LLD performs during Night Watch at Fort Mason, 9/17/2021
YiTing (Gama) Hsu & Hien Huynh photo by Robbie Sweeny
LLD Performs as part of Night Watch events this Friday, 9/17, 6:30pm inside the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason!
YiTing (Gama) Hsu & Hien Huynh photo by Robbie Sweeny
Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation: Art and Social Justice
Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation (ticketed)
Evening | Speaker presentation for Shimon Attie’s Night Watch, featuring panelists in conversation about the role of art as an amplifier for social justice issues. Pre-registration required. This event is open to the public, but with limited admittance! Address: 1401 Howard Street, San Francisco
St. Joseph’s Art Society is a supporter of and contributor to the SF premiere of Night Watch.
Panelists at this event:
Charith Premawardhana, Classical Revolution https://www.classicalrevolution.org/
Ana Teresa Fernandez, artist https://anateresafernandez.com/
Lenora Lee, Lenora Lee Dance http://www.lenoraleedance.com/
Judy Flannery (or) Randall Heath from Dance Film SF https://sfdancefilmfest.org/
Clark Suprynowicz (Immersive Arts Alliance)
Moderator, Catharine Clark (BOXBLUR)
Photograph of St. Joseph’s Art Society by Elizabeth Pianta.
CALL FOR BOSTON DANCERS – 2021 – 2022!
CALL FOR BOSTON
DANCERS – 2021 – 2022!
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD), based in San Francisco, is seeking Boston based Male Asian/Asian American modern / contemporary dancers for “Convergent Waves” a series of 6 site-specific, immersive, multimedia performances in Boston in and around Pao Arts Center, April 21-24, 2022, with the possibility of touring in San Francisco June 1 – 9, 2022, Los Angeles and NYC in 2023.
LLD is looking for dancers with experience in choreography, improvisation, and collaboration. Rehearsals will begin in Boston January 2022, occurring one week per month almost every month, for approximately 20 hours each time through April 2022 shows. Below is a tentative draft of the schedule. All rehearsal and performance time is paid.
Those interested can email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com
- your cell phone number,
- a resume,
- your website, and
- up to four video links of dance pieces you have choreographed or are featured dancing in by August 21, 2021
Video call backs / Auditions will be in September 2021.
Call (415) 913-8725 for more information.
Potential Rehearsal & Performance Dates:
- Rehearsals, approximately one week per month in January, February and March
- April 8 – 20 – Rehearsals, Tech and Dress Rehearsals
- April 21 – 24, 2022 – Boston premiere
- May 31 – June 9, 2022 – San Francisco Rehearsals
- June 9 2022 – tour – San Francisco Performance (Asian Art Museum)
- Spring 2023 – LA tour
- Fall 2023 – NYC tour
Background
“Convergent Waves” is a site-responsive, immersive, multimedia experience premiering in and around Pao Arts Center (Pao) in Boston April 21-24, 2022, with potential touring June 2022 – November 2023. LLD will transform Pao into an immersive site where the audience follows performers on an interactive journey that will feature 6 dancers, multimedia design, recorded original music, research, and voiceover interviews with activists and residents.
Audiences are reoriented for a unique perspective that merges memory, contemporary reality, and social commentary. Walking through the building will be like walking through the interior of someone’s body with the idea of memory housed in the architectural blueprint of the building.
Pao sits on a historically significant piece of land, Parcel 24, where hundreds of residents were displaced in the 1960s in order to build a highway on-ramp. The reclamation of this land by Pao represents a powerful call for community oriented development in the face of rapid change. The work, which celebrates the contributions of activists and non-profit leaders, will make a collective statement for the preservation of community as neighborhoods across the country inhabited for generations face displacement through gentrification.
Supported in part by Pao Arts Center, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project and Expeditions Tour Planning Grant, ArtsEmerson and Generous Individuals. San Francisco performances supported in part by California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts
About the Company
For the last 13 years Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) has been pushing the envelope of intimate and large-scale multimedia dance performance that connects various styles of movement/dance, film, text, research and music to culture, history, and human rights issues. LLD creates works that are both set in public and private spaces, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. At times crafted for the proscenium, or underwater, or in the air, and at times the pieces are site-responsive, immersive and interactive. Its work has grown to encompass the creation, presentation and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement, and educational programming.
LLD is directed by San Francisco native Lenora Lee, who has been a dancer, choreographer and artistic director for the past 23. She has been an Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum, a Djerassi Resident Artist, a Visiting Scholar at New York University, an Artist in Residence at Dance Mission, a 2019 United States Artists Fellow, and is currently an Artist in Residence at Pao Arts Center and ArtsEmerson.
Lenora Lee Dance creates multimedia and immersive dance performances connecting various styles of movement, music, and film to culture, history and human rights issues. www.LenoraLeeDance.com
dancers in photo: Johnny Nguyen, I.J. Chan, Naoko Brown, Flora Hyoin Kim
SF’s Chinatown Block Party Aims to Bring Community Together
Performance of “And the Community Will Rise” excerpts
as part of the “Ping Yuen-Peaceful Garden Summer Block Party”
Music directed by saxophonist Francis Wong, with rapper AK Black, guitarist Karl Evangelista, vocalist Helen Palma, percussionist Deszon X. Claiborne, Courtesy of Asian Improv Records. Additional vocals by Amber Julian.
Lenora Lee Dance featured in DREAM magazine!
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM), Pao Arts Center & Lenora Lee Dance present “MEDITATIONS ON THE POWER OF COMMUNITY
Video still Meditations on the Power of Community, dancer Naoko Brown at Shen Wei: Painting in Motion Exhibition (Hostetter Gallery), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, December 3, 2020 – June 20, 2021, courtesy Weiying Olivia Huang.
ISGM, Pao Arts Center & Lenora Lee Dance present
Meditations on the Power of Community
In response to the Shen Wei: Painting in Motion exhibition, Pao Arts Center 2021 Artist in Residence Lenora Lee Dance presents a new commissioned work, illuminating stories of the Chinatown community against the backdrop of Wei’s large-scale, immersive paintings. Interviews and contemporary dance choreographed by Lee in collaboration with Lenora Lee Dance and Boston-based dancers, provide a meditation on the experiences of Boston’s Chinatown community. Filmed by local filmmaker Weiying Olivia Huang.
Artistic Direction: Lenora Lee
艺术指导: 李小玉
Choreography / 编舞:
Lenora Lee (李小玉) in collaboration with cast:
Naoko Brown (原田尚子), IJ Chan (陳加恩),
Flora Hyoin Kim, and Johnny Huy Nguyen
Interviewees / 采访人物:
Pieranna Cavalchini, Peggy Fogelman,
Paul W. Lee (李宝罗), Lydia M. Lowe (駱理德),
Rhea Vedro, Cynthia Woo (胡善怡), Cynthia Yee (余麗馨)
Sound Mixer / 声音混合: Eric Taylor
Sound Engineering / 声音处理: Joel Wanek
Costumes / 服装 : Lenora Lee / 李小玉
Chinese Translation / 中文翻译 :
Weiying Olivia Huang / 黄维英
Music / 音乐 :
Tatsu Aoki, with Kioto Aoki, JoVia Armstrong, Mwata Bowden, Suwan Choi, Coco Elysses, Jamie Kempkers, Paul Kim, Avreeayl Ra, Melody Takata, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Hide Yoshihashi
Songs / 歌曲: “Conscription”, “Look at Our Time”, “Nobi – the other side”, “Move-meant” (from the first album MIYUMI Project by Southport Records), “An Eye Opener for Angels” and “Dynamite MHB” (from album Raw and Alive Volume II)
Courtesy of Asian Improv Records / 由亚洲即兴唱片提供
Images / 图像: Shawn Read, Cynthia Woo (胡善怡), Cynthia Yee (余麗馨), and Christine Nguyen courtesy of Asian Community Development Corporation
Murals / 壁画：
Chinese dragon mural by Enivo (14 Tyler Street)
“Tale of an Ancient Vase” by Bryan Beyung (22 Tyler Street)
“Chinatown Heritage Mural” by Wen-ti Tsen and Zuo Yuan, (Oxford Street)
The Mayor’s Mural Crew / Boston Youth Clean-up Crew
(Adjacent to the Chinatown Gate)
More information (Shen Wei | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum)
Language: English with Chinese Subtitles
Age: All-ages
Screenings and panel discussions
Join the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Pao Arts Center, and Lenora Lee Dance for a free virtual viewing party for Meditations on the Power of Community.
