World Premiere of “In the Movement” September 1-11, 2022

Johnny Nguyễn by Robbie Sweeny

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lenora Lee

Phone: (415) 913-8725

Email: LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com

www.LenoraLeeDance.com

Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center and Lenora Lee Dance present 

World Premiere of In the Movement

by the award-winning company, Lenora Lee Dance

at ODC Theater

Thursday – Saturdays, 9/1, 9/2, 9/3, 9/8, 9/9, 9/10 at 7:30pm

And Sundays, 9/4, 9/11 at 2pm

Performances will begin on time, please arrive early.

“In the Movement” is a heartfelt and explosive dance piece focusing on separation of families and mass detention of immigrants as forms of incarceration. It serves as a meditation on reconciliation and restorative justice, speaking to the power of individuals and communities to transcend.

LOCATION

ODC Theater

3153 17th Street (between South Van Ness & Folsom) 

San Francisco, CA 94110

https://odc.dance/theaterseason 

Street parking or local garages are available. Please plan ahead regarding parking.

ADMISSION 

Link to ticket site

$25 – $50

For more info: www.LenoraLeeDance.com, https://odc.dance/theaterseason 

For questions or high resolution images, email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com, (415) 913-8725

LINK TO ARTIST PHOTOS

Audience Responses from LLD’s award-winning Within These Walls production:

“I thought about ICE jails, people who fear deportation, and refugees overseas. It was heavy….and so beautiful.”

“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, so timely given the global dialogue around immigration. I was there with my seven year old son, and the piece made a big impression on him.”

“I was deeply affected and moved by the performance. I left in tears, and literally cried every time I replayed the performance in my head for 4 days afterward.”

“It was brilliant and emotionally powerful.”

Johnny Nguyễn by Robbie Sweeny

Conceived, Produced & Directed by Lenora Lee

Choreography by Lenora Lee in collaboration with the performers / dance collaborators

Performers / Dance Collaborators: Keanu Brady, Felicitas Fischer, YiTing (Gama) Hsu, Lynn Huang, Hien Huynh, SanSan Kwan, Samuel Melecio-Zambrano, Danny Nguyen, Johnny Huy Nguyen

Music directed by Francis Wong & Tatsu Aoki

Media Design by Lenora Lee & Olivia Ting

Resource Partner: Asian Prisoner Support Committee

Interviewee: Borey Ai

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, incarceration, global conflict, and its impacts, particularly on women and families. The company 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, at times crafted for the proscenium, or underwater, or in the air, and at times are site-responsive, immersive and interactive. For the last 14 years LLD 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

ODC THEATER

ODC Theater exists to empower and develop innovative artists. It participates in the creation of new works through commissioning, presenting, mentorship and space access; it develops informed, engaged and committed audiences; and advocates for the performing arts as an essential component to the economic and cultural development of our community. Since 1976, ODC Theater, founded by Brenda Way, has been the mobilizing force behind countless San Francisco artists and the foothold for national and international touring artists seeking debut in the Bay Area. ODC Theater is currently under the creative direction of Chloë L. Zimberg.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

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

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.com

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

Keanu Brady (dance) Artist since 2016, Keanu hails from Salt Lake City, Utah, and enjoyed a nomadic upbringing with his mother and siblings. Finding dance at 15, he nurtured his own relationship to the art form through hip-hop and his improvisational body. He then received a BFA from the University of Utah, which in turn opened doors to dance in California, New York, Vermont, England, Paris, and hopefully more. Movement is his lens to negotiate his role in this world, find questions to answers, and answers to questions. He is currently a company member of FACT/SF and has had the honor of working closely with LEVYdance, Sara Shelton Mann, Kim Epiphano, AXIS Dance Company, and other bay area artists.

Felicitas Fischer (dance) is a contemporary dance artist and budding choreographer interested in diverse dance practices from around the world that reflect her own polyethnic-cultural background. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.A in Performing Arts & Social Justice in Dance (2019), where she performed in choreographic works by Simpson/Stulberg Collaborations, Dazaun Soleyn, Megan Nicely, Nicole Klaymoon, Amber Julian, Eli Nelson, Amie Dowling, Jennifer Polyocan, and other local interdisciplinary artists. In addition to performing, Felicitas contributes annually to the online dance journal Stance on Dance, and is the founder of 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 recently selected for the Bay Area Shorts Film Festival and featured in USF’s Thacher Gallery Art Exhibition: All That You Touch.

