Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center & Chinese Historical Society of America present
The Re-Staging of the Award Winning multimedia immersive dance experience
Within These Walls
And World Premiere of the sequel, Dreams of Flight
by Lenora Lee Dance
At the U.S. Immigration Station, Angel Island State Park
Saturdays & Sundays, May 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th & 19th, 2019
11am-12:30pm or 1-2:30pm
Performances will begin on time, please arrive early.
ADMISSION + TRANSPORTATION,
visit eventbrite.com/e/within-these-walls-its-sequel-tickets-54015520877
For more info: LenoraLeeDance.com, email LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com, (415) 913-8725
Within These Walls (WTW) received a Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Production by the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee. Hien Huynh, who played a character inspired by the life of Wong Gong Jue, is nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Performance by an Individual for his incredibly moving performance in the piece.
Lenora Lee Dance (LLD) celebrates its 12th Anniversary Season with the Re-Staging of the Award Winning Within These Walls (2017), and the World Premiere of its sequel Dreams of Flight, both site-responsive, immersive, multimedia dance works created for the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay, for three weekends 5/4 - 5/19/19. These works for 12 performers, integrate contemporary dance, video projection, recorded original music, and poetry, serve as a meditation on healing, resilience, and compassion.
Inspired by experiences of those detained and processed at the Station, Within These Walls & Dreams of Flight will transform and animate the historic Barracks into sites for remembrance. They will commemorate the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, speaking to the power of individuals and communities to transcend. Both are dedicated to the 170,000 Chinese who were detained, interrogated and processed at the Station between 1910 - 1940 as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which tore families apart and resulted in a mass incarceration experience that forever stamps the experience of Chinese in America.
Audiences will journey within a labyrinth of rooms throughout the historic, two-story buildings experiencing intimate interactive environments, and a tapestry of movement, sound, poetry and film integrated throughout surfaces of the building and within the walls.
Audience Feedback from WTW:
“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, and of course, 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.”
PRESS
Immigrants Tormented as Angel Island Detainees Recreated in Dance
By Beth Spotswood, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/14/17
sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Immigrants-torment-as-Angel-Island-detainees-12198419.php
Angel Island a historical setting for Lenora Lee’s ‘Walls’
By Leslie Katz, San Francisco Examiner, 9/7/17
sfexaminer.com/angel-island-historical-setting-lenora-lees-walls/
Conceived, Produced & Directed by Lenora Lee
Choreography by Lenora Lee in collaboration with performers George Cheng, Derek Harris, Jory Horn, Yi-Ting (Gama) Hsu, Lynn Huang, Hien Huynh, Carl Irons, SanSan Kwan, Wei-Shan Lai, Chloe Luo, Johnny Nguyen, Dalmacio Payomo, Shannon Preto, and Alley Wilde, with contributions from some of the original 2017 cast: Yao Dang, Timothy Huey, Eric Koziol, Wayne Tai Lee, Kevin Lo, Stacey Yuen
Music Score by Francis Wong and Tatsu Aoki, with Kioto Aoki, JoVia Armstrong, Rami Atassi, Jonathan Chen, Suwan Choi, Deszon X. Claiborne, Coco Elysses, Jason Kao Hwang, Michael Jamanis, Jamie Kempkers, Chad Taylor, Edward Wilkerson Jr., Michael Zerang
Poetry & Text by Genny Lim and Wong Gung Jue
Voiceover by Lynn Huang, Hien Huynh, Todd Nakagawa, Johnny Nguyen, Shannon Preto
Media Design by Olivia Ting
Videography Directed by Lenora Lee
Filmed by Lenora Lee, Shannon Preto, Olivia Ting
Edited by Tatsu Aoki, Lenora Lee, Olivia Ting
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: LenoraLeeDance@gmail.com or (415) 913-8725
LenoraLeeDance.com