This short film will viewable through the Gardner Museum here starting Thursday, May, 6th with a screening and panel discussion Tuesday, May 11, 3pm PST (6pm EST)
Meditations on the Power of Community is a short film commissioned by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, featuring choreography by Pao Arts Center 2021 Artist-in-Residence Lenora Lee Dance and filmed by Weiying Olivia Huang. The film features interviews with members of Boston’s Chinatown community, in response to the Museum’s exhibition Shen Wei: Painting in Motion.
Following a screening of the film, join filmmaker Weiying Olivia Huang, Lenora Lee of Lenora Lee Dance, Board President of Asian Community Development Corporation Paul W. Lee, Cynthia Woo of Pao Arts Center, and moderator Susan Chinsen, Creative Producer/Engagement, Founding Director/Boston Asian American Film Festival, Emerson College Office of the Arts, ArtsEmerson, for a dialogue about the resilience of local activists, dreams turned into reality through art, advocacy, and the healing embrace of culture.
The program will feature a screening of this short film as well as opportunities for the audience to join the conversation.
Lenora Lee is a 2021 Pao Arts Center Artist in Residence, with additional support from ArtsEmerson.
Meditations on the Power of Community will also be screened in Projecting Connections: Chinese American Experiences, presented by ArtsEmerson and the Boston Asian American Film Festival from May 6- 10.
About the 5/11/21 Panelists
Lenora Lee is a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Lenora Lee Dance. She pushes the envelope of large-scale multimedia dance performance crafted for the proscenium, underwater, or in the air, and at times is site-responsive, immersive and interactive. Lenora’s work integrates contemporary dance, film, music, and research related to immigration, global conflict, and human rights.
photo by Hien Huynh
Paul W. Lee is a retired Partner of Goodwin Procter LLP. Mr. Lee grew up in the Boston Chinatown and Brookline, Mass. His Chinese immigrant parents worked in restaurants and garment factories. After earning a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, he became a lawyer and was a partner at Goodwin Procter specializing in corporate law from 1984-2013. Mr. Lee serves on the boards of The Boston Foundation Board, Conservation Law Foundation, and WGBH, Chair of the Asian Community Fund, and Board President of the Asian Community Development Corporation, which has built over 600 units of housing in Boston Chinatown. In 2019 he received the Sojourner Award from the Chinese Historical Society of New England.
Cynthia Woo, has been the Director of Pao Arts Center, at Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center since Jan 2017. She has fifteen years of experience in the non-profit arts, and arts education sector. She has worked at the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, LynnArts, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Boston Center for the Arts.
photo by Ashley Yung
Filmmaker Weiying Olivia Huang
Weiying Olivia Huang (https://oliviahuang.yolasite.com) is an award winning documentary filmmaker. Her documentary ‘City as Canvas’ won the Best Human Interest Documentary at the World Premiere Film Awards in 2020. The film, funded by a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council, was also nominated for ‘Best New England Film’ at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival.
Moderator:
Susan Chinsen is a Creative Producer at ArtsEmerson. She established the annual Boston Asian American Film Festival in 2008, where she continues as the Festival Director. Previously, she managed the Chinese Historical Society of New England, and was an engagement consultant for the PBS documentary “The Chinese Exclusion Act,” building upon her community work and past experience working at WGBH. She is on the Board of Directors at South Cove Community Health Center, MASS Creative and a Steering Committee member of the API Arts Network. Susan is also an alumna of the American Chinese Art Society’s traditional dance troupe and Tufts University.
Photo Credit: Sampan/Yiyan Zheng 鄭怡嫣
About the Partner:
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It is originally the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner, whose will called for her art collection be permanently exhibited “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever”.
ISGM Community programs created in partnership with Pao Arts Center are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and Barr Foundation ArtsAmplified initiative.
Education and community programs receive support from the Vertex Foundation, the Rowland Foundation, The Lubin Family Foundation, The Beker Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, and the Janet Burke Mann Foundation.
The Gardner Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Pao Arts Center was established in 2017 as a visionary program collaboration between Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC). Located at 99 Albany Street in downtown Boston, Pao Arts Center is Chinatown’s first arts and cultural center.
Pao Arts Center represents the belief that investing in arts, culture, and creativity are vital to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and vibrant communities. Through its innovative approach, Pao Arts Center empowers creativity, connection, learning, and support.
@paoartscenter, #paoartscenter, www.paoartscenter.org
2021 Sacramento Dance Sampler – in Memory of Jory Horn
April 10, 16 & 18
This 10th Anniversary Season is dedicated to the memory of Jory Horn (1991-2019). Jory may have left too soon but his abundance of creativity and dedication to the art of dance continues to inspire us all. Fifty percent of the ticket price will help establish the Jory Horn Memorial Scholarship for aspiring dancers at Sacramento State.
The mission of the Sacramento Dance Sampler is to foster community growth by providing a platform to showcase the works of emerging and established professional dance artists and to expose audiences to the growing dance culture in our region. Founded by Lorelei Bayne in Sacramento in 2011, this annual event is modeled after New York City’s, Symphony Space Dance Sampler. The goal this year is to bring together acclaimed professional area dance companies for a virtual celebration of dance!
Sacramento Dance Sampler is scheduled to showcase April 10th, 16th and 18th (Showtimes TBD) as part of the Sacramento State, College of Arts and Letters, Festival of the Arts (FOTA) week-long celebration April 5th-11th, 2021.
One “ticket” purchased gives access for all 3 Dance Sampler programs, available to view through the end of April.
Purchase Dance Sampler virtual ticket here
Jory Horn Scholarship Fund
We, at Sacramento State University, would like to continue Jory’s joy of helping those in need. With the Dance & Theatre Department at Sacramento State University, we would like to set up a one-time scholarship or an endowed scholarship for aspiring dancers. The endowed scholarship will provide funding on an annual basis.
$2,500 -> Minimum for Scholarship
$10,000 -> Minimum for Endowed Scholarship
Please click here to view the scholarship fund
Our Statement as Lenora Lee Dance
photo by Robbie Sweeny
Dearest Friends, Colleagues, Community, and Beyond,
We, at Lenora Lee Dance, believe that hate, racism, discrimination, injustice, silence, and apathy have no place in society. We, as artists, activists, community builders, creatives, and forward thinkers, are part of the tapestry of the over 21 million Asian Americans who live here in the United States.
With a history dating back some 200 years, Asians / Asian Americans have played an integral part of building the United States of America, through agriculture, farming, fishing, manufacturing, working on the front lines of the health field in hospitals and nursing homes, and as business owners, scholars, educators, artists, community leaders, lawyers, entrepreneurs, etc.
We, as many other underrepresented communities, have felt the brunt of injustice and discrimination consistently from the beginning, particularly with the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act with other racist policies enacted around the same time, in hopes to prevent the immigration, naturalization, and inclusion of Asians in America.
Our contributions and experiences have been minimized and omitted from the American history books. The model minority has been used to invisibilize the struggles of our communities, while also undermining the fight for justice in other communities of color. At the same time, we are treated as perpetual foreigners and in times of crisis, time and time again, our communities have been conveniently used as scapegoats.
The levels of disregard Asian Americans have continually endured over the decades, has come back again into public attention, because of the racist and xenophobic rhetoric running rampant during this COVID-19 pandemic and fueling the rise in hate crimes of harassment, violence, and murder against our communities.
We stand united in voice, community, solidarity, and action with our sisters, brothers, and siblings, fighting in support of justice, equal rights, and safety for ALL Asian Americans. We will not be silent while our mothers, fathers, grandparents, children, neighbors, and community members across the country are under attack. And we will say the names of those who were killed in Atlanta, all of their names:
Daoyou Feng
Hyun Jung Grant
Suncha Kim
Paul Andre Michels
Soon Chung Park
Xiaojie Tan
Yong Ae Yue
Delaina Ashley Yaun
We, as a nation of all people must move forward embracing our country’s diversity, knowing there is broader power and vision to collaborate across communities to support one another in healing from our traumas and that our fight for justice is not mutually exclusive to justice for other communities, but part of the whole.
