“Amanyi” (translates directly to “power” from Luganda) by Ree, from Submerged 2021.

Lerato Masiyane

Dancer and Instructor

Lerato Masiyane AKA Lee, is one of the top dance performers and instructors in Melbourne specializing in Afro Dance and Dancehall.

She has opened for International Dancehall musicians such as Beenie Man and performed with some of Australia’s highest profile musicians including Sampa the Great and Baker Boy.

She shares her culture by teaching Afro Dance to diverse communities around Victoria.

Photo by Daren Sandford.

Artworks

HOME by Lerato Masiyane

Lerato Masiyane

Sometimes you don't have to travel far to remember the feeling of HOME. "When I was creating HOME I wanted to create an alternative and positive way to look at what being at home meant. Everyone was eager to be outside more, after being in our homes for a long period of time due to the lockdowns, and I wanted to shift the focus on what HOME could mean. To create an in-depth storyline of HOME, I looked to music from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa for inspiration. I listened to stories from Family and watched dance videos from Friends back in Zimbabwe to remind myself of what Home was like. In Melbourne, I looked at the dance community I was involved in and how I connected to new people using Afro Dance. I discussed Jamaican culture and dance with Chuby Dice to find similarities that connected us. We not only found similarities in dance moves but in how we connected to people around us through dance, no matter the age or other differences. We also found that people in Melbourne connected to our dance styles because they are social dance, anyone can get involved. Through this process, HOME was created. A short dance film that focuses on two dancers who navigate their way through life during the Lockdowns. The dancers use Afro Dance and Dancehall to share their experiences and help each other find hope, community and the feeling of HOME again in their everyday lives."

Projects

Past project

Ahead of the Curve

Mon 19 Jul 2021 - Wed 31 Aug 2022

The Ahead of the Curve Commissions was a call out for young and emerging artists of colour living around Melbourne, to create new digital artworks that responded to social challenges, including COVID-19.

MAV has a profound commitment to arts and artists shaping the narratives that define who we are as a multicultural nation.

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With the deepest respect MAV acknowledges that we live, work and celebrate on unceded Aboriginal land. We thank all Elders, past and present, for their care, knowledge and generosity, as custodians of the world’s oldest continuing culture. We pledge our support towards truth telling, reparation and decolonisation. We open our hearts and minds to deep listening, learning, sharing and connecting – in solidarity with First Peoples here in Australia and around the world.