History

RSDT was founded in February, 1996. The company includes Katherine Davis, M. Koob, Juan Carlos Muñoz, Joseph Pikalek, Cynthia Rodriguez, Deanna Ross, Ami Student, Aimée Thomas-Goodrich, Frances Ward White, and Janet Weeks.(See Biographies.)

Dubbed "the queen of comic dance-theater" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Ms. Salzer has created a unique style for the company that often blurs the line between dance and theater. An example of this original mix of genres is her 1996 piece, "Duet," which begins as a serious exploration of a love relationship between a male and female dancer, but gets interrupted by the female dancer’s mother. The mother character in "Duet" progresses from being an inconspicuous member of the audience to being an active element in the dance, dancing with the couple and firing off questions such as "Have you known each other long?" and "Is this a relationship?"

RSDT’s first short film, Office Furniture tells the story of one woman’s quest for a job in San Francisco’s financial district. The film blends comic narrative with dances shot on the streets of downtown San Francisco. The film’s appeal to audiences outside the dance world has won it recognition at mainstream festivals (Golden Spire Winner, San Francisco International Film Festival), and on public and cable television (KQED-TV, KPBS-TV, WTTW-TV, DUTV).

RSDT's second short film, entitled, And Another Thing! has aired 32 times on KQED between September, 2004 and January, 2005. We estimate that it has reached over 1 million households! Look for more broadcasts of this film on KQED through June, 2005.

RSDT is supported in part by the Organizational Support Program of the California Arts Council. In addition, RSDT has received three grant awards from The Zellerbach Family Fund, and a CASH grant from Theatre Bay Area & Dancers’ Group.