Let’s celebrate our partnerships, and work together with the experiences of our many communities and generations.
dual upcoming events with artistic director Lenora Lee!
Women’s History Panel – Shawl Anderson program
As part of Women’s History Month, please join us for a vibrant discussion with three longtime site-based artists in the SF Bay Area
Date And Time
Mon, March 29, 2021
12:00 PM – 1:15 PM PDT
eventbrite link: here
About this Event
During the past year, many professionals and students alike have begun to explore site-specific work both inside buildings and outdoors. Our sense of space, place, access, and venue continue to shift in terms of both artmaking and experiencing dance. Please join us for a conversation with three longtime choreographers passionate about site-based work: Nina Haft, Joanna Haigood, and Lenora Lee. We will talk about their work and inspirations, where they see site-based work in the field right now, and artmaking in the months ahead.
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Nina Otis Haft is Artistic Director of Nina Haft & Company, a Bay Area-based contemporary dance ensemble known for gender and cultural commentary and site-specific performance. Nina has been profiled in Dance Magazine and received support from Djerassi Resident Artist Program, Hambidge Center, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Margaret Jenkins’ Dance Company (CHIME), Conney Project on Jewish Arts, California Arts Council, among other arts foundations. NHCo is known for Dance in Unexpected Places, performing in dockyards, synagogues, bars, parking lots, regional parks, cemeteries and other liminal spaces. Her work has been presented in Boston, LA, Madison, NYC, Portland, San Diego, Novosibirsk, Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah. ninahaftandcompany.com
Since 1980 Joanna Haigood has been creating work that uses natural, architectural and cultural environments as points of departure for movement exploration and narrative. Her stages have included grain terminals, a clock tower, the pope’s palace, military forts, and a mile of urban neighborhood streets in the South Bronx. Her work has been commissioned by many arts institutions, including Dancing in the Streets, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Walker Arts Center, the Exploratorium Museum, the National Black Arts Festival, and Festival d’Avignon. She has also been honored with the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, the United States Artist Fellowship, and a New York Bessie Award. Haigood is also a recipient of the esteemed Doris Duke Artist Award. Joanna has had the privilege to mentor many extraordinary young artists internationally at the National École des Arts du Cirque in France, the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in England, Spelman College, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University, the San Francisco Circus Center and at Zaccho Studio. http://www.zaccho.org/
Lenora Lee is a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Lenora Lee Dance. She has been pushing the envelope of large-scale, site-responsive, immersive, and multimedia dance performance that connects various styles of movement and music to culture, history, and human rights issues, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. Lenora’s work integrates contemporary dance, film, music, text, and research, and has gained increasing attention for its sustained pursuit of issues related to immigration, global conflict, incarceration, and its impacts, particularly on women and families. It has grown to encompass the creation, presentation, and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement, and educational programming. Lenora is a 2019 United States Artists Fellow, and recipient of the 2021 New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Production Grant. http://www.lenoraleedance.com
eventbrite link: here
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KSW “We Won’t Move: A Living Archive” Podcast
KSW “We Won’t Move: A Living Archive” Podcast Update
Lenora Lee podcast with Kearny Street Workshop set to be released on April 13!
For website TBD click here
About the Podcast:
“We Won’t Move: A Living Archive” is a new podcast series by Kazumi Chin, Dara Del Rosario, and Michelle Lin about APA artists of the past, present, and future, whose stories shape the movements and dreams of San Francisco. Each episode is guided by research and oral histories, featuring intimate conversations with local artists about their art, activism, and the issues that motivate their work.
“We Won’t Move” was once the rallying cry of an intergenerational group of protestors fighting to protect the elders of the International Hotel, the first home of Kearny Street Workshop. With this in the podcast title, we commit ourselves to uplifting stories of radical Asian American art history, organizing, and dreaming. “We Won’t Move: A Living Archive” is a project of both remembering our roots and building toward a liberatory future.
Where do we remain firmly rooted in across generations, in our spaces, histories, and hearts? What will we refuse to move from?
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Pao Arts Center & Lenora Lee Dance present “MEDITATIONS ON THE POWER OF COMMUNITY”
Video still Meditations on the Power of Community, dancer Naoko Brown at Shen Wei: Painting in Motion Exhibition (Hostetter Gallery), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, December 3, 2020 – June 20, 2021, courtesy Weiying Olivia Huang.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM), Pao Arts Center & Lenora Lee Dance present “MEDITATIONS ON THE POWER OF COMMUNITY”
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 6 – 7 pm
Join us for dialogue around the resilience of local activists, dreams turned into reality through art, advocacy, and the healing embrace of culture. Panelists for this live virtual program celebrating the release of the commissioned short film Meditations on the Power of Community include Lenora Lee, Artistic Director, Lenora Lee Dance, Paul W. Lee, Board President, Asian Community Development Corporation, and Cynthia Woo, Director, Pao Arts Center. The panel will be moderated by Susan Chinsen, Creative Producer/Engagement, Founding Director/Boston Asian American Film Festival, Emerson College Office of the Arts, ArtsEmerson. The program will feature a screening of this short film as well as opportunities for the audience to join the conversation.
In response to the Shen Wei: Painting in Motion exhibition, Pao Arts Center 2021 Artist in Residence Lenora Lee Dance presents a newly commissioned work, Meditations on the Power of Community, illuminating stories of the Chinatown community against the backdrop of Wei’s large-scale, immersive paintings. Interviews and contemporary dance choreographed by Lee in collaboration with Lenora Lee Dance and Boston-based dancers, provide a meditation on the experiences of Boston’s Chinatown community. Filmed by local filmmaker Weiying Olivia Huang.
Meditations on the Power of Community will also be screened in Projecting Connections: Chinese American Experiences, presented by ArtsEmerson and the Boston Asian American Film Festival.
Weiying Olivia Huang is an award winning documentary filmmaker. Her documentary ‘City as Canvas’ won the Best Human Interest Documentary at the World Premiere Film Awards in 2020. The film, funded by a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council, was also nominated for ‘Best New England Film’ at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival.
Education and community programs receive support from the Vertex Foundation, Rowland Foundation, the Liberty Mutual Foundation, and Janet Burke Mann Foundation.
The Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council
Pao Arts Center was established in 2017 as a visionary program collaboration between Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) and Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC). Located at 99 Albany Street in downtown Boston, Pao Arts Center is Chinatown’s first arts and cultural center.
Pao Arts Center mission is to celebrate and strengthen the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community of Chinatown and Greater Boston through access to culturally relevant art, education, and creative programs. Pao Arts Center functions in service of BCNC’s and BHCC’s goals to support the social well-being, economic success, and education of their constituents.
Pao Arts Center represents the belief that investing in arts, culture, and creativity are vital to the health and well-being of individuals, families, and vibrant communities. Through its innovative approach, Pao Arts Center empowers creativity, connection, learning, and support.
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Video still Meditations on the Power of Community, dancer I.J. Brown at Shen Wei: Painting in Motion Exhibition (Hostetter Gallery), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, December 3, 2020 – June 20, 2021, courtesy Weiying Olivia Huang.
Behind the scenes interviews during the creative on the 
process.
SHEN WEI
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION TOUR AND EVENTS
Video still Meditations on the Power of Community, dancer Flora Hyoin Kim at Shen Wei: Painting in Motion Exhibition (Hostetter Gallery), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, December 3, 2020 – June 20, 2021, courtesy Weiying Olivia Huang.
Lenora Lee is a 2021 Pao Arts Center Artist in Residence, with additional support from ArtsEmerson.
ISGM Community programs created in partnership with Pao Arts Center are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and Barr Foundation ArtsAmplified initiative.
Education and community programs receive support from the Vertex Foundation, the Rowland Foundation, The Lubin Family Foundation, The Beker Foundation, Liberty Mutual Foundation, The Hamilton Company Charitable Foundation, Thomas Anthony Pappas Charitable Foundation, and the Janet Burke Mann Foundation.
