World Premiere of
Beneath The Surface
A new underwater, immersive, multimedia experience by Lenora Lee Dance
Saturdays, October 6th & 13th, 2018, evening times to be announced
Sundays, October 7th & 14th, 2018, evening times to be announced
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) celebrates its 11th Anniversary Season with the World Premiere of Beneath The Surface, LLD’s first underwater, immersive, multimedia experience premiering in a two-week run 10/6 – 10/14/18. Beneath The Surface serves a meditation on forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption, speaking to the power of individuals to transcend.
Audiences are reoriented for a unique perspective that merges memory, contemporary reality, and social commentary, experiencing epic storytelling inside an immersive underwater world.
Conceived, Produced & Directed by Lenora Lee
Choreography by Lenora Lee in collaboration with performers Yi-Ting Hsu, Hien Huynh, SanSan Kwan, Johnny Nguyen
Music Score Directed by Francis Wong & Tatsu Aoki
Media Design by Olivia Ting & Lenora Lee
Videography Directed by Lenora Lee
Filmed by Hien Huynh, Lenora Lee, Shannon Preto, Olivia Ting
LOCATION:
YMCA of San Francisco Chinatown Branch
855 Sacramento (between Stockton & Grant)
SUGGESTED PARKING:
Portsmouth Square Parking Garage
733 Kearny (between Clay & Washington)
ADMISSION:
There are a very limited number of tickets available per ticket price below.
For each ticket price, you will be given the category options for your experience:
– seated
– underwater shallow end
– underwater deep end
Please select the appropriate ticket price and category, purchasing your tickets early!
Ticket site coming soon!
For more info: www.LenoraLeeDance.com
For questions or high resolution images, email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com, (415) 913-8725
NOTES REGARDING AUDIENCE IMMERSION:
Audience will have the option to view parts of the performance from inside the swimming pool. In order to make this possible we ask that you:
– Arrive 45 minutes before the performance start time to:
– Attend an orientation explaining where you will sit, and where and when to move in the pool
– Hear about our recommended immersive audience etiquette
– Change into your swim clothes, storing your belongings in a locker
– We may also ask you to move through the water in a coordinated way, as to not visually detract from the performers. We will practice this in the lobby during orientation time.
– Underwater audience may encounter situations in close proximity with performers.
– DO NOT purchase the underwater audience ticket if you are under 4 feet tall and do not know how to tread water.
– Purchase the deep end ticket ONLY if you know how to comfortably tread water for 1 minute or longer
THOSE PLANNING TO GO INTO THE WATER DURING THE PERFORMANCE SHOULD BRING:
– Proper swim clothes (solid dark colors preferred, but not required)
– Goggles
– Accessories to tie long hair up
– Snorkeling gear (optional)
– Flip flop slippers
– Toiletries: shampoo, soap, etc (optional)
– Lock for locker to store your belongings
– Towel
We encourage guests with special needs or questions to contact us in advance at: LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com or (415) 913-8725
“What struck me most was how Lee managed to embed the narrative into the installation’s structure. It shows how carefully Lee wove the narrative into everyone’s experience, including the viewer’s.” – Heather Desaulniers, Dance Commentary, 2015
“It starts with one dancer and eventually blooms to six and looks as if the dancers are exploding out of the film and into the world.” – John Wilkins, KQED, 2016
Audience Feedback for “Within These Walls” (2017) by Lenora Lee Dance
“It was a truly unique and powerful experience, and I feel fortunate to have witnessed it. It snuck into my dreams last night.”
“Moving and beautifully rendered.”
“I was deeply affected and moved by the performance.”
“It was brilliant and emotionally powerful.”
BIOGRAPHIES
LENORA LEE DANCE
LLD’s work integrates contemporary dance, film, music, and research and has gained increasing attention for its sustained pursuit of issues related to immigration, global conflict, and its impacts, particularly on women and families. The company is directed by San Francisco native Lenora Lee, who has been a dancer, choreographer and artistic director for the past 20 years in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. In 2013 she was an Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum, a Djerassi Resident Artist, and was a Visiting Scholar at New York University 2012-2016. She is currently an Artist in Residence at Dance Mission Theater. LLD creates works that are both set in public and private spaces, intimate and at the same time large-scale, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. For the last ten years, LLD has been pushing the envelope of large-scale multimedia dance performance that connects various styles of movement and music to culture, history and human rights issues. Its work has grown to encompass the creation, presentation and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement and educational programming. www.LenoraLeeDance.com
Francis Wong (music) was dubbed one of “the great saxophonists of his generation” by the late jazz critic Phil elwood. Few musicians are as accomplished as Wong: for over two decades he has performed his innovative brand of jazz and creative music for audiences in north America, Asia, and europe. A prolific recording artist, Wong is featured on more than forty titles. www.franciswong.net
Olivia Ting (media & graphic design) is interested in the role of digital technology in the fabric of contemporary lives and how our perception of recorded media (film, photography, audio) as “reality” has shifted as technology becomes more sophisticated. olivia has done design work for San Francisco dance Center, San Francisco Performances, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. www.olivetinge.com
Tatsu Aoki (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.org
Yi-Ting (Gama) Hsu (dance), was born and raised in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and loves to create and share. She has trained in various techniques in dance such as 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. She’s choreographed “Shi-Ben-Jao-Tu”, “Goodnight Mom”, “Allow”, “coinciDance” and “Arcane keys”. Yi-Ting has produced shows during her studies in Taiwan. www.gamahsu.com
Hien Huynh (dance), began with free-form movement. His background composes of Laban, hip-hop, contemporary, and modern. Exposure to the kinetically speaking world, he resources influences from all beings, textures, sounds, and forms-around and within. Through kinetic and communicative frequencies, Hien aims to link the human to human, heart to heart connection. Born in Da Nang, Vietnam, he migrated at the age of three with his family to Oakland, CA. He holds a B.A. in Dramatic Arts: Dance & Theater and a B.A. in Communication from UC Davis and was the recipient of the prestigious Jere Curry Award. Hien has performed in the works of Kim Epifano, Robert Moses’ Kin, Kinetech Arts, PUSH Dance Company, Lenora Lee Dance, David Grenke, Iu-Hui Chua, Bob McGrath, John Jasperse and Qudus Onikeku. Through kinetic and communicative frequency, Hien hopes to reinforce the human to human, heart to heart connection. https://www.hien-huynh.com
SanSan Kwan (dance) teaches dance and dance studies at UC Berkeley. She has performed with Jonathon Appels, Joanna Mendl Shaw, Chen and Dancers, Maura Nguyen Donohue/In Mixed Company, and composer Scott Rubin, among others. This is her sixth year with Lenora Lee Dance.
Johnny Huy Nguyen (dance) is a dancer, performance artist, and child educator based in San Francisco. Starting with breakin, his dance practice has expanded to encompass a variety of styles including house, vogue, and contemporary. His vision is to use his craft and creativity to activate awareness, healing, and action in ways that are raw, vulnerable, and honest.
Beneath The Surface is supported in part by San Francisco Arts Commission, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Asian Improv aRts, Asian Improv aRts Midwest, Chinese Historical Society of America Museum, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Portsmouth Plaza Parking Corporation, Dance Mission Theater, and Generous Individuals. Special thanks to Alson & JoAnn Lee, Andy Chu & Aquatics Staff at the YMCA of San Francisco Chinatown Branch.
PHOTOS Courtesy of Lenora Lee Dance, featuring SanSan Kwan, Hien Huynh, Yi-Ting Hsu & Shannon Preto
