Artistic Collaborators

Tatsu Aoki (film, music) is a prolific composer, musician, filmmaker, and educator. Based in Chicago, Aoki works in a wide range of musical genres, ranging from traditional Japanese music, jazz, experimental and creative music. Aoki studied experimental filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently an adjunct Full Professor at the Film, Video and New Media Department, teaching film production and history courses. To this date, Aoki has produced and appears in more than 90 recording projects and over 30 experimental films. www.tatsuaoki.com

Vijay Iyer (music) Described by The New York Times as a “social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway,” composer-pianist VIJAY IYER is one of the leading music-makers of his generation. His honors include a MacArthur Fellowship, a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artist Fellowship, a Grammy nomination, and the Alpert Award in the Arts. His most recent album, a trio session with drummer Tyshawn Sorey and bassist Linda May Han Oh titled Uneasy (ECM Records, 2021), was named Best New Music in Pitchfork and was hailed by the New Yorker as “a triumph of small-group interplay and fertile invention.”

Robbie Sweeny (photography) is an Irish born, internationally published photographer, curator and artist. My work has been exhibited globally, most notably in a group exhibition at Tate Britain in 2010 and The De Young Museum in 2013. I relocated to San Francisco in 2010 where I work closely within the performance art community. My work deals with issues such as queer futurity, identity and movement. My collaboration list includes but is not limited to: The De Young Museum, SFMOMA, Counter Pulse, YBCA, Joe Goode Annex, Dance Mission, Keith Hennessy, Jess Curtis, Sara Shelton Mann, Amara T. Smith and Lenora Lee.

Jack Beuttler (light design) is an Oakland based producer and designer. He’s the Director of Production for ODC and the Production Manager for the Sun Valley Music Festival in Idaho. He’s toured nationally and internationally with Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Van Anh Vo, and Flyaway Productions among many others, and is thrilled to have been a part of bringing The Forgotten Empress to Pakistan in 2017. Jack is honored to have received a 2019 Isadora Duncan Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Design for Flyaway’s The Wait Room. Most recently Jack produced the critically acclaimed opera film Goodbye, Mr Chips. www.jackb.info

Helen Palma (music) is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where she received her  Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music with an emphasis on Vocal and Jazz Studies. Her vocal styles range from Brazilian to Latin Jazz, Salsa, Swing, Blues, R&B and Pop. During Helen’s time at SF State, she studied with John Calloway in the Afro Cuban Ensemble and later performed professionally with his latin jazz septet at the Redwood City Salsa Festival in 2017 and 2019. She was also a part of the 2020 Hispanic Heritage Concert under Calloway’s direction. Helen’s own group, The Helen Palma Trio, performs in venues throughout the Bay Area with an emphasis on Latin and Brazilian jazz, R&B and pop. She is also pursuing a certificate in audio engineering and video editing. https://helenentertains.wordpress.com/, https://www.instagram.com/helen_palma_cantante/, linkedin.com/in/helen-palma

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Performers

Naoko Brown (dance – Boston) is a native of Nagoya, Japan. At the age of six, she was introduced to the world of classical ballet by Michiko Matsumoto. She continued her training with Barbara Banaskowski Smith in Lansing, MI. While there, she performed with the students of the National Ballet School of Gdansk in Poland, as well as students from Vaganova Ballet School in St. Pertersburg, Russia.  Brown received her B.F.A. in Dance from The Boston Conservatory. While there, she performed works by Daniel Pelzig, Sean Curran, Lar Lubovitch and José Limón. She also attended the Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program, Ballet Intensive from Moscow, and was a full scholarship recipient at Summer Stages Dance in 2012. She has performed with Michiko Matsumoto Ballet, Urban Nutcracker, Zoé Dance, Contrapose, Prometheus Dance and Jo-Mé Dance. She is currently a faculty member of Walnut Hill School for the Arts Community Dance Academy as well as Boston Ballet. 

I.J. Chan (dance – Boston) IJ Chan (陳加恩) is a dance artist and educator from Boston, MA. She has dedicated her life to training and performing intensively in multiple dance genres and under many choreographers. In her own choreographic work, IJ is interested in intersecting and exploring the Asian-American narrative. She is committed to bringing quality performing arts instruction to low-income and minority youth populations within Boston. She also works as a freelance graphic designer,  visual artist and seamstress.