The Gardner Museum receives operating support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Words of Gratitude
Chloe Luo & Johnny Nguyen photo by KateFim
Dear Community, Friends,
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Letting go of our 945 ArtSpace, a Chinatown storefront space under the auspices of Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), which was a project of Asian Improv aRts SF in collaboration with Lenora Lee Dance (LLD), API Cultural Center, and CCDC.
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All five of LLD’s 2020 projects were postponed due to the catastrophic effects of the pandemic on our artists, collaborators, and organization. We postponed large group rehearsals due to city regulations and health risks facing our 11 dancers.
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The pandemic hit LLD artists and administrators extremely hard, with the loss of some or all performing art, arts education, and non-art related jobs. We feel the devastating effects: loss of work, uncertainty about artistic livelihoods and health, being forced to reinvent ways to survive, and moving multiple times or away from the Bay Area temporarily. Much of LLD’s grant income is project-related, earmarked for when the projects start up again.
Hien Huynh & Johnny Nguyen photo by KateFim
Going forward into our 13th Season
Gama Hsu photo by Robbie Sweeny
Your support is critical during this time of survival
Artistic Director Marketing & Outreach Project Consultant
Derek Harris & Lynn Huang photo by Hoa Huynh
In Community
SanSan Kwan & Johnny Nguyen. Photo by Robbie Sweeny
This is an extraordinary time and no matter how challenging and daunting it may feel at times, this is an opportunity to find the deeper parts of ourselves; to allow our actions to be driven by love, courage, hope, truth, grace, honesty, and clarity; to take care of one another; and to re-evaluate what is truly important. Knowing in our hearts the importance of expressing love and solidarity to all who are suffering, we are committed to doing this work and hope that you as our beloved community can join us in this fight for justice.
James Newton and Jon Jang in South Africa
Tatsu Aoki and Fred Anderson
Jon Jang, Avotcja Jiltonilro, Francis Wong, Myron Cohen, Sascha Jacobsen, Sandy Poindexter. Photo by Bob Hsiang
Support Victims’ Families
Donate to Black-Led Organizations in Minneapolis
Bay Area Resources
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SoOakland – Rebuilding Oakland Black Businesses
Edward Wilkerson Jr., Francis Wong, William Roper, Tatsu Aoki, Mwata Bowden, Kioto Aoki, Melody Takata. Photo by Ken Carl
Words of Gratitude from our Artists. Dancing Remotely
Our early research and creative process, remote individual rehearsals
in our homes and nearby spaces during shelter in place, March 2020.
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update you on how LLD and our artists are being affected at this time,
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offer an opportunity for you to participate,
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share about what we’re creating
“I have lost 75% of my income because of this pandemic. My work as an artist is to make visible the invisible, to dance thoughts and images into fruition, to be a time machine, a medium, a mover of emotions, a gardener of energies, a storyteller and a light. I hope to continue to shine my light on important issues through dance. Now more than ever the world needs us.” 
“It’s been two weeks of sheltering in place, and all in-person rehearsals, teaching gigs, events, and shows have been cancelled. Though there is much to be concerned about and I miss seeing my friends and family and I am worried about their well being-from a personal perspective, I have much to be grateful for. And I am grateful for Lenora Lee Dance, who keeps all collaborators connected and continues to find creative work opportunities to support us financially, emotionally, and artistically.” 
“My whole sense of who I am as an artist, creator and collaborator has frozen mid-air. All of my artistic projects for 2020 have been postponed or cancelled-which has deeply challenged me to put my creativity towards imagining how I can still have an artistic practice in my home and in physical isolation. While most of my work as an administrator supporting other artists remains stable, I see my friends and peers completely at a loss – scrambling to adapt and learn how to make a living in this unprecedented time.”
“What COVID is teaching me is about the pivot as a choreography of resilience. I lost the majority of my income for the next four months, potentially further, a total of about $3000-4000 lost in a flash as if flood. This money directly would have covered rent, utilities, and food, simply put. However, my creative spirit has found some solace in dialogue, virtual collaboration and home videos. This is where the resilience lives, where seeds are planted again as spring returns.” 
CALL FOR BOSTON DANCERS – 2020 – 2021!
CALL FOR BOSTON DANCERS – 2020 – 2021!
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD), based in San Francisco, is seeking Boston based Asian/Asian American modern / contemporary dancers for “Convergent Waves” a series of 3 site-specific, immersive, multimedia performances in Boston at the Pao Arts Center, April 23 – 25, 2021.
LLD is looking for dancers with experience in choreography, improvisation, and collaboration. Rehearsals will begin in Boston April or May 2020, occurring one week per month almost every month, for approximately 20 hours each time. Below is a tentative draft of the schedule. All rehearsal and performance time is paid.
Those interested can email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com your cell phone number, a resume, your website, and up to four video links of dance pieces you have choreographed or are featured dancing in by Sunday, 3/8/20. Call (415) 913-8725 for more information.
Potential Rehearsal & Performance Dates:
– 4/23 – 4/29/20 or 5/18 – 5/24/20
– 6/22 – 7/1/20 for a week
– 10/15 – 10/25 (with performance excerpts at Arts Emerson 10/24 or 10/25)
– 11/30 – 12/5/20 (with performances excerpts at Gardner Museum 12/3/20)
– one week per month January and February, dates TBD
– 3/26 – 4/2/21 (with performance excerpts at Gardner Museum 4/1/21)
– 4/16 – 4/25/21 (tech & 3 shows)
Background
“Convergent Waves” is a site-responsive, immersive, multimedia experience premiering at Pao Arts Center (Pao) in Boston April 23 – 25, 2021, with potential touring May 2021-November 2022. LLD will transform Pao into an immersive site where the audience follows performers on an interactive journey, that will feature 6 dancers, multimedia design, recorded original music, research, and voiceover interviews with activists and residents.
Audience are reoriented for a unique perspective that merges memory, contemporary reality, and social commentary. Walking through the building will be like walking through the interior of someone’s body with the idea of memory housed in the architectural blueprint of the building.
Pao sits on a historically significant piece of land, Parcel 24, where hundreds of residents were displaced in the 1960s in order to build a highway on-ramp. The reclamation of this land by Pao represents a powerful call for community oriented development in the face of rapid change. The work, which celebrates the contributions of activists and non-profit leaders, will make a collective statement for the preservation of community as neighborhoods across the country inhabited for generations face displacement through gentrification.
Supported in part by Pao Arts Center, Isabella Sewart Gardner Museum, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts Expeditions Tour Planning Grant, Arts Emerson, and Generous Individuals
About the Company
For the last 13 years Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) has been pushing the envelope of intimate and large-scale multimedia dance performance that connects various styles of movement/dance, film, text, research and music to culture, history, and human rights issues. LLD creates works that are both set in public and private spaces, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. At times crafted for the proscenium, or underwater, or in the air, and at times the pieces are site-responsive immersive and interactive. Its work has grown to encompass the creation, presentation and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement, and educational programming. LLD is directed by San Francisco native Lenora Lee, who has been a dancer, choreographer and artistic director for the past 22. She has been an Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum, a Djerassi Resident Artist, a Visiting Scholar at New York University, an Artist in Residence at Dance Mission, and a 2019 United States Artists Fellow.
Photo: Lynn Huang by Robbie Sweeny
INAUGURAL CONCERT: Vijay Iyer with Hafez Modirzadeh – 1/23/20
Asian Improv aRts, Lenora Lee Dance, and API Cultural Center are pleased to present:
Vijay Iyer (piano) with Hafez Modirzadeh (saxophone)
Thursday, January 23, 2020
7:30 pm – 8:45 pm
At 945 ArtSpace
945 Clay St., San Francisco, CA 94108
Tickets: https://vijay-iyer-with-hafez-modirzadeh.eventbrite.com
$25 adv./ $35 at the door
Doors open at 7pm. VERY LIMITED SEATING
If driving, the Portsmouth Square Parking Garage is recommended, with entrance on Kearny at Clay http://www.sfpsg.com/index.html
Contact: Lenora@asianimprov.org
This is the INAUGURAL CONCERT for 945 ArtSpace, a project of Asian Improv aRts, Lenora Lee Dance, API Cultural Center, and the Chinatown Community Development Center. The purpose of 945 ArtSpace is to provide a dedicated venue for artists and cultural activists to work in the intimate setting of a community-based storefront.