YiTing (Gama) Hsu (dance) 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 has danced with Hsu Chen Wei Production, Les Petites Choses Production, David Harrera Performance Company Alyssandra Katherine Dance Project, Kinetech Arts and Epiphany Dance Theater. www.gamahsu.com 

Lynn Huang (dance)  Trained in modern dance, ballet, and Chinese dance, Lynn has performed with Lenora Lee, Erin Malley, & Philein Wang in San Francisco, and HT Dance Company, Dance China NY & 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.

Hien Huynh (dance) was born in Da Nang, Vietnam. Through the sacrifices, courage, and resiliency of his parents’ refugee passage, Hien dedicates his artistic and living practices to share, move, and dance in honor of their story alongside the oceanic journeys of ancestors. His movement practices stem from the spirit of improvisation. He recognizes improvisation as an ancestral form of survival, navigation, clarity, and expression. As a performing artist, Hien was nominated and received an Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Individual Performance (Within These Walls, Lenora Lee Dance 2019). He is a 2020 San Francisco Arts Commission IAC recipient and was awarded Ca$h Grant for 2017, 2018, & 2020. He is honored to have performed in the works of Lenora Lee Dance, Kim Epifano, Robert Moses’ Kin, Kinetech Arts, Christy Funch & Nol Simonse, PUSH, DSDT, and punkkiCO. www.hien-huynh.com 

SanSan Kwan (dance) teaches dance and dance studies at UC Berkeley.  She has danced with Jonathon Appels, Joanna Mendl Shaw, Chen and Dancers, and Maura Nguyen Donohue/In Mixed Company, among others.

Samuel Melecio-Zambrano (dance) was first exposed to dance in the womb, as his mother and father salsa-ed their way about the living room. In 2018, he received a BFA in Dance from the University of South Florida (USF). He then moved to Melbourne, Australia to continue training, and following a fruitful stint as an avocado picker in Queensland, Australia, Samuel moved back to the United States. Now a certified Countertechnique teacher and freelance dancer in San Francisco, he has performed with FACT/SF, Robert Moses’ Kin, Kinetech Arts, Kristin Damrow & Company, Garrett + Moulton Production, and Mark Foehringer Dance Projects among others. 

Danny Nguyen (dance) – became interested in movement while performing color guard in Drum Corps International and Winter Guard International. While studying at UC Berkeley, he refined his dance abilities studying under Bliss Kohlmyer, Kathleen Hermamestadorff, Katie Faulkner, and Joe Goode.  Shortly after graduating Danny toured with the Broadway musical Blast!, performing in the United States, South Korea, and Japan. He has been dancing professionally for over 10 years having performed with Joe Goode, Kim Epifano, Scott Wells, Katie Faulkner, and Bandaloop. Danny’s dancing career has led to a passion for helping others understand and navigate movement and the body; he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy.

Johnny Huy Nguyen (dance) 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

In the Movement  is supported by Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center, ODC Theater, Cal Humanities, California Arts Council, Fleishhacker Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Phyllis Wattis Foundation, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and by Generous Individuals. Special thanks to Asian Prisoner Support Committee.

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

Asian Improv aRts’ 35th Anniversary Celebration: Expansions // Horizons June 30th, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Lenora Lee

Phone: (415) 913-8725

Email: Lenora@asianimprov.org 

https://www.asianimprov.org 

Asian Art Museum in collaboration with 

Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center & Lenora Lee Dance present 

Asian Improv aRts’ 35th Anniversary Celebration

Expansions // Horizons

For 35 years, Asian Improv aRts (AIR) has been at the forefront of the Asian and Asian American movement – advancing artists, activism, and culture on a national level. Come join us for two unique programs of music, dance, and film, bringing together multiple generations of AIR artists, as we celebrate this historic milestone and look forward to the future with radical imagination.

