ABOUT

Rainwater Dances is a modern dance company based in New York City. The company creates work filled with striking images, theatrical tension, and nuanced layers of movement. Choreographer Nellie Rainwater conjures up diverse environments that explore the peculiarity, darkness, and whimsy of every day life. Rainwater Dances’ mission is to reveal the complexity of human connection and the beauty of bodies in motion.

ARTIST STATEMENT

With each piece I create, I’m seeking to invent a new world with a corresponding language of movement. My choreography considers the architecture of space, the subtleties of the body, the humanity of the dancers, and the truth we’re all scratching at. My work explores theatrics, absurdity, abstraction and purity. My mission as a choreographer is to create high quality dance work without formulas — to continually surprise the audience and myself.

CHOREOGRAPHER

Nellie Rainwater is a choreographer, dancer, teacher and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She has an MFA degree in Choreography and Performance from NYU / Tisch School of the Arts, where she was awarded the Graduate Fellowship in Dance History in 2009-2010 and performed in work by Deborah Jowitt, Stacy Spence, Jim Sutton, Bruno Augusto, Sumi Clements, Rhea Daniels, Elise Marafioti, and Jessica Thomas. Her choreography has been presented at various festivals in New York, Philadelphia, DC, Virginia, and Arizona including the DUMBO DANCE FESTIVAL, Depot Dances, DanceNow[NYC] Raw Festival, InHale Performance Series, Dance Place New Releases, The Dinner Party, Jane Franklin Dance Sampler, Jeslyn Dance Gallery New Works and ACDFA. She has danced professionally with Laura Peterson Choreography, BosmaDance, JaneFranklin Dance, Next Reflex Dance Collective, Jeslyn Dance Gallery and independent choreographers Jessica Marchant, Stephanie Yezek, Christine Stone Martin, April Betty and Heidi Schimpf. Nellie is certified to teach Vinyasa and Mind Body Dancer™ yoga having studied under TaraMarie Perri, and she has experience teaching Yoga, Modern, Ballet, Choreography, and Creative Movement. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from St. Olaf College in Minnesota with a BA degree in Dance and English and a concentration in Women’s Studies.

DANCERS and COLLABORATORS

Rhea Daniels

Gierre Godley

Stephanie Java-Joshi

Elise Marafioti

Amelia Munro

Austin Diaz

Charles Java

Rocío Sánchez

Sobers & Godley

Yohta Tsagri