Gabriel Christian (they/them) (dance – San Francisco) is an American artist bred in New York City (Wappinger Lenape land) and baking in Oakland (Chochenyo Ohlone land). For more than ten years, their work has metabolized the vernaculars within BlaQ diaspora—futurity, afrovivalism, faggotry—through high dramatics, structured improvisation, poetics, and collaborative practices; moreover, they feel the bio to be in the unfortunate lineage of value models like chattel slavery.

Johnny Cox (dance) is a gay, Guatemalan American performing artist who graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.F.A in Dance in 2019. After college, he ventured to Portland, Oregon where he was an apprentice with the LGBTQ+ affirming Shaun Keylock Company. He recently moved to the Bay Area where he has been working with Shawl Anderson Dance Center and the East Bay Tutu Schools as their only male ballet teacher. Johnny feels joyful to be launching his dance career as an apprentice with Nancy Karp and Dancers and with Lenora Lee Dance for In the Movement. Connect with Johnny on Instagram @johnnycdancing or at vimeo.com/jcdancing

Clarissa Dyas (dance – San Francisco) is a movement artist, creator, and performer with roots from Berkeley, CA. She centers her artistic practice around the intersection of identities including investigating black + asian lineage, queerness and the belief that movement is a spiritual practice to liberated justice. Clarissa graduated from San Francisco State University in 2017 with a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Health Education. She has been honored to be a company member of Robert Moses’ Kin and ka·nei·see | collective, a founding member of bananarama, and has performed in works by Talli Jackon, Raissa Simpson and many others. Clarissa is most recently in collaboration with Flyaway Productions, Zaccho Dance Theater, Raisa Punkki, and Rachael Cleveland + Armineh Astanboos.

Felicitas Fischer ( dance – San Francisco) is a contemporary dance artist whose practice and interest is rooted in exploring diverse movement forms  that reflect her own polyethnic-cultural background. A graduate of the University of San Francisco with a B.A in Performing Arts & Social Justice in Dance (2019), she has had the honor of working with Simpson/Stulberg Collaborations, Dazaun Soleyn, Megan Nicely, Nicole Klaymoon, Amber Julian, Eli Nelson, Amie Dowling, Jennifer Polyocan, Kinetech Arts, and Lenora Lee Dance. She works actively in the community on staff with Bridge Live Arts, contributes annually to the online dance journal Stance on Dance, and runs Artists For Justice, an artistic collective dedicated to supporting diverse emerging artists and local social-justice initiatives. Her latest choreographic work, Lungs of the Earth, was selected for the Bay Area Shorts Film Festival and featured in USF’s Thacher Gallery Art Exhibition: All That You Touch.

Miguel F. Forbes (dance) discovered the passion for dance while attending high school. Began his formal training in Ballet, Jazz, and Modern Techniques at Anti – Gravity School of Dance in Roseville, California. Forbes then attended the Bachelor’s of Art Program in Dance at CSUS (Sac State) where he obtained knowledge in movement, history, philosophy, performance, and artist creation processes. A perpetual learner, Forbes is pursuing many educational and professional pursuits including graduate school to become a Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Instructor of Katherine Dunham Technique, study in Butoh, Talawa, and Silvestre techniques.

Anna Greenberg Gold (dance – San Francisco) moves in circles, thrives on stories, and believes in magic. She graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and has trained at The Ailey School, The Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and the SF Conservatory of Dance.  Ms. Greenberg received her B.A. in Dance and Children’s Book Illustration from Hampshire College. A dancer, storyteller, and chef, she has the joy of working with Kristin Damrow & Company, Risa Jaroslow & Dancers, Paufve Dance, Liss Fain Dance, and Deborah Slater Dance Theater.

Yi-Ting (Gama) Hsu (dance – San Francisco) was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and has trained in contemporary, ballet, modern, Chinese martial art, Chinese folk dance, Tai-chi initiation, composition, choreography and improvisation. Yi-Ting is a graduate of Tsoying High School, and received her BFA from University of Taipei of the Arts. She moved to San Francisco in 2015 and has danced with Hsu Chen Wei Production, Les Petites Choses Production, David Harrera Performance Company, Lenora Lee Dance, Alyssandra Katherine Dance Project, Epiphany Dance Theater and Kinetech Arts. www.gamahsu.com