Featuring performances and work by:

• Kioto Aoki (taiko / percussion), Chicago
• Tatsu Aoki (taiko / shamisen), Chicago
• Karl Evangelista (guitar), Bay Area 
• Marina Fukushima (dance), Bay Area 
• Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Bay Area 
• YiTing (Gama) Hsu (dance), Taiwan / Bay Area 
• Hien Huynh (dance), Bay Area
• Christopher Lam (Vietnamese Monochord – Đàn Bầu), Bay Area 
• Jacqueline Lam (Vietnamese zither – Đàn Tranh), Bay Area 
• William Roper (tuba), Los Angeles 
• Karen Stackpole (multiple percussion), Bay Area
• Melody Takata (taiko), Bay Area  
• Francis Wong (saxophone), Bay Area
• And additional artists TBA

At Asian Art Museum

Thursday, June 30, 2022

Program A: 6-7pm, and 

Program B: 7:30-8:30pm

Performances will begin on time, please arrive early.

LOCATION

Asian Art Museum

200 Larkin Street (at McAllister St)

San Francisco, CA  94102

https://asianart.org or (415) 581-3500

Click here for parking & transportation

ADMISSION 

$10 plus museum admission

All attendees are required to wear masks following current CDC, city and state guidelines.

For more info: https://www.asianimprov.org, https://asianart.org  

For questions or high resolution images, email Lenora@asianimprov.org , (415) 913-8725

The Asian Art Museum strives to be welcoming and accessible to all. Please visit our Accessibility page to see a full list of accommodations, including complimentary assistive listening devices, ASL interpretation, and wheelchairs. Please note that for some accommodations, we require at least two weeks advance notice. 

Asian Improv aRts

Since 1987, Asian Improv aRts (AIR) has built a national cross-cultural, interdisciplinary community rooted in social justice and equity, advancing artists who create innovative works representing Asian and Asian American experiences. AIR’s impact has been far-reaching; building the strength, sustainability and national visibility of Asian American arts and culture, embedded in community-based work with an authentic Asian American voice and grounded in a social justice approach that has deep connections to BIPOC communities. Over its 35 years, AIR has produced more than 100 recordings of Asian American artists, chronicling a legacy of Asian artistic excellence in the U.S. and mentored many artists in their early stages, some of whom are now luminaries in their field, such as Vijay Iyer and Jen Shyu.

(Work in network, co-commission, fellow, record label)

__________________________________

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Kioto Aoki // 青木希音

Kioto Aoki is an artist, educator and musician who descends from the Toyoakimoto performing arts family in Tokyo with roots dating back to the Edo period. Studying under her Tokyo-born father, she carries on the artistic family lineage as a taiko artist in Chicago, also playing shamisen and tsuzumi. Musical projects include Yoko Ono’s SKYLANDING, Tatsu Aoki’s The MIYUMI Project, Experimental Sound Studio’s Sonic Pavilion Festival, and Soundtrack at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. https://kiotoaoki.com 

Tatsu Aoki 

Tatsu Aoki is a community advocate, filmmaker, educator, and prolific composer and performer of traditional and experimental music forms. As Executive Director of Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW), Aoki has initiated several programs to advance the understanding of traditional arts. He is also a founder of the Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival. In 2019, he received the Community Service award from the Asian American Coalition of Chicago and was recently awarded the 2020 United States Artist Fellowship and Illinois Arts Council Fellowship for his work as a musician, composer, and educator. https://tatsuaoki.com 

Ben Goldberg

Clarinetist / composer Ben Goldberg grew up in Denver. He was a pupil of the eminent clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo and studied with Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano. Since 1992, when his group New Klezmer Trio “kicked open the door for radical experiments with Ashkenazi roots music” (SF Chronicle), Ben has shaped a career through curiosity and experimentation. The New York Times says Ben’s music “conveys a feeling of joyous research into the basics of polyphony and collective improvising, the constant usefulness of musicians intuitively coming together and pulling apart.” http://www.bengoldberg.net

Karl Evangelista

Filipino-American guitarist/composer Karl Evangelista (b.1986) ranks among a new wave of musicians pushing the traditions of jazz, experimentalism, and political music into the 21st century. Evangelista has performed with the likes of Andrew Cyrille, Fred Frith, Oliver Lake, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Bobby Bradford, Ben Goldberg, and Francis Wong. Signal to Noise magazine hails Evangelista as “one of the most original instrumentalists and composers of his generation,” and as the creative force behind boundary-breaking group Grex, Evangelista’s music has been called an “otherworldly experience” (Eugene Weekly). https://www.karlevangelista.com

Marina Fukushima

Marina Fukushima is a dancer and choreographer based in San Francisco. Born in Tokyo, Japan, she immigrated to the US in 1992. From a cross-cultural perspective, her creative focus is on the themes of silence, family, and intergenerational relationships. Amongst her projects, she created “Family Seasons” and “Zoom Dinner” in collaboration with her parents (both visual artists). Also, in collaboration with Isak Immanuel, a series of intergenerational dance works like “Festival of Shadows” was developed. Additionally, she has performed with numerous dance companies including KUNST-STOFF, ODC, Lenora Lee Dance, and Tableau Stations and toured across the US and internationally.  

