Administrative Staff & Leadership
Kun-Yang Lin- Founder & Artistic Director
KUN-YANG LIN is founding Artistic Director of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers (“KYLD”) & co-founder of KYL/D’s CHI Movement Arts Center in Philadelphia. Taiwan-born Lin probes at the limits of national identity, drawing upon Eastern philosophy while expanding the perimeter of Western contemporary dance. Lin has won numerous awards in Taiwan and been widely recognized in the U.S. for both his dancing and choreography including, in 2002 by Back Stage, which named him “the year’s most promising choreographer in NYC.” Lin has been on the faculty of The Yard on Martha’s Vineyard, H.B. Actor’s Studio, Peridance International Dance Center and The Limon Institute and he offers master classes and workshops throughout the U.S. and abroad. Currently, Lin is Professor of Dance at Temple University. Lin received his MFA from New York University’s Tisch School (on full scholarship) and his BFA from Taiwan National University of the Arts. He currently serves as KYL/D's Executive Artistic Director. For more information on Kun-Yang Lin, visit his page here
Rob Li Photography
Katie Moore-Derkits- Executive Director
Katie Moore-Derkits (Executive Director): graduated magna cum laude with her BFA in dance and minor in business from Temple University. In 2019, she joined the board of Temple's Boyer College of Music & Dance Alumni Association. She has served on grant panels for United Way, The Picasso Project and The Philadelphia Cultural Fund. As well, Katie is a graduate of the Arts + Business Council's CreativeXchange program. She serves as the Communications Director for the Pennsylvania Dance Education Organization (PaDEO), a state affiliate organization of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). Katie is deeply invested in grassroots community work, including being a member of two organizations connected to where she lives and works-- the S. 7th St. Advisory Committee, with the mission of creating a vibrant South 7th St. commercial corridor representing the strength and diversity of the community, and the Percy St. Project, dedicated to bringing better infrastructure, visibility and programming to S. Percy St. (located behind KYL/D's dance center), through the power of art. Katie is also a member of a growing cohort of arts & culture workers organizing in the city to maintain focus on the state of its Arts Sector and Creative Economy. She is an active part of the cohort pursuing the published goals and strategies developed by the Arts & Culture Task Force created by Councilmembers Isaiah Thomas and Katherine Gilmore Richardson in 2020. In 2021, Katie was nominated to Chair one of Dance/USA’s Councils, representing Managers of Member Companies, and also serves as a Dance/USA Trustee. Katie became the Business Development Manager of KYL/D in 2016, Business Director in 2018 and was promoted to Executive Director in 2022.
Lingyuan (Maggie) Zhao- Assistant Artistic Director
Lingyuan (Maggie) Zhao received her MFA degree in choreography at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (UNCG) and joined the KYL/D team in 2015. Zhao started her professional dance training with ballet, Chinese Classical dance, and Chinese majority and minority dances. Later, Zhao pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at Beijing Capital Normal University where she was introduced, and fell in love with modern and contemporary dance, dance composition and dance pedagogy. In between, Zhao worked in the Asian Dance Research Center as a dance teacher and as Assistant to the Artistic Director at Chinese Children's Musical Theater. In 2008, at the Opening Ceremony of Paralympic Games, Zhao performed and also served as an assistant choreographer in the dance, Fly. During her graduate studies, Zhao was honored to be a Teaching Assistant at UNCG. She has also taught workshops as a Guest Artist at UNC Charlotte, Cabrini University, and DeSales University. Maggie is currently the Visiting Assistant Professor of the Dance Program at Swarthmore College, and serves as Assistant Artistic Director at Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers.
Rob Li Photography
Sophie Malin- Education Coordinator
Sophie Malin grew up in Boston, MA and Mason, OH. Sophie trained extensively in Ballet & Modern dance at Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet under the direction of Oliver Arana (Cincinnati Ballet) and Susanne Payne (Dayton Contemporary). After relocating to Philadelphia, Sophie danced professionally with Alchemy Dance Company, SHARP Dance Company, and Klassic Contemporary Ballet Company. She also worked as a freelance artist for Blythe Smith, Evalina (Wally) Carbonell, Asya Zlatina and several others. Sophie has attended intensives at BalletX, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Joffrey School of Ballet, Northwest Dance Project and Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet. Sophie has a deep passion for teaching, including working as the Assistant Director/Artist in Residency at Wilmington Ballet in Delaware. Sophie joined Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers as an apprentice in 2019 and was a teaching artists in the CHI Dance program. In 2020, Sophie was promoted as a dance artist and as KYL/D’s Education Coordinator.
Keila Pérez-Vega- Marketing Associate
Keila Pérez-Vega is a Puerto-Rican, Philadelphia-based artist who received her BFA in 2015 at University of the Arts. While studying, Keila became a principal dancer at Eleone Dance Theatre where she remained for three years. Post-graduation, Keila has worked with numerous local artists and companies: Dance Iquail (PHL), 10HL Projects (NYC), Melissa Rector & Dancers (PHL) and ARTolerance (PHL), among others. Outside of concert dance, Keila is a passionate latin dancer, instructor and performer, where she competes and has received world titles. Her passion for the arts extends to her work in the administrative field. Keila is Marketing/Events Director at Koresh Dance Company, Marketing Associate for KYL/D and ARTolerance as well as Programming Director for Almanac's 2021 Fit Fest. Her proudest endeavour is founding Artsi, a 501(c)3 non profit with a mission to bring diverse audiences together to enjoy art in unique ways and spaces. Keila joined Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers in 2016.
Evalina Carbonell- Inhale Performance Series Curator
Evalina Carbonell, known affectionately as "Wally," is a Philadelphia-based dance artist. She received her early training at the National Ballet School in Maryland. She went on to earn her BFA in Dance from Florida State University, studying with such luminaries as Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and Suzanne Farrell. Upon graduation, Evalina joined the Roxey Ballet Company, dancing as a principal artist from 2005-2011. As a free-lance artist, she has worked and choreographed extensively, and continues to be an active performer as a guest artist nationally and locally. Evalina teaches dance, GYROKINESIS® and GYROTONIC® in addition to creating her own work. A passionate performer, creator, and teacher, Evalina joined Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers as a dance artist in 2012. She became the Inhale Performance Series curator in October 2019.
Ken Metzner- Board President
Ken Metzner, a recovering corporate lawyer, is the founding Executive Director of Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers & Co-founder of KYL/D’s CHI Movement Arts Center in South Philadelphia. Formerly Senior Vice President & General Counsel for Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City, where he practiced law for 17 years, Ken is an ordained Interfaith Minister and a life-long student of Spirit. Ken received his B.S. in International Relations from Georgetown University; a General Course Diploma from the London School of Economics; his law degree from the University of Virginia and ordination from the Interfaith Temple of the New Seminary in New York City. Active in the broader arts community, Ken serves on the board of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund (which provides general operating grants to hundreds of arts and culture organizations annually) and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Ken has been an invited guest speaker for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) in NYC , the Guangdong Dance Festival in China, DanceUSA, Temple University, Cabrini University, University of Pennsylvania and the Interfaith Youth Core. Ken left KYL/D as Executive Director in July 2018 and now serves as the Executive Director for Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.