Lees Hummel began her performing arts training in Reading, Pennsylvania with the Berks Ballet Theater of Regional Dance America.   She then moved to New York City where she earned her B.F.A. (1984) and M.F.A. (1994) in Dance from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.   Upon completion of her B.F.A., she became a principal dancer with the Clive Thompson Dance Company and the New York City Jazz Company.  These companies enabled her to perform works created by noted choreographers Danny Buraczeski of JazzDance Company, Bill T. Jones of Bill. T. Jones and Arnie Zane, Rosiland Newman, Maria Chang, Milton Myers, Rudy Perez, and Cliff Keuter.

Lees currently specializes in teaching Simonson Jazz Technique, a highly regarded modern/jazz dance discipline developed by Lynn Simonson, founding director of Dance New Amsterdam, New York City.   This technique emphasizes understanding, conceptually and physically, how the body most efficiently and effectively performs dance movement.  The movement is made challenging by using instrumental music and rhythms. The technique was developed to cultivate the student’s internal and external sense of body placement and alignment, thereby providing a safe and consistent way of working in class and performing. 

In addition to her professional dance company experience, Lees has performed extensively in musicals and musical theater reviews.  Her theater credits include Cassie in A Chorus Line and Shy in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  At age 17 Lees began her professional career in Hershey Park’s review Dance, Dance, Dance   She then went on to perform at Action Park, Busch Gardens, Opryland USA, and Les Violins Dinner Theater in Miami.  Her work took her to the sea where she was a swing and dance captain/rehearsal director on board the ocean-liners Sea Escape and Norwegian Cruise Lines.  In addition to various commercials, industrials, and music videos, Lees appeared in the film Spring Break Reunion as Mrs. Peterson, opposite Frankie Avalon in which she received her S.A.G union card.

In 1989, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee where she performed on the following television specials: Country Music Awards, the Tommy Lasorda Tribute, the Ray Stevens Show, The GMC True Value Country Showdown, The Spirit of America starring Brenda Lee, Love My Country starring Louise Mandrell, the Miss Tennessee and Virginia Pageants starring Lee Greenwood, the 1995 Governor’s Inauguration, and the Music City News Songwriter Awards Show starring Marie Osmond, which she also choreographed.   Lees has also appeared with Billy Ray Cyrus, Tanya Tucker, Lucie Arnez, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. 

While in Nashville, Lees was the founding Artistic Director of the Nashville Dance Project, a professional contemporary dance company contributing to the education and inspiration of modern/jazz dance in the city of music.  At this time she trained with Ray Kurshals of Physical Mind Institute for Pilates certification in Mat and Reformer Pilates.

In 1994, she returned to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where she received her MFA. degree in Dance, with an emphasis on teaching.  In May of that year, she received the Monticello Award for Best Young Choreographer of Regional Dance America.  Her piece titled Dream Vision was premiered by the Berks Ballet Theater, her first school of training.  Upon returning to Nashville, her choreography and teaching were visible at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee Association of Dance, Nashville Ballet, Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, American Academy of Dance, Ann Carroll School of Performing Arts, Clarkesville Dance Academy and the Kingsport Guild of Ballet. 

In August of 1996, Lees retired as Artistic Director of the Nashville Dance Project and moved to Miami, Florida.   She became the Assistant Artistic Director of Momentum Dance Company.  For four years her choreography and teaching was featured at the Florida Dance Festival and the International Hispanic Ballet Festival.    Her choreography titled Spanish Love Songs was selected for performance at the Miami Dance Sampler in addition to the aforementioned festivals.

Lees received a one-year appointment as a guest lecturer at the University of Miami. There she was responsible for teaching all levels of modern, jazz, Pilates and ballet.  She also choreographed the Grapes of Wrath and taught musical theatre styles.  Upon completion of her one-year appointment, she then went on to teach as an adjunct professor at Miami Dade Community College, New World School of the Arts, The University of Miami, Dillard School of the Arts, and Conchita Espinosa Academy.  Her adjunct teaching responsibilities included teaching all levels of Simonson jazz, composition, modern, tap, ballet as well as arts administration in creating and presenting choreography for the fall and spring faculty concerts.

Since 1996, Lees has taught and choreographed at prestigious summer programs such as: American Ballet Theatre, Detroit, Michigan, the Fort Wayne Ballet, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Virginia School of the Arts, Lynchburg, Virginia, Florida Dance Festival, Miami, Florida, and Berks Ballet Theater in Reading Pennsylvania.  She also guest taught the Summer Teacher’s Conference for the Miami Dade Public Magnet School Teachers of Dance in the summer of 2000.

