Translating Stories into Dance with Lenora Lee

From the age of four, Lenora Lee loved how dance allowed her to communicate the way she felt and to share experiences with others. Born and raised in San Francisco, Lee, now a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Lenora Lee Dance, combines elements such as dance, video, martial arts, music and text to create work that connects movement with cultural and human rights issues. KQED Art School learned about Lee and her dancers, and their multi-media approach to live performance. Introduce students to Lenora’s work in a short documentary about her work, which was made for a student audience. Next, follow up with the demo below that explains how to turn personal stories into gestural movements. This activity helps integrate art into English/Language Arts writing projects, while also introducing ideas about cultural identity and displacement.