YiTing (Gama) Hsu

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 has danced with Hsu Chen Wei Productions, Les Petites Choses Productions, David Herrera Performance Company, Alyssandra Katherine Dance Project, Kinetech Arts, and Epiphany Dance Theater. www.gamahsu.com 

Hien Huynh

Hien Huynh was born in Da Nang, Vietnam. Through the sacrifices, courage, and resiliency of his parents’ refugee passage, Hien dedicates his artistic and living practices to share, move, and dance in honor of their story alongside the oceanic journeys of ancestors. His movement practices stem from the spirit of improvisation. He recognizes improvisation as an ancestral form of survival, navigation, clarity, and expression. As a performing artist, Hien was nominated and received an Isadora Duncan Award for Outstanding Individual Performance (Within These Walls, Lenora Lee Dance 2019). He is a 2020 San Francisco Arts Commission IAC recipient. He is honored to have performed in the works of Lenora Lee Dance, Kim Epifano, Robert Moses’ Kin, Kinetech Arts, Christy Funch & Nol Simonse, PUSH, DSDT, and punkkiCO. www.hien-huynh.com 

Christopher Lam

Studying Vietnamese Monochord (Dan Bau) for over a decade under Emmy Award winning master Vanessa Van Anh Vo, he has performed with Asian Improv aRts, Lenora Lee Dance, and Jimi Nakagawa. at venues such as the Legion of Honors, Asian Art Museum, and Kennedy Center. He takes his influences from both traditional and contemporary Vietnamese music alongside improvisational methods. Within Au Co Center, he is a teacher apprentice for beginner students and stage logistics coordinator for performances within the Vietnamese community’s arts and culture. 

Jacqueline Lam

For over a decade, Jacqueline has learned and performed the Vietnamese zither (Dan Tranh) and has been trained by Emmy Award winner master artist, Vanessa Van Anh Vo. Over time, Jacqueline has developed her musical knowledge and skills, from traditional and contemporary Vietnamese music to improvisation. She has collaborated and performed with various ensembles/artists – Asian Improv aRts, Lenora Lee Dance – and has performed for various venues – Asian Art Museum, Legion of Honors, and the Kennedy Center. She is currently a teacher apprentice for beginner students and the Su Viet Ensemble coordinator at the Au Co Center. 

William Roper

William Roper is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist concentrating his efforts in music composition/performance, painting, digital and video art. His primary instrument is the tuba. He also specializes in primitive and ethnic aerophones extemporaneous and spoken word performance. He has appeared as soloist and ensemble member in the Americas, Europe and Japan. His visual work has been exhibited in the U.S. and Europe. Roper heads the record label and arts organization Tomato Sage Consortium. Though he has lived in the same place for three decades, he is always looking for home. 

Karen Stackpole

Drummer/percussionist Karen Stackpole has a long-standing passion for gongs. In her exploration of metals, she has cultivated some distinctive techniques for drawing harmonics out of tam tams with various implements. She specializes in dynamic soundscapes and textures and has contributed gong sounds to more conventional musical genres as well as contributing source material for film soundtracks. In addition to solo work, she performs and records with various projects including Machine Shop: Live Amplified Gong Experience (a duo with electronics master, Drew Webster), Sabbaticus Rex, Ghost in the House, Vorticella, the Francis Wong Unit, and the rock band Steel Hotcakes. https://www.facebook.com/Machine-Shop-Live-Amplified-Gong-Experience-137078913044811 

Melody Takata

Founder and artistic director of GenRyu Arts, Melody Takata is a Japanese Diaspora artist. Takata is a taiko (Japanese drums) composer/arranger, and dancer/choreographer. Takata is trained in classical Japanese dance, and from the Kineya School of shamisen. In her 25+ year career she has engaged in creating new works in these traditions. She has been a recipient of Creative Work Fund, Alliance of California Traditional Arts: Living Culture, Master/Apprentice program, California Arts Council Local Impact, and National Endowment for the Arts to name a few. https://www.melodytakata.com 