In 2000, Lees became an Assistant Professor of Dance at Western Kentucky University’s Department of Theater and Dance and Co-Director of the WKU Dance Company, where she taught 8 levels of Simonson Technique, 5 levels of tap and choreographed both the WKU Dance Company faculty concerts and the yearly Broadway musical.  In addition to her administrative duties, she wrote a Dance USA grant for guest artists Billy Siegenfeld of the Jump Rhythm Jazz Project dance company to restage his choreography “Getting There” for which she was the rehearsal director, as well as Cuban choreographer Irmah Del Valle and her Afro-Caribbean style.  In the evenings, she taught ballet, modern, and jazz at the Dance Arts Academy in Bowling Green, Kentucky. 

From 2001-2003 she joined with her partner, Stephen K. Stone in conceiving, producing, directing and choreographing 2 original ballets, Masque of the Red Death for the WKU Dance Company and Bowling Green Symphony Orchestra and Frankenstein for the Fort Wayne Ballet as well as the musical Chicago at Western Kentucky University.  Fort Wayne Ballet commissioned Frankenstein for a second season in 2003.  Since then both the University of South Carolina and Berks Ballet Theatre have made inquiries to adding it to their seasons.

In the fall of 2002, Lees moved to Charlotte, NC to be with her husband and give birth to her daughter, Nyssa Shoshanna Harris.  While in Charlotte, she was a member of the board of directors and performed with Kinetics Works Dance Ensemble under the direction of Martha Connerton.  While raising her daughter she continued her work as an adjunct professor for the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, and Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC teaching beginner and advanced Simonson jazz technique, Composition and Choreography, Tap and Cultural Dance Around the World, a lecture class for 100 students.  Lees also guest taught at Dance Place, home of the North Carolina Dance Theatre.

Lees briefly resided in Reading, PA for nine months in 2004, where she concluded her position as interim Artistic Director of Berks Ballet Theatre and was responsible for administering, public relations, directing, rehearsal-directing and teaching all levels of Simonson technique, modern, ballet, tap and Pilates for the Regional Dance America member company.  She created and administered a Modern/Jazz summer intensive and hired guest choreographers for both the summer program and the BBT Performing Company. Lees also choreographed pieces for Berks Ballet Theatre’s participation in the Regional Dance America North East Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 2004.
 In May of 2004, Lees was a member of the faculty for the South East Regional Ballet Festival in High Point, NC hosted by the High Point Ballet. She taught all levels of Simonson jazz technique.  

Lees returned to Kinetics Works Dance Ensemble to perform in winter 2005, at the North Carolina Dance Festival and continue her role as a member of the Board of Directors of Kinetic Works. Lees also taught Simonson jazz technique to modern adult dancers at Open Door Studios in Charlotte. NC.

Since the summer of 2006, Lees has resided in Cape Girardeau, Missouri where she is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Southeast Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Her first semester at Southeast she arranged for guest choreographers Stephen K. Stone and Phillip Edgecombe to re-stage choreographic works to be performed at the Dance-apalooza 06 concert. After completing her first semester at Southeast she wrote a Missouri Arts Council Strategic Discipline Grant to bring in guest artist/choreographers Billy Siegenfeld & Jeannie Hill and Sean Curran who set pieces which premiered in Dance-apalooza 08 concert. She continues to write grants and enable the students to experience and grow by studying with outside choreographers. Her university departmental duties include: choreography of the annual musical, administering Dance Day recruitment activities, university service on the College Council, Center for Strategic Teaching and Learning committee, School of Visual and Performing Arts Faculty Development committee, grant writing, advising, hosting guest photographers and videographers, participating and choreographing for American College Dance Festival Association, participation in the Tennessee Association of Dance Conference, and teaching all levels of Simonson jazz, all levels of rhythm tap, all levels of ballet, Composition and Choreography, Pilates, Yoga and Principals of Teaching Dance combining pedagogy and kinesiology.  In addition, Lees has completed her level 1, 2A and 2BTouch For Health kinesiology certification training with Norma Harnack, the National Representative for Touch For Health Training in St. Louis, Missouri.  Locally, Lees teaches Pilates at Yoga On Broadway and will soon be certified in Les Mills Body Flow technique to be taught at Healthpoint Fitness in Cape Girardeau.

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