Upcoming Performances and Adventures - Welcome 2015!

2014 certainly was an exciting year in my little dancing world.

I'm grateful to have had opportunities
to deepen my artistry as a performer with Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet, and Freshblood.
to explore new ideas and creative challenges as a choreographer at Widener University and Alvernia University.
to expand my pedagogical practices as an educator at KYL/D's CHI Movement Arts Center, Muhlenberg College, Widener University, and Alvernia University.
to cultivate scholarship through the National Dance Education Organization.
to grow as a writer through DanceAdvantage.net.
to develop relationships and creative communication across disciplines with Paul Fejko (music), Brian Mengini (photography), and Nathan Thomas (theatre).

photo by Brian Mengini

Thank you for sharing the journey with me!

The performance calendar for 2015 is quickly filling up! Here's a smattering of what's in store:

January 2nd - KYL/D (Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers) is performing at the Philadelphia Museum of Art's "Art After 5". It's FREE with Museum Admission. Check out more info here: KYLD at Art After 5

January 9th - KYL/D is performing at APAP in NYC. We'll be at City Center Studio 4. Check out more info and the schedule of other performances at APAP here: KYLD at APAP

January 30th-31st - KYL/D is performing at Temple University's Faculty Dance Concert at Conwell Dance Theater. More info here: KYLD at TU

February 6th - KYL/D's 24th(!) InHale Performance Series at CHI MAC. (So excited to be in our 6th year!)

February 11th - I'll be teaching a Master Class in Ballet at Franklin & Marshall College.

February 27th-28th - NGCB (Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet) premiers a new work for our annual home season concert at the Performance Garage in Philly. Get your tickets here: NCGB's home season

Whew! And that's just in the first two months of the year! Please join me!

and this... as a reminder for the New Year...

Happy 2015!

More time to dream - Happy Winter Solstice!

Today is the shortest day of the known history of the world, according to scientists.
Read more - winter solstice 2014

A friend recently confided to me that at this point in the year, all she wants to do is cuddle under a super warm blanket, snuggle a loved one (which might happen to be a puppy), and sit by a fire. Our bodies have a physical reaction to the shortening of the days (if you happen to be in the Northern Hemisphere). But, this physical reaction gives us a real opportunity to reflect on the joys and challenges of the past few months. It's the Universe asking us to take a moment to be quiet. To sit in the stillness of a fire and with a loved one and reflect. We are provided more time to sleep and to dream.

The blog The Mindful Path suggests that fall is a time to "'let go' to make room for something new to emerge". "Winter says, 'welcome the darkness'. What ember inside us wants to become a flame?"

Personally, the fall has been exciting (but like a fire, like life), everything must come to an end. I'm grateful for the beginnings, the middles, and the endings.

As the light fades mid-way into the afternoon, I'm trying to accept the changes that have occurred over the past few months and to create space for more changes. "Change is the only constant" I have often heard.

I appreciate the additional gift of time to dream... but I'm looking forward to embracing the light. As for me, I'm going to leave the brilliant screen of my computer and breathe deeply into the moments of sun that are remaining.

May tonight, the longest night in the history of the world, afford you time to dream so that your ideas will come to fruition in 2015!

5 Things to Add to your Holiday Check List

In the midst of everything you're doing this season, I challenge you to do 5 more things:

1. Breathe.
Take one intentional breath. (This means that you pay attention to one breath. It may not be a deep breath, especially if you're not used to this practice, but take a moment to notice how you're breathing).

Can you find the full capacity of your lung-space (whatever that means for you, today)? In which part of your body are you breathing?

Try this experiment: Place your hands around your waist and try to breath into them, expanding your front, back, and side bodies. Place your hands around your rib cage and feel the expansion and release of the breath. Place your hands on your sternum. Breathe high into your chest. Is this where most of your breathing is taking place, these days? Holiday performances are opening and closing every weekend. Students and instructors have finals and end of the semester performances and activities. Families have obligations and gatherings. This time of year can be very stressful and we can forget to fully breathe or breathe with intention. Take a moment to allow your breath to drop into your diaphragm and feel the full expansion of your lung capacity, your rib cage, and the muscles of your torso. Allow the wave of your breath to rock within you like the waves of the ocean. Notice that, although those waves may initially seem agitated, with time and attention, they can calm (both the ocean and your breath).

