Founded in Boston in 1988, Liss Fain Dance began with collaborations involving video and sound artists at MIT’s Media Center and renowned photographer Karin Rosenthal. After relocating to the Bay Area in 1990, Liss Fain continued cross-disciplinary projects with video and film artists at Apple Multimedia Lab, Rapt Productions, Kikim Media, and (Colossal) Pictures, and began her long-time collaboration with installation, lighting, and projection designer Matthew Antaky.
In 2010, Fain shifted her focus from proscenium work to evening-length installation pieces, where audiences and performers inhabit an environment shaped by architectural structures and sound. These installation works are designed to be experienced from multiple perspectives—audiences may view the piece from anywhere in the space and move freely throughout. Spoken literary text augments the human element of the work.
Fain’s installation projects have been sponsored by institutions including Amerika Haus at Beck & Eggeling Gallery in Düsseldorf; the David Brower Center in Berkeley; Z Space; the Forum at YBCA; ODC Theater; Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn; 3-Legged Dog Art and Technology Center in New York City; and the Mill Valley Library.
Fain also designed and, with the company, teaches an outreach program at 826 Valencia for middle schoolers from diverse communities. The program helps students expand their creativity, imagination, and communication skills by integrating movement and writing. For pre-professional and professional dancers, the company offers workshops on developing movement for installation environments.
Liss Fain Dance has performed at and been presented by numerous organizations, including: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; Z Space; ODC Theater; Powerhouse Arena (Brooklyn); 3-Legged Dog (New York City); Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival; the David Brower Center; the A.W.A.R.D. Show; the Mill Valley Library; West Wave Dance Festival; Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (California); Internationale Tanzmesse NRW (Germany); Amerika Haus (Germany); Open Look Festival (Russia); Silesian Dance Festival; Zawirowania Festival, U.S. Embassy, and Contemporary Dance Forum (Poland); Belaya Vezha International Theater Festival, Minsk Philharmonic Society, and the Grodno Drama Theater (Belarus); California State Summer School for the Arts; International Computer Music Conference; Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts; Downtown Dance Festival (New York City); Dance Umbrella Boston; Harvard University; University of Massachusetts; Colby College; Clark University; and MIT’s Media Center.
