Before I present my professional bio, which is just a narrow surface upon which to numbly place dates, accomplishments and awards, I want to say that this site was made to be a conduit for sharing and expressing my sincerity, gratitude, curiosity, creativity and imagination. Essentially, I hope it conveys a sense of wonder, awe, and a loving feeling for people and animals, Earth and Sky. Only after the pandemic of 2020, have I felt the desire and push to create a website which can house these images, these words, these relics of blessed moments, which have made up a life. It is truly a work-in-progress, as everything really is. I hope something within will touch you. That is what is most important: a gasp of breath, a ripple of goosebumps, a forming tear, an unforced laugh—let’s not lose our most special, sensual humanness. Always, presence is the answer, the medicine and the gift.

I formed The Humans in 2002 as a way to express my knack for combining image, concept and motion. I love mixing in civilians, performers from other genres of live performance, and I incorporate all ages and races. This eclectic gathering has been described as “curating the normals.” My work uses object, mask, video, and voice to create highly visual worlds and surreal, theatrical happenings. My twin sister, Collin Bunting, costume designer, writer and collaborator, is instrumental in making the work show its meaning. I have always used writing alongside dance making, and now I am publishing it as well as using it within my stage work. My first publication came from Skidrow Penthouse, who published my poem, “Two Tiny Moons.” In 2018, I won the annual chapbook contest hosted by Dancing Girl Press, who published a collection of poems titled, Unthawed Hearts from the Birds of Last Year.

The Humans have been seen in Chicago at the Museum of Contemporary Art, The Dance Center of Columbia College, Defibrillator, Mana Contemporary, Links Hall, and Hamlin Park Theater as well as many site-specific sites. Since I teach in the Theater Department of Columbia College, I have not been able to consistently travel with my work, but outside of Chicago, it has been seen in NYC, Mississippi and Mongolia. In 2007, The Humans were in residence at Canal Chapter, in NYC where they created and performed “Let’s kill our sadness.” This work was a canopied by raw wool clouds and showcased performers with huge, snapping scissors.” In 2008, I was handpicked by Susan Marshall to attend a residency at Atlantic Center for the Arts, where I continued work on “who I am (who I am not)” a piece that used a macrame chime curtain, a two-sided owl mask and kinetic themes of magnetism/repulsion to illustrate the curious experience of being a twin. In 2011, I became a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist, and this funded my piece, “Paper Shoes,” which served as the genesis of my fascination with an episodic form. In 2013, I created “my my gray sky,” a piece for thirteen performers, spanning ages 7-70. This was performed in a shared bill with Khechari in the 2013 season at The Dance Center of Columbia College. I have received many Illinois Arts Council Finalist Awards and was awarded a “Make A Wave” grant from 3arts.

Since 2015, I have been working on many facets of a project called "SUNS." This work received a multi-year grant from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and an Individual Artist Grant from The Department of Cultural Affairs and Events. The Works-In-Progress have been shown in Chicago at Hamlin Park Theater, where Rachel has been an Artist-In-Residence since 2004, in a site-specific event, “Thank Dance It’s Friday!” produced by Audience Architects, at Links Hall for the Regional Dance Development Initiative as well as at Dixon Place, in NYC. She is now using all her archival footage in her dance for film, “SUNS: One, an Other.” Portions of this film have been screened online through shows presented by Out-of-Site and Experimental Sound Studio.

I would be remiss if I didn't express a huge amount of gratitude for the contribution of such special performers I've had the honor with which to collaborate, some for over a decade. Over the years, photographer Daniel Guidara has captured such beautiful images, like only he can, and designer Collin Bunting has made fantasies come to life.

Deep exhale. Thanks for showing up.