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“Tess and Laks have assembled an exquisite company… impeccable in movement that requires pinpoint articulation, rhythmic liquidity and physical humor, with vocal chops to boot.”

-Catherine Thomas, The Oregonian

"...Rumpus Room founders Rachel Tess and Stephan Laks and guest dancer Banning Roberts turn line and form into something still more expressive and compelling. They use floor, walls, railings, even outdoor benches visible through the glass, continually shifting the spatial context for the performance. The choreography is dense with ideas -- the athletic leap, the dramatic embellishment and the subtle gesture all threaded together with a confident dynamism."

-The Oregonian, 06/24/2008
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"White Bird upped the ante on the show by commissioning a new piece specifically for it, and "In Their Bones," a duet for Stephan Laks and Rachel Tess of Rumpus Room Dance, paid off by providing the evening's high point. The two are remarkably charismatic dancers, equipped with not just solid technique but an expressive fluidity that allows them to convey complex and shifting emotions within a beguiling flow of movement."

-The Oregonian, 01/25/2008

"Rumpus Room is a young company yet to establish its reputation, but "Details of a Couple" suggests a marvelous future, and with a mere three rows of seats in the Pinnacle Pavilion, the performance delivered an intimacy not possible in the Schnitz. The duo's choreography carried a pulsing energy even in slow, ritualistic moments. And while they were precise and almost telepathically attuned to each other, Tess in particular was a riveting performer, moving with a remarkable blend of softness and intensity."

-The Oregonian, 11/17/2007
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