform that has championed Black artists and community voices for so long. Thank you, Wanda! 💜

Join us October 3–4 at the Black Box Theatre at The Sanctuary, 447 Minna Street in SoMa, for our 9th annual festival of new and favorite works by local and international artists, as we celebrate PUSH's 21st Anniversary season. Whether you're part of the PUSH family or discovering us for the first time, we can't wait to share this weekend with you.

🎟️ Tickets:
https://www.pushdance.org/festival

🎙️ Watch Wanda's Picks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8uFTHzpxZc

📰 SFGATE Datebook:
https://www.sfgate.com/culture-events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/3786062-pushfest-dance-festival-featuring-new-and-favorite-works-by-local-and-international-artists

See you at the theater!

#PUSHfest #PUSHDanceCompany #WandasPicks #BlackArts #SFDance #BayAreaDance #ContemporaryDance #SFArts #DanceFestival by @pushdance

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a month ago

❗PUSHfest is right around the corner and we are so excited to be presenting our ninth year with four programs and thirteen artists including world premieres by Raissa Simpson, pateldanceworks, and Dr. Ayo Walker of Ayo & Co.

Program A — Saturday, Oct 3, 1:00pm
STEAMROLLER Dance Company/Jesselito Bie · Carmen Crockett, PUSHLab · Ting Alvarez-Maquinta, PUSHLab · Swetha Prabakaran, PUSHLab · Ashley Gayle, PUSHLab

Program B & Gala — Saturday, Oct 3, 3:00pm
Dr. Ayo Walker, Ayo & Company · b. patel, Pateldanceworks · Alafia Dance Ensemble · BrasArte · Ashley Gayle, PUSH Dance Company

Program C — Sunday, Oct 4, 1:00pm
Pooja Ganesh · A.Spearman & Co. · Carmen Crockett, PUSHLab · Ting Alvarez-Maquinta, PUSHLab · Swetha Prabakaran, PUSHLab · Ashley Gayle, PUSHLab

Program D & Afterparty — Sunday, Oct 4, 3:00pm
Dr. Ayo Walker, Ayo & Company · bhumi b. patel, Pateldanceworks · Alafia Dance Ensemble · BrasArte · Jesse Escalante · Raissa Simpson, PUSH Dance Company

Tickets: $30 advance / $35 at the door / $25 seniors & students / $55 Fast Pass (2 programs) / $100 Festival Pass (4 programs), plus 10% off for groups of 10+. Program D includes the Gala Afterparty ($50 suggested donation; free for PUSHfest Artists).

The weekend also includes a masterclass with Dr. Ayo Walker (Sat, Oct 3, 10am) and closes with a Gala AfterParty (Sun, Oct 4, 4pm).

🎟️Buy at https://www.pushdance.org/festival by @pushdance

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a month ago