Lynn Huang (dance – San Francisco) Trained in modern dance, ballet, and Chinese dance, Lynn has performed with Lenora Lee, Cynthia Ling Lee, and Philein Wang, among others in San Francisco, and HT Chen and Dancers, Dance China NY and Ella Ben-Aharon/Sahar Javedani in NYC. She studied at Minzu University Dance Conservatory in Beijing, China on a Fulbright fellowship and graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University. She also teaches GYROTONIC​​® and GYROKINESIS®. IG: @lynnxspirals

Hien Huynh (dance – San Francisco) was born in Da Nang, Vietnam. Through embodied practice, Hien aspires to seek understanding, and honor the recognition of the vibrations of life, deepen awarenesses, and open heart for human compassion. He is honored to have performed in the works of Lenora Lee Dance, Kim Epifano, Robert Moses’ Kin, Kinetech Arts, PUSH, Deborah Slater Dance Theater, Christy Funsch & Nol Simonse, and punkkiCo. www.hien-huynh.com 

(photo by Olivia Ting)

Amber Julian (dance – San Francisco) is a professional dancer of 19 years whose style is often described as fierce, strong, and groovy. Her background and primary training is in Hip Hop and House, and she considers herself a freestyle dancer. She started dancing in Mixd Ingrdnts Dance Company in 2013, a fierce all-female collective group of artists who performed various styles including Waacking, Hip Hop, West African, House, Popping, and Contemporary. She believes that dance is all about exchanging deep rooted energy in order to make change and exude dynamic forms of visual expression.

(Photo by Goddess Gear)

Flora Hyoin Kim (dance – Boston) is a Korean-American choreographer, performer, and dance educator who earned her B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2014. Flora is a found- ing member of GrinNare, a performing arts group of music and dance in Boston and premiered her 3 new solos at the Her Life as a ‘Comfort Woman’ Concert in January 2020 to support ‘com- fort women’ victims and human rights. As a choreographer Flora has presented her works at var- ious venues including Harvard Kennedy School, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, Onstage Dance Company Choreographer Residency Showcase, First Church in Cambridge, Korean Church of Boston, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Lotte Cinema World Towel in Seoul, Korea. Flora has performed and presented works by prestigious companies and choreographers including Prometheus Dance, Deborah Abel Dance Company, Korhan Basaran, Riley Watts, Hol- lis Bartlett, Nattie Trogdon, Jennifer Lin, Lorraine Chapman The Company, and Urbanity Dance.

SanSan Kwan (dance – San Francisco) is Professor and Chair in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where she teaches  dance and dance studies..  She has performed with Jonathon Appels, Joanna Mendl Shaw, Chen and Dancers, Scott Rubin, and Maura Nguyen Donohue/In Mixed Company, among others.

Melissa Lewis (dance – San Francisco) is a Chinese American artist working with mixed identities and mediums. She thinks often of decolonization, mother tongues, tube tops, Bruce Lee, drag and queerness. She comes from a background of traditional Chinese folk arts and Western modern dance, recently cross-training in martial arts. Melissa moved from east to west in 2010 to study at USF. She has been honored to collaborate on recent projects with Fog Beast, detour dance, Five Feet Dance, and James Graham Dance Theatre. 

Megan Lowe (dance – San Francisco) is a dancer, choreographer, singer/songwriter, teacher, and administrator. She creates dances with an affinity for site-specificity and dynamic partnering. Megan Lowe Dances’ 2019 production of Action Potential was recently nominated for an Izzie Award (Outstanding Achievement in Performance – Ensemble), and Megan has been included in nominations for numerous Izzies over the years while working with esteemed SF Bay Area dance companies. She has performed with Flyaway Productions, Lenora Lee Dance, Dance Brigade, Scott Wells & Dancers, Lizz Roman & Dancers, Epiphany Productions, and more. meganlowedances.com

Ting Luo (Chloe) , (dance – San Francisco) originally from Taiwan, has trained in ballet, modern dance, and Beijing Opera martial art. She received her BFA from Chinese Culture University. Chloe attended the Taiwan National Creative Dance Competition in 2007 and participated in various dance performances of Hwa Kang Dance Company from 2007 to 2008. Relocating to San Francisco in 2010, she received her MFA in Fashion Merchandising in 2014.