2. Say "Thank you".
If only to the universe... but also to everyone around you. "The past is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift and that's why it's called the present."(~Kung-Fu Panda and other sources)

Thank you... For the opportunity to perform. For the gift of knowledge about the body and dance and science and somatics and how movement is connected to every part of our world. For the support of friends and family, however we define them. For movement - physically, emotionally, or metaphorically.

3. Hydrate.
Where's your water bottle? It's often easy to forget to drink water during this time of lots-of-things-going-on. Schedules are a little different than "normal" and that sometimes effects our nutrition and hydration. Remember to get enough water! Being well hydrated helps prevent fatigue, additional stress, and cramping of muscles after performances and rehearsals. It also aids in helping the body fight stress and normalize kinesthetic (or other body) processes.

4. Rest.
It's okay to be a little extra tired.

During this time, I often have to remind myself that I've experienced a lot in the last few months/ weeks and my body/mind/spirit needs time to rest, reflect, and recover.

Take some extra time to move slowly, take a nap, or meditate.

My body is also reacting to the eARTh's transition and the daylight is shorter - providing less "active time". (Yes, I do spent most of my time in an artificially-lit studio, but I am still sensitive to the ebbs and flows of the natural world. Most of us are, at least physically. It's good for us to realize this and be sensitive to these natural changes.)

5. (but... don't stop moving!) Cross train.
Have you spent the last few weeks only doing arabesques on the right leg? Or only anaerobic activity? Or just running around transporting and supporting your dancers/athletes/family?

This transitional period is a great time to explore some different movement options to balance out the rigor of training and performance. Or training for a specific performance. Or training in a specific way.

Doing something different can also be exciting and give you some motivation to keep experimenting and moving after a stressful period. Here are some helpful articles on different movement practices from DanceAdvantage.net: Dance Advantage - resources for dancers

6. Remember to enjoy this time! Happy Holidays!
What does that mean for you?

#whydancematters - community, collaboration, communication, and choreography

At the end of most processes, I ask my dancers to self-reflect.

What have you learned?
What has effected you?
What would you like to share with others about your experience?
What will you take with you, after this process has ended?

I'm including some of these thoughts from the past four months. (With their permission to post publicly).

#whydancematters

DanceUP, space, and intangible value

A few weeks ago, Dance UP, the local branch of the national service organization Dance USA, announced that it was closing its doors. My breath caught in my chest and my heart leapt into my throat when I read the announcement. I double checked the calendar to make sure this wasn't an April Fool's joke.

It wasn't.

For the past seven years, Dance UP has provided the Philly Dance Community with an array of programs to support performance, classes, awareness, and advocacy. The organization was a "safe space" for dancers of all backgrounds, genres, walks of life, ages, and stages in career, providing a neutral, physical space for people to gather, in addition to the services they provided out in the community. Some of these services included (this is not a comprehensive list):

• a website for quick access to local resources (including jobs, grants, performance opportunities, classes, and consultations)
• a physical library 
• a physical workstation with computer and internet 
• a regular eblast that included "Deadlines at a glance," news, and discounts for dancers
• "DancePass" a membership program that allowed dancers discounted rates for performances, classes, and other professional services (photography, videography, website design)
• International Artist Exchange programs with Poland and Hungry. Dancers from Philly went there and brought new experiences home. Dancers from there came to Philly and shared their perspectives. 
• Scholarships. Based on a lottery system, the scholarships helped artists attend classes and conferences and develop their professional training - something that many organizations provide to their employees. Many dancers are self-employed and it is up to the artist to continue their professional development, costing time, money, and limited resources. There is great value in continuing professional development and DanceUP helped reduce the financial strain. 
• Advocacy. DanceUP provided a voice within the greater Philly community. 
• New Stages for Dance. A program that provided subsidies to professional companies to produce their work. 
• Philadelphia is Dancing Wall Calendar. A great gift! A great way to get access to great pictures! And a great way to get to know what's happening in Philly dance and who's around. The Wall Calender included dates of performances and pictures of members of the local scene. 
• The Portable Dance Floor. A safe way to show dance in any space, Dance UP rented out the portable dance floor to organizations showing dance in "non-traditional" spaces. The portable dance floor was sprung, protecting the health and safety of the dancers. (Why need a portable dance floor? you might ask. Would you ask a professional athlete - baseball, basketball, tennis, to play on solid concrete? No, they need a specific surface on which they can execute their craft. Likewise, dancers need a specific surface - a sprung floor, usually covered in marley - to best perform their craft with regard to their health, execution of performance, and quality of work.)
• Dance in Public Places. This program provided free rehearsal space to Philly dancers in the Gallery at Market East. 