Composer-pianist VIJAY IYER has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in modern music. He was described by the New York Times as a “social conscience, multi-media collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinking, and multicultural gateway.” A winner of multiple awards including a 2012 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award and a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship, he holds a lifetime appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University. Visit: https://vijay-iyer.com/about/
Composer-saxophonist Hafez Modirzadeh is active in the realms of performing, teaching, recording, publishing, and presenting cross-cultural perspectives regarding musical culture, tradition, and innovation. He has been instrumental in the ImprovisAsians annual festival held at San Francisco State University for the past 15 years. He is a Professor of Music and advisor for Jazz and Creative/World Music Studies at San Francisco State University. visit: https://music.sfsu.edu/ethnomusicology
Both Vijay and Hafez are valued contributors to Asian Improv’s work and legacy over the decades. 945 ArtSpace is extremely proud to present these extraordinary artists and community members as part of our first season here at 945 ArtSpace.
Top photo: Vijay Iyer, by Monica Jane Frisell
Bottom photo: Hafez Modirzadeh
CALL FOR “Through Fire & Water” PARTICIPANTS
“Through Fire & Water” is a series of performance events featuring 24 artists and arts groups on 6/13 at Joe Goode Anex. This series of events is in dedication to Jory Horn (April 21, 1991 – November 19, 2019), a profound dance artist and choreographer. Jory combined Cambodian culture and dance with contemporary dance as a means of advocacy to address challenges and celebrations of the Cambodian-American community. His guidance and mentorship of the Cambodian art form is a true testament of the strength and resilience of his people and survived through living dance masters Chayra Burt, Chey Chankethya, and Prumsodun Ok.
*** update of event for safety and wellness ***
Hi everyone, wishing you all much love, health, safety, and clarity. As we remember our beloved Jory with his recent 4/21 birthday, we wanted to reach out to share our plans for this 6/13 event in dedication to him. We are planning to postpone the event until public gathering restrictions are lifted, it is safe for groups to rehearse/prepare their pieces, and precautions for artists and audience members can be established in accordance with health and safety standards. Unfortunately we are not able to determine a date at this time but will make an announcement when it becomes clearer. Thank you for your care and involvement.
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) is seeking participants of all artistic disciplines to submit proposals for 5-8 minute performance works, writings, or visual / media art dedicated to Jory Horn. 24 artists and arts groups will be split up into 2 programs set to take place 6/13, at the Joe Goode Anex. There may be an artist fee / honorarium available for participation, however we cannot guarantee it at this time.
The following 20 artists and arts groups from the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, and Stockton will support or perform dance, music, text and poetry, with four additional ones to join. Artists will be split into 2 programs, each with receptions to follow.
– 5pm – Opening Greeting
– 5:30pm – Program A + reception
– 7:30pm – Program B + reception
Lauren Bedal
Christine Cali / CALI & CO dance
Zackary Forcum
Miguel Forbes / Ogún Ayé Project
Rhummanee Hang
Meegan Hertensteiner
Hien Huynh
Lenora Lee / Lenora Lee Dance
Lynn Huang
Megan Lowe / Megan Lowe Dances
Alyssa Mitchel
Morodok Khmer Performing Arts
Johnny Nguyen
Alleluia Panis
Monica Sok
Riley Taylor
Janine Trinidad
Alyssandra Wu / Alyssandra Katherine Dance
Alan Yip
Jamie Nakama
Kristen Rulifson
Windy Kahana
Please email the following by Monday, 1/20/20 to LenoraLeeDance2@gmail.com and LenoraLeeDanceManager@gmail.com
- your name / group name
- your phone number
- city you / your group are based in
- name and description of the piece
- genre (dance, music, poetry, visual or media art, etc)
- length of piece (between 5-8 minutes)
- your availability for 6/13
- a short biography
- 2-3 performance photos, with photo credits (doesn’t have to be related to the proposed piece)
- sample videos of your artistic works, (proposed work preferred, but not required)
- your website
“Forgiveness stems from something greater and is related to a greater ancestral memory and feeling. Before we are ever born, it is in us. A destiny and a pattern, but there are lots of things that fall under our own immediate control, the fact that I have freedom and the choices to be able to just choose is a privilege.” – Jory Horn
There is a need for people to act in the face of loss, and celebrate the meaning of the work. For LLD, the loss of Jory brings more meaning to our work in general, with the bonds we share in solidarity and collective community, with heightened awareness we can hold to care for one another.
Please also consider donating towards a new scholarship in dedication of Jory Horn alumni that supports aspiring dancers at Sacramento State University.
https://fundly.com/scholarship-in-memory-of-jory-horn?fbclid=IwAR2zXeap-ex5RUaL9ZJzr0IXBSvD7WBiGmQ7WIEz5X1SB4U7Q9EQTMbQSl0
Photo Credits:
Photo 2 Jory Horn by Robbie Sweeny
Photo 3 Jory Horn by Tony Nguyen
JOB POSTING: LLD PROJECT CONSULTANT
***Thank you for your interest! Position has been filled. We are in gratitude. Please stay tuned for future inquiry and openings later this 2020!***
LENORA LEE DANCE
JOB: PROJECT CONSULTANT
Reports to: Artistic Director
Location: San Francisco/Bay Area
Position type: Independent Contractor
Compensation: $22-24/hr depending on experience
Start Date: Immediately
ABOUT LENORA LEE DANCE (LLD)
For the last 12 years Lenora Lee Dance has been pushing the envelope of intimate and large-scale multimedia dance performance that connects various styles of movement/dance, film, text, research and music to culture, history, and human rights issues. At times crafted for the proscenium, or underwater, or in the air, and at times the pieces are site-responsive immersive and interactive. Our work has grown to encompass the creation, presentation, and screening of films, museum and gallery installations, civic engagement and educational programming.
POSITION SUMMARY
Entering its 13th anniversary season, LLD, an award winning company, is looking for a part-time administrative staff person to join its team, as LLD is gaining regional and national attention for its cutting edge, socially conscious immersive performance making. Hours needed fluctuate depending on the production schedule. Flexibility and communication are key components to keeping all staff, collaborators, vendors, and performers on the same page and moving forward.
We are looking for support with:
– Project coordination of home season performances, presentations featuring local and guest artists, touring
– Coordinate weekly administrative meetings which includes producing an agenda, taking notes, and inviting the necessary participants
– Coordinate and organize cloud-based files and databases
– Maintain internal calendar by setting up reminders and invites to events including grant deadlines, production schedule, weekly meetings, and touring
– Communicate through email and phone with performers, technical crew, and the public
– Recruit, communicate, and coordinate volunteers for performances and events
– Assist with organizing and running fundraising and community events
– Coordinate and follow up with communication between the company and its vendors, presenters, and venues
– Assist in long term planning for future projects related to LLD and its community partners
– Be able to work remotely through video and telephone conferencing
The following skills are a plus but not required:
– Grant writing and fundraising experience
– Organizing documents, photos and videos for archival purposes
We typically work remotely with one weekly in-person work session in San Francisco.
Please email a resume and cover letter explaining your interest in the position and LLD, including names and contact information for two or more references (name, phone number, email, name of the organization) to LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com, subject line: Project Consultant.
For more info or questions, call (415) 570-8615.
Megan Lowe & Johnny Nguyen, photo by Robbie Sweeny
CALL FOR DANCERS for “And the Community Will Rise” 2020!
CALL FOR DANCERS!
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) is seeking female and male dancers of African and of European ancestry for “And the Community Will Rise” a series of 12 site-specific, immersive, multimedia performances in San Francisco at the Ping Yuen Housing Complex, September 10 – 27, or September 18 – October 4, 2020. LLD is open to dancers of various movement backgrounds. Training in modern / contemporary dance, experience in choreography, improvisation, and collaboration are a plus. Rehearsals will be twice a week starting in March, with dress rehearsals in August. All rehearsals and performances are paid.