Johnny Huy Nguyen (dance – San Francisco) is a second generation Vietnamese American multidisciplinary dance artist based in Yelamu (aka San Francisco). His practice is centered on the body, recognizing its power as a place of knowing, site of resistance, gateway to healing, and crucible of imagination. Drawing from fluency in multiple movement modalities rooted in a street dance foundation, he weaves together dance with text, ritual, performance art, and other mediums to navigate the intersections between the personal and the political. He has appeared in the works of Lenora Lee Dance, KULARTS, and Embodiment Project and has performed nationally in Oregon, Boston, and NYC. His work has been presented by APAture Festival, the United States of Asian America Festival, and SOMArts, and his most recent solo work, Minority Without A Model, premiered in 2021. www.johnnyhuynguyen.com IG: @johnny.huy.nguyen

Sawako Ogo (dance) is a freelance dancer based in the San Francisco Bay area, originally from Tokyo, Japan. Upon graduating from San Francisco State University with a BA in Dance, Sawako had the privilege to work with choreographers and directors, such as David Herrera, Natasha Adorlee, Erin Yen, Christian Burns, Joe Landini, Jennifer Gerry, Kristin Damrow, as well as numerous others. https://www.sawako.dance, IG @sawako_horsemackerel

Moyra Silva Rodriguez (dance – Lima) is a Peruvian interdisciplinary and performing artist with a background in contemporary dance and theatre. Her artistic research explores the intersections between public space, dance community, hybrid identities and ancestry, through an interdisciplinary approach (film, dance, installation). Her academic study focussed on the overseas Chinese community in Europe and the Americas, as fourth generation Tusan (Chinese-Peruvian). Her work has been supported by the Instituto Cultural Peruano NorteAmericano (PE), El Centro Cultural de España (PE), Performing Arts Festival of Lima (PE), German Federal Foreign Office and Goethe Institut (DE), Trondheim Municipal Council (NO), and NOoSPHERE Arts (USA). www.moyrasilva.com, IG @moyra_silva

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Zel Farrell-Alvarado is an interdisciplinary studio artist and stagehand-at-heart who works in stage management as a freelancer and in special events with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. She has a background in projection & A/V, film production, gallery install, and about a dozen other things that have caught her eye. Born and raised and based in San Francisco, she proudly works with local companies and arts presenters specializing in contemporary and traditional dance, preservation of culture and history, and public arts programs. She loves to show off her collection of show-black theater outfits. 

Q. Quan started working for Lenora Lee Dance in 2016 as a projection, lighting, and A/V tech. Since then, they have returned every year to embark on every single new adventure. When not making production magic for Lenora Lee Dance, they are a manager and visual maintenance tech for Palace Games.

Lucy Tafler trained in technical theatre at LAMDA in the UK before being distracted by Astrophysics and Cybersecurity.  The Arts lured  her back to performance when she moved to the Bay Area in 2013 and co-founded the San Francisco Neo-Futurists theatre company.  She has since worked with immersive theatre creators in San Francisco including The Speakeasy SF and This Is What I Want festival as well as touring the Neos and commissioning new independent works in Edinburgh, London, Australia, and New York.

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Archive Collaborators

The Lenora Lee Dance Documentation Project documents the 2019 production process of Within These Walls and Dreams of Flight by Lenora Lee Dance. This digital archival project is currently hosted at the libraries at the University of California, Irvine. The materials were largely collected by Lenora Lee, Shannon Preto, Michael (Misha) Kennedy, and Qianru Li. These materials were donated by Lenora Lee, the artistic director of the Lenora Lee Dance company. Special features include videos and still images of rehearsals, video excerpts of the performances, programs, excerpts of oral history interviews, and ethnographic notes. Qianru Li and Michael (Misha) Kennedy have been working with Scott Stone, Madelynn Dickerson, and Thuy Vo Dang, research librarians at UCI, to arrange the collection. This collection will be available on ARTSTOR (https://www.artstor.org) in May, 2020.

Qianru Li is an archivist, artist, and scholar. they document stories of the marginalized. they write to challenge the status quo. in their spare time, they also study (very slowly) theatre and performance at the University of California, Irvine.

Michael (Misha) Kennedy is a project manager and media designer for film, animation, and live performance. He received his MFA in Dramatic Media from the University of Georgia. Projects include Always (K)new, a transnational oral history performance project curating LGBQT stories from Columbia, Brazil, and the US and The Rosetta Project, an interactive art installation featuring live performers controlling game avatars through live motion capture technology.