Returning to the FringeArts Stage, KYL/D Presents: Breath Into Air

One of the country’s premier Asian-American contemporary dance companies, Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (KYL/D), announces its 26th Home Season, Breath Into Air, at FringeArts on Friday, April 19th and Saturday, April 20th.

As we all deal with grief and strife on personal and global levels, KYL/D searches for healing. The company will unveil Breath into Air (World Premier), a work that investigates what opportunities death and loss can offer us, a space to ponder what remains, and how to be thankful for the gift of every breath. This work was developed in memory of board member, Marla Soffer.

The concert also features an excerpt of Mandala Project (2011) described as “A masterwork of art, spirituality, and stagecraft” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, alongside works by KYL/D senior dance artists. Koyl (2016) by Evalina Carbonell is a duet of two women who transform the coiled inner violence of the feminine experience into empathy and maturity. Weiwei Ma’s work Dragon (2023), informed by a sculpture by Yuyu Yang, utilizes the mythological creature to explore Chinese philosophy and symbolism.

This year’s KYL/D ensemble features Evalina Carbonell, Weiwei Ma, Keila Pérez-Vega, Sophie Malin, Takashi Kanai, Robert Burden, Kendall Niblett, Abby Donnenfeld, and Angelica Nieves-Merced.

Hailed for its superbly trained dancers and inventive choreography, the internationally-active KYL/D probes at the limits of national identity. The company has performed around the world, including at the Tanzmesse International Dance Festival (Dusseldorf), Busan International Dance Festival (Korea), Jogia International and AsiaTri festivals (Indonesia), Festival Internacional de Danza in Queretaro (Mexico), Victoria Theatre (Singapore) and HsinChu Performing Arts Center (Taiwan). In the U.S., KYL/D has performed at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Interlochen Festival, Columbia Festival, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, the Painted Bride Art Center, The Egg, PennLive Arts, the Kimmel Center, the Forrest Theater, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and Philadelphia’s City Hall.

Breath Into Air runs for approximately 90 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission. Tickets are $40 General and $25 Students. Discounts are available for groups of 10+. For reservations, visit kyld.org/2024

KYL/D Breath Into Air, Photo by Rob Li