{"id":148805,"date":"2026-03-26T06:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/148805\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:59:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:59:17","slug":"kun-yang-lin-dancers-ignite-the-stage-at-mandell-theater","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/148805\/","title":{"rendered":"Kun-Yang Lin\/Dancers ignite the stage at Mandell Theater"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kun-Yang Lin\/Dancers (KYL\/D) have established themselves as one of the nation\u2019s few Asian American contemporary dance<\/a> companies\u2014but it\u2019s their striking choreography and dynamic stage presence that truly keep audiences returning year after year.<\/p>\n

Led by Artistic Director Kun-Yang Lin, the company presents a fresh program of new works annually, guided by his Zen-inspired artistic vision. A native of Taiwan, Lin founded KYL\/D in Philadelphia<\/a> with a mission to create performances that center the concept of\u00a0chi, or \u201clife force.\u201d Blending Eastern philosophy with contemporary movement, the company has earned critical acclaim for seamlessly weaving tradition and modernity into work that feels both grounded and innovative.<\/p>\n

For their final home season, KYL\/D will showcase \u2018Echo and Flame\/Fenghuang Awakens\u2019, at the Mandell Theater on Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28. Lin\u2019s 110th creative work, the showcase is officially described as \u201ca celebration of the company’s commitment to healing, community, and the transformative power of dance, encapsulated by the mythic Fenghuang\u2014the Chinese phoenix\u2014a symbol of balance, harmony and renewal.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s meant to be a ritual-inspired journey shaped by ancient Confucian traditions, the elemental force of fire, and the mythic symbolism of the Fenghuang. Structured in five \u201cchapels\u201d\u2014Wisdom, Fire, Fenghuang, Transformation, and Us\u2014the work will feature an original score by Singaporean composer Dayn Ng and live taiko performance by Joe Small.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s not all that visitors will get to see this weekend while at the show.<\/p>\n

An additional world premiere, ’17 Moves\/In Memory of Gus’, will honor the late dance artist, Gus Solomons, Jr. The solo will be performed by a different artist at each performance: Former KYL\/D Principal dancer Liu Mo on opening night, guest artist and projection collaborator Dr. Pallabi Chakravorty at the Saturday matinee, and Kun-Yang Lin himself at the final Saturday evening performance.<\/p>\n

Alongside these premieres, KYL\/D will also present three acclaimed repertory works: ‘Pilgrimage’, a deeply spiritual exploration of compassion set to music by Philip Glass and Lama Gyurmes that has been praised for its \u201cpowerful simplicity\u201d; \u2018MY HOME?\u2019 a refelection on immigrant experiences drawing from stories along Philadelphia\u2019s South 9th Street corridor performed by Weiwei Ma; and ‘Spring 101’, where Lin will reimagine Baroque compositions by Vivaldi and Bach, with sound design by Cory Neale.<\/p>\n

Lin spends his time crafting each routine, all of which are difficult in feat and meant to be intricate\u2014and the result provides a showcase of dances that are direct, fluid, colorful, tranquil, thought-provoking and massively entertaining. Ultimately, \u2018Echo and Flame: Fenghuang Awakens’ promises an evening of powerful, evocative contemporary dance that “speaks to the spirit of transformation.”<\/p>\n

As the artistic director told Metro in 2021: \u201cWe hope audience members recognize the power of dance to transform and heal, that the arts have something to contribute during great challenges, the arts speak to universal experiences, and that the arts uplift our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s ensemble will feature a line-up of talented performers, including Weiwei Ma, Keila P\u00e9rez-Vega, Takashi Kanai, Kendall Niblett, Abby Donnenfeld, Angelica Nieves-Merced, Justin Viernes, and Karen Kao.<\/p>\n

This milestone moment offers a rare opportunity to experience their work in Philadelphia one last time, celebrating a legacy that has helped shape the city\u2019s contemporary dance landscape. For longtime supporters and new audiences alike, it\u2019s a chance to witness the culmination of three decades of innovation, cultural storytelling, and deeply moving performance.<\/p>\n

Performances are set for Friday, March 27, at 7:30\u202fp.m., and Saturday, March 28, at 2:30\u202fp.m. (with a post-show Q&A) and 7:30\u202fp.m. (with a VIP Reception) at The Mandell Theater at Drexel University (3220 Chestnut St.). Tickets are $100 for VIP, $50 general, and $25 for students, with group discounts available. For more information, visit kyld.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kun-Yang Lin\/Dancers (KYL\/D) have established themselves as one of the nation\u2019s few Asian American contemporary dance companies\u2014but it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":148806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[1338,67982,67983,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-148805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-dance","tag-kun-yang-lin","tag-mandell-theater","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/148806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}