Those interested can email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com to sign up for a January 12, 2020 audition rehearsal. Please also email a resume and video links of dance pieces you have choreographed or are featured dancing in. Call (415) 570-8615 for more information. Other appointments can be arranged. www.LenoraLeeDance.com
Background
“And the Community Will Rise” includes a series of 12 site-specific, multimedia, immersive performances, transforming selected common spaces, courtyards and apartments in Ping Yuen into performance sites with live contemporary dance, media design, recorded original music, and voiceover from interviews with former and current residents, advocates and historians.
In collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), this work would explore residents’ struggle for affordable housing and rights as tenants and recent immigrants, as well as the complexities of Ping Yuen tenants’ diverse cultural backgrounds including Chinese, Russians, and African Americans.
Timing is crucial as San Francisco is witnessing growing displacement of its low-income residents, and neighborhoods inhabited for decades by generations of communities of color are facing gentrification. Drawing from residents’ family history and lived experiences, the performances will explore the lasting impact of local Chinese Americans and their coalitions with other marginalized communities on both the community and the nation. These rituals of remembrance in historical spaces are critical to our communities in providing a sense of place in American society especially in the face of mass displacement.
Co-presented by CCDC, Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center
Supported in part by Creative Work Fund, California Arts Council, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Generous Individuals
Photos by Robbie Sweeny
CALL FOR “And the Community Will Rise” PARTICIPANTS 2020
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) is seeking former and current residents of San Francisco’s Ping Yuen Housing Complex, to share stories and experiences of living in the Ping Yuen, reflecting on the shared resiliency and collective community advocacy and accomplishments of residents for over 67 years.
Your participation will aid in the research for LLD’s newest project “And the Community Will Rise” a series of 12 site-specific, immersive, multimedia performances in the Ping Yuen Housing Complex, September 10 – 27, or September 18 – October 4, 2020, with an accompanying video installation on view March – May 2021.
Those interested can email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com or call (415) 570-8615 for more information by January 30, 2020.
Background
Premiering in September 10 – 27, 2020, “And the Community Will Rise” includes a series of 12 site-specific, multimedia, immersive performances, transforming selected common spaces, courtyards and apartments in Ping Yuen into performance sites with live contemporary dance, media design, recorded original music, and voiceover from interviews with former and current residents, advocates and historians.
In collaboration with the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), this work would explore residents’ struggle for affordable housing and rights as tenants and recent immigrants, as well as the complexities of Ping Yuen tenants’ diverse cultural backgrounds, including Chinese, Russians and African Americans.
Timing is crucial as San Francisco is witnessing growing displacement of its low-income residents, as neighborhoods inhabited for decades by generations of communities of color are facing gentrification. Drawn from residents’ family history and lived experiences, the performances will explore the lasting impact of local Chinese Americans and their coalitions with other marginalized communities on both the community and the nation. These rituals of remembrance in historical spaces are critical to our communities in providing a sense of place in American society especially in the face of mass displacement.
Co-presented by CCDC, Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center
Supported in part by Creative Work Fund, California Arts Council, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and Generous Individuals
Johnny Nguyen, Megan Lowe, Lynn Huang, photo by Robbie Sweeny
Introducing the ‘Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act of 2019’
Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act
Jeanette dedicated her life to social justice issues. Let’s do a bit of our own activism on her behalf.
The Jeanette Acosta Invest In Women’s Health Act will:
Expand access to preventive and life-saving cancer screenings
Increase funding for healthcare clinics serving populations most at-risk
Improve training for treating low-income women and women of color
Tools & Resources
Join us in calling our U.S. House Reps to Co-Sponsor H.R. 3129
The Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 3129) already has 42 co-sponsors, compared to 17 last year!
Let’s help Rep. Jimmy Gomez and his staff build momentum to make a request to increase co-sponsor support.
Use this social media kit to share messages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Find out who your U.S. House Representative is here.
Call your Congressperson by dialing the Capitol switchboard
(202-224-3121).
Ask to be connected to your member of Congress.
Once connected, you can speak to the legislative assistant in charge of health issues.
Or you can speak to the person who answers the telephone.
Use the talking points below to urge them to co-sponsor.
I urge Representative [name] to cosponsor the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act of 2019, H.R. 3129, introduced by Congressman Jimmy Gomez.
This important legislation would expand access to preventive, lifesaving women’s health screenings at safety net healthcare providers.
Specifically, the bill would create new grant and pilot programs to expand access to preventive services and better train health practitioners, especially in treating low-income women and women of color.
The bill is named for Jeanette Acosta, who dedicated her life to making the world a more just and inclusive place through public service, and who lost her battle with cervical cancer at the age of 32.
I hope Representative [name] will cosponsor the Jeanette Acosta Invest in Women’s Health Act of 2019, H.R. 3129, by contacting Congressman Jimmy Gomez’s office.
Encourage 3 friends to do the same!
Share, text, call, nudge this week.
Help grow the community.
Invite 3 friends to sign-up on this Remember Jeanette email list!
Click here to join
Volunteer Call for upcoming production ‘In the Skin of Her Hands’
Warm greetings community! Lenora Lee Dance is seeking volunteers for our upcoming production, “In the Skin of Her Hands”. The show will take place at Dance Mission Theater on November 1 and 2 at 8 pm and November 3rd at 5 pm. Lenora Lee Dance continues its immersive, multimedia audience engagement, and we are looking for volunteers to help the production run smoothly. Following are the details, volunteer roles, and how you can sign up. In addition, tickets are on sale NOW. Invite your community to see the next production of this award winning dance company.
Tickets: https://in-the-skin-of-her-hands.eventbrite.com
Izzie Awards: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/dance/lineup-for-isadora-duncan-awards-testifies-to-bay-areas-dance-diversity
Details:
We need 4 volunteers each day of the shows. There are various roles you can play. We ask that you commit for one day, Friday (11/1) and Saturday (11/2) 5:30-10:30pm and Sunday 11/3 and 2:30-7:30pm. In gratitude for volunteering, you will receive 1 complimentary ticket for each show you volunteer.
Dance Mission is located 3316 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110; across the street from the 24th St BART station. Street parking can be very challenging, so we highly suggest you take public transit. There is parking garage at Mission Bartlett Garage Google Maps. Follow link for rate information https://lots.impark.com
Volunteer Roles:
A. 4 volunteers to set up, clean up, pass out programs, and to direct audience from room to room, to their seats, and to maintain appropriate distance from the dancing area
RSVP via email to Shannon Preto, lenoraleedancemanager@gmail.com or call (415) 570-8615
Which date you would like to volunteer
Which date you or a friend would like to see the show
Your cell phone number so we can call, or text, as we get closer to the show
For more information:
Lenora Lee Dance: http://www.lenoraleedance.com
Tickets: https://in-the-skin-of-her-hands.eventbrite.com
Video trailer: https://vimeo.com/355460508
photos by Robbie Sweeny
1.) Johnny Nguyen, Jory Horn, Hien Huynh
2.) Lynn Huang
3.) Jacinta Wu
PRESS RELEASE: In the Skin of Her Hands
Lynn Huang photo by Robbie Sweeny
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lenora Lee
Email: LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com
(415) 570-8615
www.LenoraLeeDance.com
Dance Mission Theater in association with Asian Improv aRts and API Cultural Center present
as part of Dance Mission’s WORD Series (Womxn Oracular Radical Dance)
the World Premiere of a new multimedia dance experience
In the Skin of Her Hands
by Lenora Lee Dance
At Dance Mission Theater
3316 24th Street San Francisco, CA 94110
Post-Performance Panelists
Friday, 11/1, 8pm show – Karina Lee Howe, Pamela Munster, Julie Wong
Saturday, 11/2, 8pm show – Raymond Fong, Valerie Soe, Marie Weber-Retherford
Sunday, 11/3, *5pm show – Karina Lee Howe, Cristina Prada, Akriti Sharma
*note daylight savings time
Performances will begin on time, please arrive early.
Post-performance discussions to follow each show
Theater is on second floor, there is no elevator access
Lenora Lee & Hien Huynh photo by Robbie Sweeny
ADMISSION:
General Admission – $35
Arts Patron – $60 (includes reserved seating & invitation to special rehearsals)
Student, Senior – $25
Tickets: https://in-the-skin-of-her-hands.eventbrite.com
For more info: www.LenoraLeeDance.com
For questions or high resolution images, email LenoraLeeDance2@gmail.com, (415) 570-8615.
