tandem contemporary dance collective
mission / vision
Tandem Contemporary Dance Collective is an emerging performance company based in Ashland, Oregon. The project was created under artistic director Catherine Raupp in the spring of 2023, and aims to represent high caliber dance in the Southern Oregon area. The company has three original works that have been performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Green Show, the Historic Ashland Armory, the SOU Music Recital Hall and the Jackson Wellsprings Casbah. ​
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Tandem was founded to provide quality contemporary dance to audiences in Southern Oregon, and to create professional, paid performance opportunities for local dance artists. Blending classical ballet, various modern dance modalities and traditional jazz concepts, the company's signature style is characterized by grounded athleticism, intricate precision and intimate partnering
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With the ecstatic dance, theatre and music scenes all thriving in Ashland, there was a strong need for a new performance dance company. For those who choose not to live in a large city, it can be difficult to access the world of dance through live shows. Tandem strives to bring powerful & meaningful dance experiences to both performer and audience member, without having to compromise our value of small-town living.
artistic director / founder
Catherine Raupp is the artistic director of Tandem Contemporary Dance Collective - a Southern Oregon dance company created in the spring of 2023. Originally hailing from the Midwest, Catherine has been an Oregon-based dance artist since 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance with high honors from the University of Michigan where she studied with Gallim and Paul Taylor dance companies, amongst others. During her time as an undergraduate, Catherine had the privilege of training at the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance under Bobbi Smith of Ohad Naharin’s Batsheva, Summer Lee Ratigan and Alex Ketley.
Catherine began her professional career in performance, working with Harge Dance stories of Detroit, Michigan and then companies push/FOLD and the Holding Project in Portland, Oregon. During her years in Portland, she trained with and was an intern for Northwest Dance Project, partook in a residency at New Expressive Works, and showcased original choreography at FLOOR Center for Dance. She then explored different movement modalities, and satiated her urge to travel, by completing her yoga teacher training in India, and later, becoming a certified Thai massage therapist in Costa Rica. She has been a dedicated dance educator for over a decade, mainly training high school level students. She was accepted into the University of Maryland Masters in dance program with full scholarship, but ultimately decided to move to Ashland and create Tandem instead.
Being one of 12 siblings, Catherine is devoted to her wild, wonderful, large family. She is passionate about health, wellness, homestead lifestyle, and hot springs. Outside of dance, Catherine expresses her art through guitar, piano and voice – and is an independent singer-songwriter with published album “Before We Die”. All these facets greatly inform her choreography and movement storytelling.