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THE DANCE ENTHUSIAST ASKS: Guest Writer Pia Catton Introduces Us to the Remarkable Lili Tewes

Lili Tewes can be seen performing at Carnegie Hall (for tickets to 'Celebration of the Voice of Women Composers,' click here) on Sunday, December 15, 2024 ,posing in a movement-based shoot for Vogue magazine, and imparting Martha Graham technique at Peridance. But few observers might guess that this statuesque German-born dancer is an expert in traditional Hawai’ian hula dance, which she teaches throughout the US.

The Dance Enthusiast’s Guest Reporter, Pia Catton was quickly captivated by Tewes during an open-level Modern class at Dance Project of Washington Heights. An intuitive teacher, Tewes created a class atmosphere of care and collaboration that connected students ranging in age from 17 to 70.
To understand what makes this dancer-teacher-choreographer stand out in New York City, Catton, for The Dance Enthusiast,  asks Lili Tewes about her dance journey.

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Pia Catton for The Dance Enthusiast: I have to ask first about the hula work! How were you introduced to Hawai’ian dance, as a child in Germany?

Lili Tewes: When I was 10, a Hawai’ian dance company came to Hamburg to perform, and I joined one of their workshops. My feet just knew where they were going! At one point, my now kumu hula (master teacher) said, “Are you sure you are not Hawai’ian?”

How has that influenced you?

I studied with kumu hula Kalei'ulaokala Makekau, who then invited me to join her company in Hawai'i. We toured Europe and the USA. So I had early performance and teaching experience. With my kumu’s blessing, I still teach hula workshops and masterclasses in the States and Europe and perform at festivals as a soloist to expose more people to hula and represent hula in the landscape of dance.

There are rituals you follow as a Hula dancer. When you are picking the flowers for the lei, you are asking the land for permission. There is a deep awareness of the interconnectedness of the land and its people and of the past. When I teach workshops at colleges, students often don't know about Hawai’i’s history, and they learn it through dance.

Did that awareness of dance as connected to broader themes prepare you to study Graham technique, or were you already heading in that direction?

What drew me to dance is the depth of emotion through movement. My grandmother took me to see Pina Bausch when I was 3. Looking back, as I matured, I became interested in psychological movement narratives, or how the body and psyche move each other. So thinking about that, combined with Hula, certainly informed my approach to dance.

I came to the US as a teenager, to study at the Graham school. I was fortunate that my grandmother, in particular, understood the prestige of the school and the importance of receiving a scholarship. The conversation between body and psyche is so evident in Martha Graham’s work. I was able to fully dive into that through principal Graham roles.

After dancing for Pascal Rioult, you then explored a lot of roles in the dance world. Let’s talk about your recent work as rehearsal director for Vildwerk, a program of seven acclaimed choreographers responding to climate change through different styles and casts. How did you handle this mammoth task?

Being a rehearsal director can mean a lot of different things. Sometimes you are progressing from being a senior dancer in a company, so you are very familiar with a choreographer’s work and you’re maintaining the details and integrity.

As a rehearsal director, it is helpful that I have a very artistic side, but I also have a very disciplined, German side. I’m very organized. Annoyingly organized!

And it’s a lot about remembering all the details, everything a choreographer said to the dancers in rehearsal – even when there are many different choreographers. You have to be reading the dancers immediately and be able to pull out what they need. I am also making sure the dancers are fully prepared for the performance and coordinate with all the artistic teams.

In general, I am always strongly an advocate for the dancers. I’m fostering a supportive environment, where they can be seen and challenge themselves.

That perfectly describes your class at Dance Project of Washington Heights! I really appreciate the positive environment for our diverse group in Upper Manhattan. What’s your approach to teaching open classes?

I feel strongly that we need to create more access to dance. For some of my students, which in that class can be teens or grandmothers, it’s their first experience with dance, and I want to foster a love for it.

At DPWH, the faculty is given trauma-informed teacher training, so you are aware of what students may be dealing with. Sometimes I see them struggling. Sometimes they have a hard time concentrating. I just try meeting them where they are.

I was painfully shy as a girl. Dance was how I could communicate parts of myself that I couldn't otherwise. To this day, movement is the non-negotiable aspect of my life. Movement is the way I feel, it's my compass. How I figure myself out. How I learn to navigate this life.

In class, I try to create a space for expression and for students to grow as individuals. It gives them concentration, self-discipline, confidence, and both boundaries and community. Which are all resources needed to lead meaningful lives and fulfill their potential. 

You’re now on the faculty at the Peridance Center, which is a downtown hub for professionals and rising talent. Do you teach in a similar way for advanced and professional dancers?

I am there to help them own their original voice. Again, it’s about feeling seen and safe. I try to sensitively react to what is happening in the room artistically or respond to the individual needs of the dancers, fostering an atmosphere where the dancers can explore, grow, feel seen, and be challenged.

I channel my love of music into the class. If I don’t have a live musician, I always talk about what the music or a song is communicating about the movement quality I want to see.

And I do focus a lot on technique, for injury prevention — and technique will set you free. You can express everything if you have the technique down.

How does modeling relate to your dance career?

More and more fashion shoots are hiring movement directors and work with dancers. I recently shot a spread for the US Vogue with the movement director Stephen Galloway and photographers Inez + Vinoodh where they selected and highlighted a few New York dancers.

In these shoots, I’m moving as a dancer in front of the camera. And in fashion, my height ends up working in my favor!

What is something unique that you bring to the New York dance community?

My cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary background. Also, I’ve just always been driven by a deep voracious curiosity!

I’m currently in rehearsals to perform as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in December on a program of all-female composers and I look forward to working with composers and musicians I’ve never worked with.

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