Kun-Yang Lin

Students and mentees consistently describe Lin's teaching as transformative, noting how he challenges them to think deeply about the "why" behind their movement choices while supporting their individual artistic development with patience and insight.

Kun-Yang Lin is the former Artistic Director of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (1998-2026), Founder of Chi Movement Arts Center (2008-2026) and Emeritus Professor of Temple University(2003-2022). He is an American/Taiwanese director, choreographer and teacher based in Philadelphia and Taiwan.

Lin views dance as his first language, learning to communicate through gestures in a home where his parents spoke different tongues. His artistry is fueled by the many tensions in his life: raised Catholic in an environment steeped in his mother’s Buddhist and Taoist traditions, and navigating life as an Eastern immigrant in a Western society. Lin is deeply invested in the "in-between spaces"—the dialogues between innovation and tradition, the individual and collective, the visible and invisible—which he finds fertile ground for exploration.

Lin’s artistry is profoundly nourished by Buddhist and Taoist world views and the internal energetic flows of Eastern arts he has practiced, including tai chi, martial arts, chi gong, calligraphy, meditation, and Chinese opera movement. These impulses are filtered through his extensive training in contemporary dance techniques and improvisation practices, framed by his ongoing cross-cultural research in dance as a medium for the integration of body, spirit, and mind.

After receiving his BFA from Taiwan National University of the Arts, Lin accepted a fellowship to the Laban Centre in London and joined Transitions Dance Company for extensive international touring. He moved to New York in 1994, where he studied intensively at the schools of Graham, Limon, Cunningham, and Movement Research. Over the next decade, Lin performed in the companies of iconic American choreographers, including Martha Graham, Doris Humphrey, Anna Sokolow, Jennifer Muller, Kevin Wynn, Janis Brenner, Lynn Shapiro, and Paula Josa-Jones. In 1998, he formed his own company, KYL/D, to develop his artistic vision. During his time in New York, he was recognized on multiple occasions by The New York Times, Back Stage, and other notable publications for both his dancing and choreography. He received an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2003.

That same year, Temple University recruited Lin to teach. In 2008, he relocated KYL/D from New York City to Philadelphia and established CHI Movement Arts Center (“CHI MAC”) to build upon his practice-as-research, deepen his own artistry, and advance conversations between the Temple campus and the communities of Philadelphia and beyond. Since 2008, CHI MAC has hosted a broad range of programming for aspiring and professional dancers, and community members, including the Inhale Performance Series for emerging dance artists. Due to family responsibilities, Lin retired from Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers, and Chi Movement Arts Center in 2026. Lin continues to choreograph and also serves as a mentor/ teacher to the art community.

Highly sought as a teacher, Lin regularly offered master classes and workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad, serving as a Full Professor at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia from 2003-2022. Since 1990, Lin has created more than 110 original works. His choreography, described as “deeply spiritual, remarkable” by Dance Magazine, has been presented across the United States, Asia, London, Vienna, and Mexico. Commissions include works for Dance Ensemble Singapore, Ballet Nacional de México, Ballet Philippines, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

Lin has been recognized for his outstanding contributions, including being named an “Artist of the City” by the Painted Bride Art Center (2009) and a “son of the City” by the Mayor of Hsin-Chu (2010). He was named a “Creative Connector” by Leadership Philadelphia (2011) and an NBC “Top 30 LGBTQ changemakers, innovators” (2017). Recently, he was selected as one of the “AAPI Power Players 2024” by Metro Philadelphia and quoted as a “Philadelphia treasure” by the Broad Street Review in 2025.

Recognition and Legacy

Kun-Yang Lin has been recognized by NBC as one of the Top 30 LGBTQ changemakers, celebrated as a Philadelphia treasure and Artist of the City. His work has been featured in major publications and reviewed by leading dance critics worldwide. Beyond accolades, his true legacy lives in the artists he has mentored, the audiences he has moved, and the continued relevance of his vision for dance as a bridge between cultures and philosophies.

Teaching and Mentorship

His teaching philosophy emphasizes both technical rigor and creative freedom, encouraging students to develop their own artistic voices while mastering foundational skills.

His mentorship approach focuses on helping artists discover their unique perspectives and develop the courage to express them authentically.

Choreographic Approach & Artistic Vision

Transcending cultural boundaries through a unique synergy of ancient wisdom and contemporary techniques, shaping the next generation of dance artists as a dedicated mentor and educator.

“With quiet power, he arrives at the essence of an emotion... extracts it raw, and then, with quicksilver speed, subtly refines it.” — Merilyn Jackson, Fjord Review