Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgivukkah!



Warm thoughts to you on this special sharing of holidays and traditions! 

Sharing dance, sharing joy. Giving thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In this special season of reflecting and giving thanks, I'm working with the other artists of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers are creating a special sharing of gratitude. We're producing a show on December 14th - entirely of our work and entirely of our design.

Here's the link to Philly Fun Guide
And the Facebook Event Page
Click here for tickets

"As artists, we open our hearts and minds to be influenced and inspired by our environment. As individuals, we journey each day, learning from our mentors and our peers, making mistakes and developing relationships. As part of the KYL/D family, we have been guided by Kun-Yang and Ken in these inseperable aspects of ourselves. Grains of Sand in the Mandala is a sharing of the work that we've been inspired to create. We are sharing our individual voices and expresisng gratitude to Kun-Yang and Ken for their guidance, support, and commitment to our personal growth. We invite you, our friends, family, audience members, and new community members to continue with us on this adventure. All proceeds from the performance will help fund the continuing work of KYL/D in the community. Thank you for your support! ~the Artists of KYL/D.

Join us after the performance for snacks made by the artists and donated by other members of the KYL/D family."

Grains of Sand in the Mandala: an evening of work created, produced, and performed by the artists of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
Saturday, December 14th, 7:30pm
CHI Movement Arts Center
1316 S 9th St
Philadelphia, PA

need more info? Call 267-687-3739 or email jessica@kunyanglin.org for more details.


Performance reflections

In reflecting on the performance at Widener, my students commented that for this particular show, they "really felt like they were onstage, together, as a group. Like no matter what happened, or even when I was in front and couldn't see anyone else, I knew that we were together. It was a really incredible feeling and brought us together." Many of them echoed similar feelings.

Dance is a form of community building. This semester, in addition to developing technique and performance practice, we focused on opening up our awareness to pay attention to other dancers on stage. Reflecting on the past few months as a whole, I've been working on this as an educator and as a performer, myself.

I'm including the video from the performance. I also showed the quotes from the previous post.

Thanks, Dancers!



(I have permission from my dancers to publish their performance and their names.)

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Performance today!

I ask my students to reflect on what dance has meant to them and what our class time together has meant. I include their words as part of our concert so they can share their experiences with their friends and family. Sometimes, modern dance is abstract and challenging to "understand". Here are some of their words:




Thursday, November 21, 2013

Teaching updates!

A big "THANK YOU!" Karen Dearborn at Muhlenberg College and Dr. Mara Parker at Widener University for the opportunity to work with the Dance students at each school. I've had an exciting semester dancing with these inspiring young artists!

I'm also teaching classes open to the public:

Dance for PD (People with Parkinson's Disease and their friends, family, and caregivers.)
Where: CHI Movement Arts Center in Philly - home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
When: Saturday mornings from 10:30-11:30am (exception - November 30th)
Cost: Drop in $10. or buy a class card - $55 for 8 classes and save!

Ballet Barre (all levels, some experience with ballet is suggested)
Where: CHI Movement Arts Center in Philly - home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
When: Saturday mornings from 11:30-12:15pm (exception - November 30th)
Cost: Drop in $10. Students and Dance professionals $8.

Modern Dance (intermediate/ advanced)
Where: CHI Movement Arts Center in Philly - home of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers
When: Thursdays, 5:30-7pm. 11/21, 12/5, other dates TBD
Cost: Drop in $15. Students and Dance professionals $12.

MasterClass with the Lehigh Valley Dance Exchange, in collaboration with the DeSales University Dance Department
Where: DeSales University
When: Sunday, December 8th, 1-3pm
More info: lehighvallegdanceexchange@gmail.com - call 484-599-0252. Check out the Facebook event

See you in the studio!




Performance Pics & Reviews from KYL/D's Retrospective Performance

"By pulling the audience from the physical, into the breakdown of the body, through trials, death, rebirth, and finally toward the collapse of the very art form itself and its expectations, the Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers spread decades of artistry into one evening, and this is no small feat. In an attempt to summarize an experience that spans time, place, and countless individuals, KYL/D expresses its gratitude to the Philadelphia community in the best way that they can: their music, emotions, and - most significantly - their movements." ~by Chip Schwartz for Knight Arts. See the Whole Review.

"...the artists of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers bared heart and soul, combining them with superb technique.... Flawlessly danced with spiky footwork and sexy, thigh-brushing barridas, this was so milonga triste, but a happy ending." ~ by Merilyn Jackson for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Read the Full Review

Here are a few shots from Lindsay Browning Photography

me in "Butterfly" choreographed by Kun-Yang Lin.
Also performed by Rachael Hart. 

Liu Mo in "Moon Dance" choreographed by Kun-Yang Lin


Rhonda Moore in "Shall We..." choreographed by Kun-Yang Lin. Also pictured, Brian Cordova and me

Rachael Hard and Brandi Ou in "To Dust" choreographed by Olive Prince

A collage of pictures from the performance... what a power experience! 



Monday, November 11, 2013

Thank you, Veterans!



From Saturday's Inquirer: "At the Painted Bride on Thursday night, the artists of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers bared heart and soul, combining them with superb technique." 

Thank you to all those who served, so that we may create art. Challenge the norm. Question traditional thought. Tell stories. Create dances. Practice technique. Bare our hearts and our souls. And share those things that cannot be spoken. 




Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Preview video


Blogger isn't allowing me to upload this, so I request that you click the link and check it out on your own. It's a great video preview of KYL/D's performance this week at the Painted Bride!

Video Preview

Here are a few preview pics from rehearsal:




See you at the show!

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Fun Facts

I'm so excited to share this week's KYL/D performance at the Painted Bride!

This work, particularly, has challenged me as a dancer and as an artist in ways that have been new, uncomfortable, and BOOM! Like a supernova. I've grown so much and am excited to share this new Jessica with my audiences and friends.



And in the excitement and fun of the show, I've enlisted the help of the other artists to allow you to peer into who we are, off stage. Here are some Fun Facts for KYL/D's Fifth:







Click here to order your TICKETS