Francis Wong

Francis Wong co-founded Asian Improv aRts with Jon Jang in 1987. Wong is a saxophonist, composer, educator, and community worker, with roots in the Asian American Consciousness Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. https://www.franciswong.net  

Supported in part by Asian Art Museum, Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Lenora Lee Dance, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and by Generous Individuals

January 20, 2022 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

World Premiere of “Convergent Waves: SF” Thursday, June 9, 2022

Lynn Huang & Johnny Nguyễn by Robbie Sweeny

Johnny Nguyễn and Lynn Huang photo by Robbie Sweeny

January 17, 2022 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

Lenora Lee Dance, Reflection & Gratitude

(Back Row) Wayne Tai Lee, Lynn Huang, Johnny Nguyen, Gama Hsu, Q. Quan, Lenora Lee,

(Front Row) Amber Julian, SanSan Kwan, Melissa Lewis, Jacinta Wu, Ethan, Elsie & Edward Kaikea Goo, Hien Huynh by Robbie Sweeny

Dear Community,

• LLD worked with Chinatown Community Development Center to perform excerpts and complete the filming of And the Community Will Rise, inspired by the fight for tenants’ rights by current and former residents of Ping Yuen housing complex. We shared in the “Peaceful Garden Summer Block Party”, promoting unity and solidarity within our communities, with an emphasis on our Black and Asian communities.
• LLD traveled to Boston to create and screen the short film Meditations on the Power of Community illuminating stories of their Chinatown community alongside Shen Wei’s paintings.
• Online presentations, convenings, podcasts, small performances, and articles rounded out our 2021. See www.LenoraLeeDance.com for film and video of these presentations.

Going forward into our 14th Season

Moving into a full 2022, we seek opportunities to screen our film And the Community Will Rise, continue to work in Boston to premiere Convergent Waves: Boston at Pao Arts Center April 21-24, 2022, celebrating the contributions of activists and non-profit leaders in the fight for affordable housing, eliciting stories of community agency and resilience.

On June 9, 2022, LLD will premiere Convergent Waves: SF at the Asian Art Museum, featuring dancers from Boston & SF. We will finalize and screen our Within These Walls film by filmmaker Tatsu Aoki, inspired by those detained and interrogated at the U.S. Immigration Station on Angel Island.

In September 1st -11th, 2022, LLD will premiere In the Movement in SF, focusing on separation of families, deportation, and mass detention of immigrants as a form of incarceration.

Your support is critical during this time of recovery

Contemporary segregation exists along color, class, geographic, economic, and material lines. We need to clear the divide, the fear of indifference, and the resistance to change with risk-taking vulnerability. It is appreciation of diversity, and power in uplifting voices of collaboration into leadership roles that will bring facets of American society together, allow us to dissolve barriers of discrimination & control, and bear witness to our collective abilities to grow, unify, and transform. 

We deeply appreciate your generosity and invite you to make a contribution today! 

Your gift will directly support the above programs: performances, tours, film screenings, interviews and discussions. With the intensity of this year, and the myriad of adjustments we’ve all had to make in our lives, we are ever so grateful for your continued support. Wishing you grace and love,

Lenora Lee      Hien Huynh    Lucy Tafler

Artistic Director Marketing & Outreach Project Consultant

We are grateful for the support of ArtsEmerson, Asian Art Museum, Asian Improv aRts, Asian Improv aRts Midwest, API Cultural Center, Boston Asian American Film Festival, California Arts Council, Cal Humanities, Chinatown Community Development Center, Fleishhacker Foundation, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, Pao Arts Center, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, SF Arts Commission, SF Grants for the Arts, The Creative Work Fund a program of Walter and Elise Haas Fund also supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Zellerbach Family Foundation, and you.

Photo Credits: SanSan Kwan, Lynn Huang, Lenora Lee, Johnny Nguyen, Hien Huynh, Chloe Luo, Gama Hsu, Amber Julian, Megan Lowe, Clarissa Dyas, Melissa Lewis, Jacinta Wu, Edward Kaikea Goo, Wayne Tai Lee

Photos by Robbie Sweeny 

November 12, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

CALL FOR ASIAN MALE & LATINX DANCERS!

