Helen Lee
Dance
Chicago, IL
Helen Lee (they/she) is a Queer Asian Chicago-born interdisciplinary artist raised by immigrant parents from South Korea. They received an MFA with a focus in Performance and Film from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BA in Dance with a minor in Theatre from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. They have been teaching yoga, meditation and mindfulness since 2007. That same year, they formed Momentum Sensorium, a project-based company that has created and choreographed in unconventional locations such as lighthouses, train stations, and inside homes. Their work is rooted in a deep investigation of honoring and celebrating life, death, cultural identity and ancestral lineage. They weave movement, somatics, mindful eating, storytelling, video, plant medicine, taxidermy, installation and/or social practice that examine facets of trauma, racism, grief, joy, healing and meanings of home. Many of their curiosities are driven by the ways humans choose to lean into the subtle, slowing down and softening as a way to bring connection, disruption and evolution to themselves, others, truth and nature. They have residencies and/or presented works in the US, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Iceland, Finland and Canada. They have studied and trained with Lori Othani, Eiko Otake, Tadashi Endo and Maureen Freehill. They have been a company member for Khecari’s "Tend", The Humans, Tangentz Butoh Performance Group (Lori Othani), Aloha Dancers, Friends of Polynesia and understudied with Iona Contemporary Dance Theatre. They are a frequent performer and improviser for Cristal Sabbagh’s Freedom From Freedom To series at Elastic Arts. They have been an Artist in Residence at Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago Cultural Center, Links Hall and High Concept Labs at Mana Contemporary. Helen was selected as a Newcity Breakout Artist in 2022, was a 2024 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist and Dance/USA Finalist to Fellowships to Artists.