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) celebrates its 12th Anniversary Season with the World Premiere of our latest multimedia dance production, “In the Skin of Her Hands.” Inspired by the lives and experiences of those living with breast cancer, this piece is a journey through healing, compassion, and forgiveness in the face of the unknown. It will feature contemporary and aerial dance, multimedia film/video projection by Olivia Ting and Lenora Lee, original music by Francis Wong and Tatsu Aoki, as well as voiceover interviews from those with cancer, their loved ones, and experts in the field.
“In the Skin of Her Hands” will share stories and perspectives of those living with breast cancer, their families and communities, gained from a community engagement project involving interviews and workshops. So many women have been affected by breast cancer, including Lenora’s sister and mother, creating an extremely urgent need for greater awareness, information, and connection in the face of this health crisis. On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 3.3 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today.
LLD will premiere “In the Skin of Her Hands” 11/1 – 11/3/19 at Dance Mission Theater as part of the theater’s WORD Series (Womxn Oracular Radical Dance). We will include a panel of those living with cancer and experts in the field as part of the post-performance programming.
Through this process, we embrace moments of sharing and honoring women’s stories and experiences, in order to reflect collectively, inspire resiliency, and acknowledge the communal bravery, compassion, and endearing support of loved ones.
Johnny Nguyen & Megan Lowe photo by Robbie Sweeny
Jory Horn photo by Robbie Sweeny
“The words that are spoken are both incredibly specific and indelibly universal – the location comes alive and is given voice through Within These Walls.”
– Brian Resler, No Proscenium
Audience responses to LLD’s “Within These Walls”
“Deeply touched, deep sorrow. I was so moved. As beyond moved right now, still trying to metabolize the complexity” – Amber Cady
“It was a truly unique and powerful experience, and I feel fortunate to have witnessed it. It snuck into my dreams last night.”
“It was brilliant and emotionally powerful.”
Lynn Huang & Megan Lowe photo by Robbie Sweeny
PRESS
Lenora Lee on Asian Pacific America with Robert Handa, NBC Bay Area, July 29, 2019
Audience responses to LLD’s “Within These Walls”
“Deeply touched, deep sorrow. I was so moved. As beyond moved right now, still trying to metabolize the complexity” – Amber Cady
“It was a truly unique and powerful experience, and I feel fortunate to have witnessed it. It snuck into my dreams last night.”
“It was brilliant and emotionally powerful.”
Conceived, Produced & Directed by Lenora Lee
Choreography by Lenora Lee in collaboration with performers Jory Horn,
Lynn Huang, Hien Huynh, SanSan Kwan, Megan Lowe, Johnny Nguyen
Music Score directed by Tatsu Aoki and Francis Wong, with Kioto Aoki, Edward Wilkerson Jr.
Vocals by Edward Kaikea Goo, Megan Lowe, Jacinta Wu
Media Design & Editing by Olivia Ting & Lenora Lee
Videography by Edward Kaikea Goo, Hien Huynh, Lenora Lee, Joel Wanek
Calligraphy by Jacinta Wu
Voiceover by Raymond Fong, Erika Gee, Marina Goez, Karina Lee Howe, Winnie Lai, JoAnn Lee, Lenora Lee, Mixi Li, Nancy Lim-Yee, Megan Lowe, Ha Wa Lui, Javier Moreno, Sandra Moreno, Pamela Munster, Cristina Prada, Camilo Romero, Isabel Romero, Rose, Valerie Soe, Melody Takata, Olivia Ting, Marie Weber-Retherford, Julie Wong, Jacinta Wu
Please Note:
- Comfortable footwear is encouraged
- Guests may encounter situations in close proximity with performers
We encourage guests with special needs to contact us prior to arrival at: LenoraLeeDanceManager@gmail.com
or (415) 570-8615
Dance Mission is located 3316 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110; across the street from the 24th St BART station. Street parking can be challenging, so we highly suggest you take public transit. There is a parking garage at Mission Bartlett Garage Google Maps. Follow link for rate information: lotsimpark
Volunteer Call
LLD is seeking volunteers for the weekend of shows. Join and work alongside the cast and crew to be apart of the production! For more information: click here or contact LenoraLeeDanceManager@gmail.com (415) 570-8615
Hien Huynh photo by Queenie Quan with Connection, 2019 bamboo installation by Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, taken at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
LENORA LEE DANCE
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) 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 21 years in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. She has been an Artist Fellow at the de Young Museum, a Djerassi Resident Artist, a Visiting Scholar at New York University 2012-2016, and an Artist in Residence at Dance Mission Theater. She is currently a 2019 United States Artists Fellow and has been recently awarded a Creative Work Fund and California Arts Council California Creative Communities grant with the Chinatown Community Development Center to collaborate on an immersive performance piece in 2020.
LLD’s recent work Within These Walls (WTW) received a Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Production by the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee. Hien Huynh, a main character in the piece, won the nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Performance by an Individual for his incredibly moving performance in the piece.
LLD creates works that are both set in public and private spaces, intimate and large-scale, inspired by individual stories as well as community strength. For the last 12 years, the company has been pushing the envelope of large-scale multimedia, and immersive 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 direction, composition) 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 Oakland Museum of California, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Jose Children’s Museum, and collaborated with various dance companies in the Bay Area. Her work shifts between video projection and altered 360 VR film experiences. She holds an MFA in Art Practice from U.C. Berkeley. 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 is currently an adjunct Full Professor at the Film, Video and New Media Department within the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 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
Jory Horn (dance) combines Cambodian culture and dance, as a means of advocacy to address challenges and celebrations of the Cambodian-American community. His guidance and mentorship of the Cambodian art form is a true testament of the strength and resilience of his people and survived through living dance masters Chayra Burt, Chey Chankethya, and Prumsodun Ok. Jory holds a BA in Dance and minor in Recreation Administration from CSU Sacramento.
Lynn Huang (dance) trained in modern dance, ballet, and Chinese dance. She has performed with Lenora Lee, Cynthia Ling Lee, HT Dance Company, and Ella Ben-Aharon/Sahar Javedani, among others. She studied ethnic minority dance at Minzu University in Beijing, China on a Fulbright fellowship and graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University with a BA in English.
Hien Huynh (dance) 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
SanSan Kwan (dance) teaches dance and dance studies at UC Berkeley. She has performed, in New York with Jonathon Appels, HT Chen, Maura Nguyen Donohue, and Joanna Mendl Shaw, among others. In San Francisco, she has worked with Lenora, as well as composer Scott Rubin. This is her eighth year with Lenora Lee Dance.
Megan Lowe (dance) is a dancer/choreographer/singer who creates her own works, and has performed with Flyaway Productions, Scott Wells & Dancers, Lizz Roman & Dancers, Epiphany Productions, Dance Brigade, and more. Megan teaches for Flyaway, Joe Goode Performance Group, Bandaloop, for contact improvisation gatherings, and for Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies at UC Berkeley, where she currently works as the Office Manager. mlowedances.wixsite.com/meganlowe
Johnny Huy Nguyen (dance) is a second generation Vietnamese American multidisciplinary, performing artist navigating the intersections between the personal and political. His practice is informed by fluency in street and contemporary dance forms to activate dialogue, healing, and actiont. In addition to Lenora Lee Dance Company, Johnny has also worked with Embodiment Project, Kularts, and James Graham Dance Theatre.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Dr. Raymond Fong worked as a counselor with City College of San Francisco’s (CCSF) Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) from 1990 to 2018, and as coordinator of the EOPS’ Second Chance program, a comprehensive academic support service program that was geared towards the needs of formerly incarcerated CCSF students. Ray holds a doctorate degree in International and Multicultural Education, a baccalaureate degree in Psychology, as well as masters degrees in MFT Counseling, and in Ethnic Studies. An accomplished bodybuilder, he is also a longtime martial artist who teaches karate at his San Mateo dojo. Ray’s mother battled with both breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease prior to her passing earlier this year. He and his family were confronted with many challenges in caring for their mother, and struggled in finding ways to create and maintain meaningful connections with her.
