About Rai

Rai Barnard (they/them) is a queer Dallas-based choreographer and performer invested in crafting insightful contemporary dance works, grounded in lived experience.
 
Their training began with 12 years of competitive dance before earning a B.A. in Performing Arts and a B.S. in Biology from UT Dallas in 2021. While studying, they expanded upon their training through opportunities with Orlando Ballet School, Sidra Bell Dance NY, and b12 festivals (Berlin). These experiences cultivated a profound interest in dance-theatre, queer dance, and somatic dance modalities that catalyzed their first long-form work, “The Cost of Visibility”- distinguishing Rai as the first ever UT Dallas student to present a choreographic capstone project. 

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Since then, they have created and performed choreography throughout North Texas, including opportunities with Arts Mission Oak Cliff (2022 artist-in-residence), {254} Dance Fest, Agora Artists (Seeds dancemakers program), and Garage Arts Project (Bridges Festival). They simultaneously developed a unique roster of performance credits, cross-pollinating dance and theatre - including works by Jennifer Mabus, Christie Bondade, KD Milligan, Lyric Stage, Flexible Grey Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theater, Danielle Georgiou Dance Group, Stage West, and Prism Movement Theater.