Liss Fain Dance Brings Immersive New Work “End Point | Open Time” to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Photo by RJ Muna. Courtesy of Liss Fain Dance.

YBCA presents a world premiere installation-performance by the acclaimed choreographer,
Jan. 23–25, 2026

January 6, 2026 – San Francisco, CA: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) will present the world premiere of End Point | Open Time, a new installation-performance by Liss Fain Dance, January 23-25, 2026. A longtime innovator in immersive dance, Fain returns to YBCA with one of her most ambitious works to date — a piece designed specifically for the YBCA Forum that invites audiences to step directly into the performance.

Unlike traditional dance performances, End Point | Open Time removes the separation between audience and performer. Visitors can stand, wander, or linger wherever they choose, shaping their own experience of the work. The environment shifts continuously through movement, light, and sound, giving audiences the feeling of being inside an intimate, living artwork.

“This piece is built for people who want to experience art up close,” said Liss Fain, Artistic Director of Liss Fain Dance. “You don’t sit and watch — you move, you notice, and you find your own way through the space. Every person makes the performance their own.”

Created with translucent structures, pathways, and pockets of open space, the work mirrors the feeling of moving through a city — sometimes spacious, sometimes tight, always changing based on personal choice. An original score composed by Dan Wool adds another sensory layer that responds to the choreography and the audience’s movement, while texts by Louise Glück are woven into the piece, shaping its atmosphere and emotional tone. The work also draws inspiration from Fain’s recent travels to the Arctic.

“We’re excited to bring Liss’s work back to YBCA because it reflects what our community is craving right now — connection, exploration, and art that invites you in,” said Mari Robles, CEO of YBCA. “This is the kind of experience people talk about afterward because they were part of it.”

End Point | Open Time will be presented in the YBCA Forum at 701 Mission Street, with performances on Friday, January 23 at 7:30 PM; Saturday, January 24 at 2 PM and 7:30 PM; and Sunday, January 25 at 2 PM. Tickets are available at ybca.org/lissfain.

YBCA programs are made possible in part by Blue Shield of California, the City and County of San Francisco, The Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Svane Family Foundation, Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, James R. Lilienthal Trust, California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Partnership, Meridee Moore, Beard Family Foundation, Schwab Charitable Fund, Gaia Fund, David and Carla Crane Foundation, Andrew Skillman and Lydia Choy Charitable Fund, Amy and Hannah Eliot, Maria Kim, Tides Foundation, Wayee Chu and Ethan Beard, Amanda Minami, Klau Family Fund, Peter Rigano and Cody Hicks, Harvey and Leslie Wagner Foundation, Robert and Junko Kenmotsu, The San Francisco Foundation, The Ron Conway Family, and YBCA Members.

For more information visit www.ybca.org.

About Liss Fain Dance:

Liss Fain Dance creates installation-based performance works that bring audiences into the center of the experience. Founded in 1988, the company has performed across the U.S. and internationally, including Jacob’s Pillow, Dance Place, and multiple seasons at YBCA.

About YBCA:

Opened to the public in 1993, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Our work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. By centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the communities it serves. For more information, visit ybca.org.

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For media inquiries:

Abby Margulies | (614) 827-5810 | [email protected]

Lauren Macmadu / (415) 350-1884 / [email protected]