Sigh. 

It's that time of the year when I'm going through files and piles and reflecting and purging. I found this intended post, which I'm sharing now. The programs that DanceUP provided were sometimes intangible, but those benefits are sometimes the most impactful. (I haven't altered my original thoughts in finally uploading this writing)

Changing space as a performance practice

In February 2014, I had the opportunity to perform and rehearse in several different spaces. One of these spaces included Dance USA Philadelphia's Dance in Public Places - at the Gallery at Market Street. This super unique program offered rehearsal space to local dance companies and simultaneously allowed the public to watch the work in progress. The dancing, itself, occurred in a store-front, with large windows and a speaker system that played both in the enclosed storefront and outside to the passersby. A representative from DanceUP stood outside of the storefront to greet and talk with the audience. The dancers and choreographers remained in the store and their process unfolded, undisturbed.

As a viewer, I was allowed the opportunity to see the nitty-gritty process of these dancers and choreographers. Trail and error. Let's try this... and this... and this... It takes so much time to make a dance. In a traditional performance, the audience doesn't see this. A different type of work is being executed. Performing requires a set of skills. Honing the craft requires another set of skills. Here, the audience was allowed the opportunity to see all of those skills in process. 

As an artist, I was afforded the opportunity to experience space on a different scale. We were dancing on a portable, sprung floor on one section of the store front. In a traditional studio, the walls are generally a good marker of the end of the floor space, but in this situation, I needed to develop a different spatial awareness of the edges of the sprung floor, because the edges of the storefront were wider than the floor, itself.

Nora Gibson Performance Project rehearsing as part of Dance in Public Places.
Photo taken from inside the store front.

KYL/D rehearsing as part of Dance in Public Places.
Photo taken from the mall.

Often, dancers are trained to "project to the nosebleed section" referring to the very back of the theatre. We're told this in performance, rehearsal, class, and the practice of all three. But, what if the furthermost audience member is only a few feet away? Or 300 feet away? How does a performer negotiate the audience space? In my experiences as an educator, dancers project to the space in which they're rehearsing. Then when they get into the performance space (usually a week before the show if they're lucky), a new challenge of spatial awareness and depth perception is added to the excitement of nerves and live performance. In this store-front at the Gallery at Market East, I was able to practice my spatial awareness of my audience from many perspectives. I was challenged to make decisions about who my audience was. This was an empowering opportunity, not often afforded to dancers who are the object of seeing. We are the object of the viewer. In this instance, I could make choices on who I saw and how they saw me. 

Did I choose to see the people outside, watching me, or ignore them?

Did I choose to project to the full space of my visual field - past the glass windows, past the stairs, across the vaulted ceiling out into the street beyond the mall- or did I choose to allow my projected, energetic space to be limited to the enclosure? Or to the actual dancing floor space? Or to the building structure?

If I choose to energetically project to a large space, how did I negotiate the reality of the smaller, physical space of the enclosed store-front and the smaller sprung-floor space, through my movement?

I played with these questions in each of my rehearsals, with differing results. I'm grateful to DanceUP for this opportunity to change spaces and challenge my own dance practice of rehearsal and performance - and challenging my own definitions of what each of those can be. Thank you! And thank you to the Knights Arts Foundation for helping to fund the adventure!

(end of original writing)

Intangible Value

In dance - practice, performance, and education - the value of what we do is often not measurable by monetary accounts, but by real-life experiences. The work we do is valuable. The work artists do connects, builds community, and prompts conversation and thought. It encourages dreaming, hoping, believing, creating, and action. It is not measurable by its stock options but by the dancing that occurs in the kitchen at Thanksgiving and the conversation that occurs on the bus because of the mural on the side of the building. It's in the appreciation of the sunrise and how it can be captured in a painting or photograph or poem and how that brings you back to your breath and the moment that you and your grandparent watched it rise together over the ocean. (And how you were so annoyed that you didn't get to sleep in. And the reflection that occurs because of said annoyance, response, and action). 

Art - dance - reminds us to be human. That has a value that cannot be measured. 

Thank you, DanceUP, for everything you'd done for this community. Your presence will be missed, but the values you created will endure. 

Here are some links, resources, and stories related to this post and to DanceUP and it's closing:

DanceUP - Dance USA Philadelphia

Dance USA

Article from the Inquirer about DanceUP losing funding

Article from CBSPhilly about DanceUP losing funding

Dance:UP Dance in Public Places 2014 Final from DanceUP on Vimeo.

