About Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D)
Hailed for its superbly trained dancers and inventive choreography, the internationally active KYL/D probes at the limits of national identity. Drawing upon Eastern philosophies while expanding the perimeter of contemporary dance, Executive Artistic Director Lin's zen-inspired practice of dance manifests in lush works of poetic sensibility that The New York Times says "create and inhabit worlds of their own." Lin draws upon multicultural insights from his ongoing research throughout Asia, creating a personal movement language that is an unexpected hybrid between Western and Eastern cultures, suffused with strong spiritual underpinnings.
KYL/D has performed around the world, including at the Tanzmesse International Dance Festival (Dusseldorf), Busan International Dance Festival (Korea), Jogia International and AsiaTri festivals (Indonesia), Festival Internacional de Danza in Queretaro (Mexico), Victoria Theatre (Singapore) and HsinChu Performing Arts Center (Taiwan).
In the U.S., KYL/D has performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Interlochen Festival, Columbia Festival, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Jacob's Pillow Inside/Out, the Painted Bride Art Center, the Annenberg Center, the Kimmel Center, the Forrest Theatre, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and Philadelphia's City Hall.
KYL/D has been supported by numerous funders including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, the William Penn Foundation, MidAtlantic Arts Foundation and the U.S. Department of State.
KUN-YANG LIN (Executive Artistic Director & Founder of CHI Movement Arts Center) has received numerous awards in his native Taiwan and has been widely recognized in the United States for both his dancing and choreography including, in 2002, by BackStage, which selected Lin as “the year’s most promising choreographer.” Before moving to Philadelphia in 2003, Lin performed the works of numerous European post-modernist choreographers on tour world-wide with the London-based Transitions Dance Company. In New York City, he continued his body research in the sources of American modern dance including in the companies of Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey Repertory Dance Company, Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, Anna Sokolow, Jennifer Muller/The Works, Kevin Wynn Collection, Paula Josa-Jones and Janis Brenner & Dancers, and in improvisation projects with renowned musician John Zorn and award-winning artist, Lynn Shapiro. Lin has been called “an extraordinary dancer” (The New York Times), a “theatrical visionary…outstanding choreographer and a compelling performer.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Lin’s devotion to artistic excellence, movement research, education and community building inspired him to found the CHI Movement Arts Center (CHI MAC), described by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell as “a place where the entire Philadelphia community can experience the art of multicultural creative dance expression.” In 2009, Lin was named by the Painted Bride Art Center an “Artist of the City” for his outstanding contributions to the arts and culture of Philadelphia. In 2010, the Mayor of Hsin-Chu, Kun-Yang’s hometown honored him as a “son of the City” for his cultivation of artistic excellence at the international level and in 2011, he was named a “Creative Connector” through a nomination process coordinated by Leadership Philadelphia. As well, in 2017, Lin was selected by NBC News from a nationwide pool as one of 30 LGBTQ “changemakers, innovators and rising stars” for its inaugural Pride Month leader list.
Lin’s choreography, described as “deeply spiritual, remarkable” (Dance Magazine), has been presented throughout the United States as well as in Asia, Southeast Asia, London, Vienna and Mexico. Lin’s choreography has been commissioned by numerous companies including Dance Ensemble Singapore, Ballet Nacional de México, Ballet Philippines and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.
Highly sought as a teacher, Lin is regularly invited to offer master classes and workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad. Since 2003, Lin has been a professor at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia.
*Support for The Wind is provided to Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers by the National Endowment for the Arts.
