Bernice Lee is a contemporary dance artist from and in Singapore. Her labours are rooted in improvisation, and sees art-making as social activism. Her choreography deals with time as primary material. “Ghosting” articulates her current practice and developing methodology for creation and performance.
Bernice plays shapeshifting roles when working in teams and projects with fellow artists. Her activities include improvising, choreographing, directing, performing, teaching, facilitating and writing. She is co-director of Derring-Do Dance/Rolypoly Family. She co-directs Tactility Studies with Chong Gua Khee.
Part of Maya Dance Theatre’s main creative team from 2014-2017, she traveled widely, performed and collaborated in dance theatre works, while training intensively in Bharathanatyam, Taichi and Indonesian dance forms. She performed and choreographed for Frontier Danceland from 2012-2014, dancing in repertoire by local and guest choreographers. She continues to work with both companies.
She is featured in Reality Lost, a different documentary about quantum mechanics, by filmmaker Karol Jalochowski, who also created this record of Strangeweather Movement Group's Spooky Action (at a distance). She can also be found playing multiple roles in Singapore Minstrel, a fantasy-documentary painting the magical universe of Singapore's wildest busker. Directed by Xi Jie Ng, the film features Roy Payamal, also known as the "Silver Man". A restless and prolific performer, Bernice has performed in such diverse works including Baby Space by Dalija Thelander, Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy, Indulgence by Eng Kai Er (with Jereh Leung and herself), and One Show Only by Byron Perry.
An associate member at Dance Nucleus, and a part-time lecturer at Lasalle College of the Arts, she also worked as dramaturgy assistant in works by Shahar Binyamini (PARADISO, 2018) and The Necessary Stage (Gitanjali - I feel the earth move, 2014). She contributes to online publications ArtsEquator and FiveLines, enjoying the kinetic rhythms of writing and the impact of words.
Bernice cares about expanding our imagination of and for the future, working with children, families and in other environments. She finds ways to advocate for the importance of dance, the centrality of the body, and the body's capacity for social and emotional growth. She primarily does so as director of Rolypoly Family with Faye Lim - they have collaborated artistically since 2011.
As a citizen, she is learning about the power of children through her efforts at ReadAble, a non-profit organisation working towards increasing social equality by running English literacy classes for children and migrant women in the Chin Swee area. She leads the pre-schoolers in movement games to warm-up into learning.
Bernice holds a B.F.A. from The Ohio State University (2010). She was supported by National Arts Council and the International Buckeye Scholarship. She was also supported by her family, now-spouse, and friends.
Bernice plays shapeshifting roles when working in teams and projects with fellow artists. Her activities include improvising, choreographing, directing, performing, teaching, facilitating and writing. She is co-director of Derring-Do Dance/Rolypoly Family. She co-directs Tactility Studies with Chong Gua Khee.
Part of Maya Dance Theatre’s main creative team from 2014-2017, she traveled widely, performed and collaborated in dance theatre works, while training intensively in Bharathanatyam, Taichi and Indonesian dance forms. She performed and choreographed for Frontier Danceland from 2012-2014, dancing in repertoire by local and guest choreographers. She continues to work with both companies.
She is featured in Reality Lost, a different documentary about quantum mechanics, by filmmaker Karol Jalochowski, who also created this record of Strangeweather Movement Group's Spooky Action (at a distance). She can also be found playing multiple roles in Singapore Minstrel, a fantasy-documentary painting the magical universe of Singapore's wildest busker. Directed by Xi Jie Ng, the film features Roy Payamal, also known as the "Silver Man". A restless and prolific performer, Bernice has performed in such diverse works including Baby Space by Dalija Thelander, Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy, Indulgence by Eng Kai Er (with Jereh Leung and herself), and One Show Only by Byron Perry.
An associate member at Dance Nucleus, and a part-time lecturer at Lasalle College of the Arts, she also worked as dramaturgy assistant in works by Shahar Binyamini (PARADISO, 2018) and The Necessary Stage (Gitanjali - I feel the earth move, 2014). She contributes to online publications ArtsEquator and FiveLines, enjoying the kinetic rhythms of writing and the impact of words.
Bernice cares about expanding our imagination of and for the future, working with children, families and in other environments. She finds ways to advocate for the importance of dance, the centrality of the body, and the body's capacity for social and emotional growth. She primarily does so as director of Rolypoly Family with Faye Lim - they have collaborated artistically since 2011.
As a citizen, she is learning about the power of children through her efforts at ReadAble, a non-profit organisation working towards increasing social equality by running English literacy classes for children and migrant women in the Chin Swee area. She leads the pre-schoolers in movement games to warm-up into learning.
Bernice holds a B.F.A. from The Ohio State University (2010). She was supported by National Arts Council and the International Buckeye Scholarship. She was also supported by her family, now-spouse, and friends.