#ThankADanceTeacherDay

Today has been declared "Thank A Dance Teacher Day" by the National Dance Education Organization. (NDEO website)

Have you had a dance teacher that inspired you or changed your perspective on something - dance/ movement related or otherwise?

I've had many people in my life who have provided examples of "making it work" as a dancer and as a person.

Here are some of my memories (there are too many to list, so I'm just including one poignant memory from a few of my mentors):

Karen Dearborn - "There are enough people in the world who are going to tell you 'no'. Don't be one of them."

Charles Anderson - "Things are not as they should be. Things are not as they could be."

Jennifer Kayle - "It's all about the search"

Kun-Yang Lin - "Stay present in the moment."

Nora Gibson - "Keep the technique clean."

I am also so grateful for the dancers who continue to provide examples of being creators, performers, educators, mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, partners, writers, friends, dreamers, seekers, and humble beings who model their dedication to making the world a little more beautiful everyday.

Thank you!

Dancing for the camera

In August, the Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet worked with director Joseph B. Carlin on a video shoot. Behind the scenes post - August

Here's the final video. (It's quite beautiful if I do say so myself. Thanks, Nora, Gina, Amy, Melissa, and Joe!)

Ta-ku - We Were in Love from Joseph B. Carlin on Vimeo.

More info on Joseph Carlin: Transfixion Films

More info on the Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet: Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet

Thank you, Veterans

Thank you, Veterans and active Military, for the sacrifices that you've made - personally and professionally and physically and emotionally and mentally and energetically and... 

Thank you for standing up for the freedoms we can practice in the US. Thank you for allowing me to do the work that I do as an artist and educator. 

Happy Veterans' Day - today and everyday! 

Memory and sensory awareness

It's time to leave NDEO 2014. #ndeo2014. The hashtag became a poignant piece at the conference, but this isn't a post about virtual space... more on that later. This is about reflecting and remembering and trying to hold fast to the memories and the moments and quickly file them into my tool box of teaching and learning and growing.

I want to remember the amazing conversation about Service Learning that I had with a new friend right outside of my presentation room. In order to do that, I remember my somewhat-bland-and-difficult-to-eat-with-a-plastic-fork salad. I remember shifting my space (defined by my things - my bags, my coat, my "lunch") closer to hers after a feeling of awkwardness and an acknowledgement that I wanted to connect but didn't want to invade her space. I go back to that feeling of slight insecurity. I am sitting and am at a low level - we both are - against the glass barrier that lets in the light through from the high windows. People walking are passing us by. But at this low level, I'm able to pull out my notebook and jot down her tidbits and suggestions for organizations to research.

I remember being excited and nervous and a bit flustered for my own presentation because someone else was excited about Service Learning.

I remember the strangeness of the chic couches - their deep backs with not quiet enough space to sit with both legs folded on the base, but deep enough not to allow me to sit up straight. You know - the kind of couch that forces one to slouch - especially painful for one whose body is trained to allow all of the curves of the spine to exist naturally.

I remember the darkness of the room around me and the three people standing in the front of the room. I remember my heart caving in my chest listening to the stories of the veterans they interviewed. I remember the emptiness of the room, yet the fullness with which the story of the presentation gripped me.

I remember my body feeling heavy, but my energy lifted in David Leventhal's workshop on Dance for PD. I remember the grip of the two hands that held mine in the reverance circle that closes every class. I remember the excitement of moving and the connection that the Dance for PD classes always brought me.

I remember the well-worn and walked carpet in the hallways between presentation sites. I remember the 15 ft ceilings and glass walls that opened up to the outside world - protecting me from the Chicago chill, but allowing me the space to think and feel that anything was possible, especially in this microcosm of Changing the World through Dance.

I remember the faces after our presentation on mindfulness and the kinesthetic gestures that performed what the dance teacher actually did in class as opposed to what she might do as she reflected on our suggestions.

As I shift in literal time and space, it's these memories of place, sight, feeling, sensation, and taste that will bring me back to the moments of the conference.

The airport is surprisingly empty for a weekend. As I travel to PA, the air quality changes. As I write this, the air feels more dense. Thick. Heavier. As it should - the Chicago air was dry and the PA air is full of moisture. What's more interesting to me is that my body notices the changes and is returning to sensory memory to process the events of NDEO.

These physical memories will allow me to return again, and reflect more critically on what I've gathered and learned. But, in this moment, my body is telling me that she needs some rest. Although I can't honor that request for too long, I do need to take the time. Thanks for taking some time with me.