Karina Lee Howe earned a BA in Pre-Physical Therapy and a Minor in Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. She received a Master’s of Science in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. It was in college that Karina met Perry and their lifelong collaboration began. The twenties were the milestones of marriage and career. The thirties were establishing the family unit, and having four children. The forties were about nurturing the family (developing the football players, artists, lacrosse players and tennis players) and growing the therapy practice. With the introduction of Metastatic Breast Cancer, the fifties have become the period of change. The refocusing of life back on oneself. Relinquishing control to the medical professionals. The acquisition of knowledge, everything about her type of breast cancer and how to survive it. And new goals: to be the best patient there is, to cherish every day, and to impart life lessons to her family as often as she can.
Pamela Munster, MD is a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, she is leader of the Experimental Therapeutics Program, Director of Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit, and Co-Director of the UCSF Center for BRCA Research. In Dr. Munster’s lab, UCSF scientists are exploring new ways to detect, surveil, intercept, and cure BRCA-related cancers. In addition to her laboratory research, she develops novel strategies to treat patients with incurable cancers as an oncologist. Dr. Munster serves on multiple local, national and international committees focused on developing new treatments for cancer, has published over two hundred articles, authored textbooks and is a frequent lecturer. A native of Switzerland, she leads breast cancer awareness campaigns in the United States, United Arab Emirates, and India.
Dr. Munster was diagnosed with a BRCA2 mutation in 2012. There was not an easy place to coordinate her care, and so she set out to create the UCSF Center for BRCA Research in partnership with Alan Ashworth, PhD, FRS. By transcending the doctor-patient perspective, Dr. Munster gives a framework for successful treatment – epitomizing the personal, patient centered care that is a hallmark of the UCSF medical center. Dr. Munster recently authored Twisting Fate, about her experience as an oncologist and a cancer patient.
Cristina Prada was born in Colombia in 1931. She grew up around a farm in La Calera, a small town outside of the capital, Bogotá. Her mother, Cristina, died while giving birth to a younger sibling. Her father, Lorenzo, raised her and her four siblings. Cristina worked several jobs from a young age, eventually becoming the manager of a pharmaceutical laboratory and giving birth to her daughter, Isabel Cristina. In 1973, she immigrated to the United States and settled in southern California. For over 20 years, Cristina worked two full-time jobs, at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach and at various hotels around Disneyland. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, which went away with treatment, but then metastasized and was diagnosed again in 2018. Cristina attributes the cancer to the chemicals used during her years of employment in the U.S. She is heartened in her struggle by her three great granddaughters, Emma, Penelope, and Olivia Cristina.
Since 1986 Valerie Soe has produced nearly two dozen short films and documentaries which have exhibited worldwide. Her essays and articles have been published in numerous books and journals and she is the author of the blogbeyondasiaphilia.com. She is Professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. Her latest film, Love Boat: Taiwan, premiered in 2019. She discovered her cancer through a routine mammogram and subsequently had chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.
Marie Weber-Retherford is a wife and mother of three children, who are all in their 20’s now. She has been a registered Nurse for 40 years, currently still working full time in pediatric Emergency Department. Marie is a 12-year survivor of both DCIS (ductal) and invasive breast cancer, which was discovered by her own manual exam.
Julie Wong is a physical therapist and a certified lymphedema therapist at Proactive Physical Therapy. As a breast cancer survivor, she discovered a vacuum of care and information for other patients. Her background as an orthopedic specialist combined with her osteopathic and lymphedema studies and applications allowed her to develop protocols never conceived or tried. In 2013 Julie was honored with the Komen San Francisco “Make a Difference Award” for helping patients regain function, comfort, and understanding.
Dr. Akriti Sharma, DPT is a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and is Owner of Proactive Physical Therapy where the focus is on treating breast cancer patients. She utilizes a unique physical therapy protocol that addresses total body systems to help patients before, during, and after breast cancer treatment: including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and various breast cancer related surgeries. Akriti & her team at Proactive Physical Therapy are also involved in and support various breast cancer organizations throughout San Francisco.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dance Mission Theater’s WOMXN SPEAK: WORD series
Womxn’s Oracular Radical Dance. Dance Mission is proud to announce its presenting and program for 2018-2019, WORD, during which we are working closely with four groups of womxn identified artists. Don’t miss these exciting performances, conversations, and on-going investigations that dive into some of today’s most pressing topics. https://dancemissiontheater.org/womxn-speak/
Asian Improv aRts
As a non-profit multidisciplinary arts presenter it has produced high quality arts and cultural events for 24 years in the San Francisco Bay Area in community based and major venues such as Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (with Dohee Lee’s FLUX), Great American Music Hall (with SFJazz), and Zellerbach Playhouse (Cal Performances) as well as various venues outside the Bay Area including the Museum of Contemporary Arts (Chicago), Flynn Center (Vermont), Library of Congress (Washington DC) and Banlieues Bleus Festival (Paris, France). AIR pursues a strategy of collaboration between artists, community resources and mainstream institutions to create cultural and educational programming that brings together diverse sectors across generational, cultural and social experiences. http://www.asianimprov.org
APICC
The Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center’s (APICC) mission is to support and produce multidisciplinary art reflective of the unique experiences of Asian Pacific Islanders living in the United States. APICC was founded in 1996 by representatives of five nonprofit arts groups: Asian American Dance Performances, First Voice, Asian Improv aRts, the Asian American Theater Company, and Kearny Street Workshop. Since 1998, the center has promoted the artistic and organizational growth of San Francisco’s API arts community by organizing and presenting the annual United States of Asian America Festival as well as commissioning contemporary art for and by the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. https://www.apiculturalcenter.org
“In the Skin of Her Hands” is supported in part by Dance Mission Theater, United States Artists, CA$H a grants program of Dancers’ Group, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and Generous Individuals.
To contribute in the support of Karina, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/karinas-fight-for-life
Lenora Lee, Hien Huynh, Megan Lowe, Jory Horn, Lynn Huang, Johnny Nguyen photo by Robbie Sweeny
Lenora Lee Dance, Call for Participants!
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) is seeking participation for our new multimedia dance, “In the Skin of Her Hands,” a work dedicated to breast cancer survivors via a journey of healing, compassion, forgiveness and the unknown. LLD is looking for survivors and/or their loved ones who are open to sharing about experiences dealing with the disease, providing inspiration for the creation of the piece.
“In the Skin of Her Hands” will examine the effects of cancer on survivors, family, and community. So many women have been affected by breast cancer, including Lenora’s sister and mother. On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. Over 3.3 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today.
LLD will premiere “In the Skin of Her Hands” 11/1 – 11/3/19 at Dance Mission Theater as part of the theater’s WORD Series (Womxn Oracular Radical Dance). We hope to include a panel of experts in the field as part of the post-performance programming, and will look into ways to encourage early cancer screenings.
We invite your participation for a moment of sharing, honoring your stories and experiences, and reflecting collectively to inspire resiliency and acknowledge the gathered bravery, compassion, and endearing support of loved ones. Those interested please email Lenora at LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com or call 415-913-8725 by Sunday, 7/28/19.
With much appreciation,
Lenora and Company
Photo Credit: Robbie Sweeny
Dancers: Johnny Nguyen, Lynn Huang, Wei-Shan Lai
UPNEXT! ‘In the Skin of Her Hands’ excerpts by Lenora Lee Dance
sections of an upcoming new dance work inspired by the lives and experiences of cancer survivors, a meditation on healing, compassion, forgiveness and the unknown.
“We feel the rivers flowing through the depths of her veins, through the question of tomorrow, through the broken visions of the future to the pale softness of her skin, holding the storm inside.” – Lenora Lee
– Saturday, 6/8/19, 1pm at the Chinese Historical Society, CHSA
featuring dancers: Hien Huynh & Lenora Lee
voiceover: Karina Lee Howe
music directed by Tatsu Aoki
– Sunday, 7/14/19, 1pm as part of Yerba Buena Gardens ChoreoFest, SF,
YBGF CHOREFEST 2019
featuring dancers: Hien Huynh, Lynn Huang, Wei-Shan Lai, Johnny Nguyen
-8/2 – 8/4/19 as part of the Asia Pacific Dance Festival, Honolulu Hawaii-Asia Pacific Dance
featuring dancers: Hien Huynh & Lenora Lee
dancers: Lenora Lee & Hien Huynh
photo by: Robbie Sweeny