CALL FOR ASIAN MALE & LATINX DANCERS!

Lenora Lee Dance (LLD), based in San Francisco, is seeking Asian/Asian American male and Latinx dancers for performances in Spring and Fall 2022. 

LLD is looking for dancers with experience in choreography, improvisation, collaboration, modern / contemporary dance, and or other dance styles, for the following two projects in 2022.

“Convergent Waves” in Boston April 21-24, 2022 & SF June 9, 2022

“Convergent Waves” will be a series of 6 site-specific, multimedia performances in Boston in and around Pao Arts Center, April 21-24, 2022, and in San Francisco June 9, 2022 at the Asian Art Museum, with the possibility of touring Los Angeles and NYC in 2023. This opportunity is for Asian/Asian American male dancers.

Rehearsals will begin in SF & Boston January 2022, with Boston rehearsals occurring one week per month almost every month, for approximately 20 hours each time through April 2022 shows. All flights, lodging, rehearsal and performance time is paid.

This work celebrates the contributions of residents, activists and non-profit leaders towards the preservation of community, as neighborhoods across the country inhabited for generations face displacement through gentrification.

_________________________

“In the Movement” in San Francisco – September or October 2022

“In the Movement” will be a new multimedia dance project: 6 in person and virtual performances with community dialogues September or October 2022. Comment end It will focus on the separation of families and mass detention of immigrants as a form of incarceration, and will serve as a meditation on reconciliation and restorative justice, speaking to the power of individuals and communities to transcend. This opportunity is for Asian/Asian American male & Latinx dancers.

We’re looking at rehearsals in SF twice per week starting in May, with 2 weeks of performances somewhere in the 9/1 – 10/9/22 time frame, depending on everyone’s availability. Preference is for 9/1 – 9/11/22, but is TBD. All rehearsal and performance time is paid.

______________________

Those interested in either opportunity can email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com 

• your contact number, 
• a resume, 
• your website or social media handle
• up to four video links of dance pieces you have choreographed or are featured dancing in by Monday, October 18, 2021

Video call backs / Auditions will be between October 25 – November 4, 2021, with notifications sent by November 12, 2021.

Call (‪415) 913-8725‬ for more information.

http://www.lenoraleedance.com

Image credits: Hien Huynh & Johnny Nguyen by Kate Fim 

Image credits: Macio Payomo, Johnny Nguyen, SanSan Kwan & YiTing (Gama) Hsu by Kate Fim

These projects are 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, California Arts Council, Cal Humanities, San Francisco Arts Commission, and San Francisco Grants for the Arts 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, 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

October 4, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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

 

August 27, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation: Art and Social Justice

Saint Joseph’s Arts Foundation (ticketed)

• Wednesday, September 1, 2021
• 6:30 PM  7:30 PM

• Saint Joseph’s Art Society1401 Howard StreetSan Francisco, CA, 94103United States (map)

• Google Calendar  ICS

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.

August 27, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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.

www.LenoraLeeDance.com

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 

August 8, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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”

July 20, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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. 

More information (Shen Wei | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) 

Language: English with Chinese Subtitles 

Age: All-ages

Screenings and panel discussions

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

April 24, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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

April 11, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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.

March 25, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

dual upcoming events with artistic director Lenora Lee!

Women’s History Panel – Shawl Anderson program

eventbrite link: here

_________________________________________________________________________

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?

March 20, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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”

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.

.

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 EVENTSVideo 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.

March 7, 2021 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

Words of Gratitude

Chloe Luo & Johnny Nguyen photo by KateFim

Dear Community, Friends, 

• 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. 
• 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. 
• 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

November 17, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

In Community

Asian Improv aRts and Asian Improv Arts Midwest

 

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

June 3, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

Words of Gratitude from our Artists. Dancing Remotely

“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.” 

March 30, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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.

www.LenoraLeeDance.com

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

February 19, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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

January 10, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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

January 10, 2020 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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.

www.LenoraLeeDance.com

Megan Lowe & Johnny Nguyen, photo by Robbie Sweeny

December 24, 2019 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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

December 24, 2019 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »

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.

www.LenoraLeeDance.com

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

December 24, 2019 | Categories: Community Events, Latest Updates | Leave A Comment »