What does your body remember?

National Dance Educators' Organization Conference this week (and a lot more)!

NDEO's Annual conference is this weekend and I'm so excited to be sharing some of my research. I'm presenting a case study, Thursday, about Service Learning and KYL/D's InHale Performance Series. Saturday, I'm presenting with a dear friend and super smart educator, Elisa Foshay, on incorporating mindfulness into an arts organization.

In Chicago? I hope I get to see you!

 In the Greater Philly area? Go see Alvernia University's Theatre Productions:

Or one of the many other performances that are happening this weekend:
Philly Dance Performances (click here for a list and more info)

Merde to all of the presenters, performers, choreographers, directors... !

The clothes make the...

I had the opportunity to peek at the costumes for "Puppets at the Fairground." They're beautiful and stunning! I'm so excited for the actors to wear them.

And I was reminded of putting on KYL/D's "Land of Lost Content" costume for the first time. "Land was the first KYL/D performance I saw and was the moment I fell in love with the company. Putting on the costume was an honor and I was surprised at how much I was effected and empowered when I put on the costume for the performance - even though I've been dancing with the company for several years.

Costumes are so powerful for the performer. They assist in telling the story and getting into the character.

Several years ago in a Dance Appreciation-like class, my students asked me about costume choices. The students seemed to assume that costumes and colors were arbitrary. Until I asked them how many of them thought about what they were going to put on this morning. How did their clothing choices effect the way they felt and the way they presented themselves throughout the dance? How did they think about how their clothing choices made other people perceive them? Almost all of my students (even the ones that looked like they just rolled out of bed to attend an 8:30am class) acknowledged thinking about their own clothing choices.

Choreographers, directors, and costume designers also think a lot about costume choices. The costumes are an essential part of telling the story.

To say it better, here's Martha Graham. The first part of "A Dancer's World" provides insight into preparing for a performance.

Upcoming theatre collaboration

I'm honored to be working with Dr. Nathan Thomas and the students of Alvernia University Theatre again. Thank you! It's been an exciting adventure watching these young artists grow and transform. Come see for yourself!

I've set the choreography for A Merry Death and Puppets at the Fairground. Both are interesting stories and reflections on life, love, death, and how we experience the space in between.

KYL/D travels to upstate NY

KYL/D "known for its virtuosity, poetic sensibility, and strong spiritual underpinnings" travels to upstate NY this week for a master class, lecture demonstration at Union College, and a performance at the Egg Theatre, at the Empire State Plaza Center for the Arts in Albany.

We've been digging into some rep and I have appreciated the opportunity to go re-investigate Kun-Yang's work with the company and re-approach some familiar performance material with a deeper understanding of his CHI Awareness Technique. Come stop by the performance, if you're in town!

Here's more info from the Union College paper: KYLD at Union College - article

BeLonging 2 -2014 from Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers on Vimeo.

Dear Friend - thoughts for a young artist in challenging moments

Dear Friend...

You're not alone.

I write this in response to a recent email - from a former students, now friend - but also in response to an email I might have written as a young adult, person, and artist, myself.

The journey on which we engage after we leave the safety net of the undergraduate situation (or the high school situation, or the conservatory situation, or whatever seemly comfortable situation we had found ourselves in for a time) is scary. We find ourselves in uncharted waters often without a direct understanding of our "true north".

But your "true north" is there... just not in ways you/I/we might expect. It's in the journal entries from classes, from our past experiences, and in reminders from the Universe.

Some of my reminders:
"It's all about the search"
"Four rules: Show up. Pay attention. Tell the truth. Don't get attached to the results."
"DON'T GET ATTACHED TO THE RESULTS."
"Those festaus chainnes will certainly help you find your center and your spot!"
"I write this from a bus station so excuse any misspellings but I think you needed a response..."

Your reminders might come in small ways: dragonflies in the morning air; that same cardinal that chirps every morning (annoying at first, but comforting over time); and unexpected text, phone call, or facebook message just to say hello.

It may be difficult, and I realize I may be being vague, but continue the journey. Keep on the search. You're not alone.

As an artist, you see things differently. Feel things differently. And interact with the world - her people, her politics, and her energies - in a way that is unique and special and adds a much needed voice. You experience the world with a fresh perspective and although it's difficult (socially and financially) to embody YOU and your journey, you only know you. You can only be YOU.

