Kun-Yang Lin Dance Company heads from South Philly to Germany this summer

When Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D) appears as part of Come Together Dance Festival 2014, organized by Koresh Dance Company and PNC Arts Alive, it will be part of a new movement forward for the company. It made its home in Philadelphia in 2008, and now looks to expand its horizons abroad, while developing new works that reflect the South Philly community where it has its center.

“This is a significant junction for the company,” says executive director Ken Metzner, excited that the company has been invited to perform at Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival on August 7 and the Internationale Tanzmesse dance festival in Düsseldorf, Germany on August 24-30.

“Touring is a choice,” says Metzner, who sees it as part of KYL/D’s mission of bringing their artistry to the world and a way of positioning the company for greater recognition in the future. But it’s an expensive choice, so the company is raising funds through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo as well as from individual donors and foundations.

The pieces KYL/D will be performing at Come Together are drawn from longer works the company has presented before: Be/Longing: Light/Shadow and Mandala Project. Be/Longing was developed from the personal experiences of the dancers and reframed through the contemplative processes that are part of their training. Mandala Project is an exploration of the dancers’ relationships to the earth, to their bodies, and to each other. The desert tones and use of light and shadow along with the sonorous music create an impression of a slow-motion version of hip-hop and a deeply meditative experience.

When the company returns from their travels, they’re committed to settling down and working with their community through story circles and other interactive communal exercises, to develop a new work called Home. Partnering with Boat People SOS and funded by PNC Arts Alive, Home will be based on the stories of the immigrants who now call their corner of South Philly home.

Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers will perform July 23 and July 26 at the Come Together Dance Festival 2014, organized by Koresh Dance Company at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia. For more information about KYL/D, call 267-687-3739 or visit kunyanglin.org, and to learn more about the Come Together festival, call 215-751-0959 or visit koreshdance.org.