I've told actors with whom I've worked - this is YOUR body. You can't not be you. Although you're telling someone else's story, you're telling it through your body and your perspective. Stay honest to that and the story will stay honest to your audience. This is true in theatre, and in dance, and in life.

As a performer, I am constantly seeking feedback and looking for confirmation or information on my ability to communicate. But I also need to trust my training and my craft and the constant search for improvement. (Again, in theatre, in dance, in art, and in life).

Dear Friend... although it may seem as such, you are not alone. There are many before you and many to come after. What is your journey? What is your search? What is in your heart? The answers may be challenging, but I encourage you to take the risk.

Thank you!

KYL/D's 23rd InHale Performance Series

Here are the featured artists for KYL/D's 23rd InHale Performance Series!

Get your tickets Dance Box Office

Behind the scenes with Brian Mengini - Out of Darkness

Thank you, Brian, for creating and sharing this video. I didn't even realize you were shooting a video during our time together!

If you're not familiar with Brian, personally, but you're into the dance scene, you're familiar with his work. His artistry has been used in professional dance magazines like Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit, Pointe, and for promotional material for many studios, training companies, and colleges and universities. Check more out here.

A few days before this shoot, I had lost a dear friend and was trying to process. Kun-Yang often says to "Stop thinking with your head and move. Your body is smart." and, in processing this part of my journey, I needed to do just that.

Here's my earlier post about this process: Out of Darkness Exhibit post and reflection, August

I realize I said I'd be writing more, but sometimes, the movement speaks for itself. And sometimes, the movement is all that can be "said". Here's the video:

NGPP Residency at Lafayette College

Days after I returned from my amazing adventures in Germany with KYL/D, I traveled with the Nora Gibson Performance Project to a residency at Lafayette College.

A GIANT Thank YOU to the Lafayette College faculty and staff and Ben Munisteri! The space was beautiful! The Inn where we stayed was welcoming and cozy! The opportunity to work with Nora for 5 hrs a day was a luxury!

I was almost too engrossed in the experience to take some pictures, but here are a few:

The beauty of the light streaming into the window and creating dancing
shadows on the floor gave me a little extra inspiration after four
hours of rehearsal and pointe...

This was my view from "barre" as I warmed up before each rehearsal.

Best friends! Beautiful shoes. My notebook. Oofos (AMAZING post-pointe shoes!!)
Get Oofos here
(I don't get any proceeds for endorsing Oofos - they just feel amazing and
help after a long day of rehearsal)

Nora working out Math and Composition problems

This is what happens when I asked them to "do something"!

Action shots! Thank you to the Lafayette photographer who also took some images and shared them with us so I could share with you! (There were a lot more, but some of them contained images of students and I didn't want to invade anyone's privacy by posting them). 

Stay tuned for updates as to when the work that we created during this time will be publicly shown! We did have a showing at the end of the residency, but I was too busy dancing to post information about that (Sorry!).

Remembering Germany

At the end of August, KYL/D performed at the International Tanzmesse Festival in Germany. The stage and the studios were beautiful and a dream to dance in and on! Thank you to everyone who supported us on our journey!

If a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll share some instead of trying to translate them into words:

Series 1: Architecture.
The architecture was beautiful and inspiring. Buildings that look like the coo-coo clocks I grew up with lined the streets. They were complimented by many contemporary buildings that boasted the same grandeur, but with a very different aesthetic perspective.

Series 2: The Dance Spaces
From my understanding, the Art is government sponsored. The studios and the theatre spaces were soft, inviting, and breathtaking. They begged to be danced in and created in. The Tanzhaus (Dance house) had several spaces like the one in which we rehearsed and there were posters all over the city with information on the space and the performances it was hosting.

Snacks in the dressing room provided by our hosts! Thank you!

Wally and Stephen (KYL/D's lighting designer) backstage

The lighting grid

Welcome!!

This way to the stage!

Backstage while the crew was mopping the floor

On our way!

Studio rehearsal

Beautiful space! Check out the windows and the skylights!

Series 3: The People
Thanks to the KYL/D family for your openness, honestly, adventure, and sensitivity during this trip! We had a lot of fun not only dancing together, but growing as a company!

Post-performance imitation of the festival poster

Boat trip

Navigating the streets to find the Bikram Yoga studio (yep! Dancers are always on the move!)

Post performance group shot

Dress rehearsal - Mandala Project 3 by Kun-Yang Lin

Dress rehearsal - Mandala Project 3 by Kun-Yang Lin