KYL Dancers Inc.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Creation and Performance
CREATION & PERFORMANCE: KYL/D regularly performs throughout Philadelphia and on tour, which has included FringeArts, Prince Theater, the Painted Bride Art Center, the Annenberg Center and free performances at Philadelphia’s City Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation. The company tours to notable locations in the region, across the nation, and internationally. These tours have included Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival (NYC), Kaatsbaan International Dance Center (Upstate New York), and the Tanzmesse Festival (Düsseldorf, Germany).
Community Engagement Activities
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES: KYL/D supports emerging artists and regularly engages with community at CHI MAC. The INHALE PERFORMANCE SERIES, offered 3-4 times per year, showcases the work of diverse and emerging dance artists for local audiences for the price of a movie ticket. To date, KYL/D has now presented over 800 dance artists. KYL/D also holds OPEN DIALOGS which invite the public to view showings of KYL/D’s works-in-progress, followed by conversations about the creative process with the dancers and collaborators. STORY CIRCLES invite community members of various backgrounds to share information through dialogue, movement and music which influences the creation of the company’s next work. Examples include HOME/S. 9th St., informed by Story Circles with immigrants, and Faith Project, informed by Story Circles with practitioners of diverse spiritual outlooks. EXHALE PERFORMANCES feature established, often international, artists once or twice annually. KYL/D also partners with local organizations to create engaging programming which responds to the interests in the community, such as providing free tickets to Art Reach, hosting field trips for students, or KYL/D’s partnership with Global Tours and Travel’s “Educatours” Program - cultural tours for students visiting the U.S.
Services for Dance Artists
SERVICES FOR DANCE ARTISTS: KYL/D rents its studio at affordable rates to local artists for classes, rehearsals and performances. Internships are offered to 4-6 artists/students annually to offer career-training, interact with leaders in the arts field, and includes free classes and rehearsal space.
Education & Outreach
EDUCATION & OUTREACH: KYL/D’s main education initiative is the CHI Dance program. Designed for students in grades K-12, CHI Dance classes are modeled after Artistic Director Kun-Yang Lin's signature CHI Awareness Practice, which focuses on developing the relationship of the moving body to breath, awareness and mindfulness ("CHI" meaning life force in Mandarin). The classes nurture students’ self-awareness and impulse control in addition to providing safe dance activities in-school, after-school, and over the summer. Programming includes classes, workshops, and assemblies. Additionally, KYL/D provides Chinese Cultural programs, which that invite audiences to experience Chinese culture, movement and language.
Furthermore, KYL/D programs ongoing classes at CHI MAC for all ages and abilities including Zumba, Hip Hop, Ballet, Graham Technique, Contemporary, CHI Awareness Practice and Modern. KYL/D also offers unique workshops in mind-body practices of Eastern origin. Additionally, classes are offered to students at locations where KYL/D is in residence or touring; recent sites include Grand Valley State University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Where we work
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Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1) Build artistic and organizational capacity
2) Increase performances locally and on tour
3) Enhance awareness of the company's impact locally, nationally, and internationally
4) Strengthen KYL/D's business model by diversifying revenue streams
5) Enhance governance and organizational practices
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Prioritize investments in the artistic team with increases in performance opportunities, and compensation.
Focus on developing a staffing infrastructure that fully supports the mission and vision, and nurtures the organization’s expansion and sustainability.
Build an ever-growing and engaged local audience of 10,000 or more annually at home season performances, CHI MAC studio programming, and at other local venues.
Raise the company profile in New York City and at notable venues for dance across the nation with increased domestic touring and strategic relationship-building efforts.
Increase contributed revenue by developing and implementing comprehensive and participatory annual and long-term fundraising plans.
Strengthen the fundraising performance of KYL/D’s Board of Directors to support the expansion and deepening of KYL/D’s donor base.
Manage cash reserves to ensure sufficient working capital, operating capital and risk capital to fund artistic projects and foster stability.
Fortify the governance practices of KYL/D to achieve the best performance of the Board of Directors, individually and collectively.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
KYL/D has increased its staff capacity over the years, including 4 full-time artistic and administrative staff members and sustaining a professional ensemble of 10 dance artists. The company consistently retains 10-14 board members annually. In addition to solid human resources, the company has been effective in maintaining at least 6 months of operating reserves at the end of each fiscal year which has provided the capacity for the company to continue to invest in new programs, increase wages each year, increase professional development opportunities, and provide time to focus on short term and long term goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In FY20 and FY21, KYL/D continued to increased wages for all employees, by approximately 4-5%. Although 2020 significantly decreased opportunities to perform, KYL/D was able to develop a series of virtual streams of never before seen archival content from past productions, which created a new revenue stream. Also, Penn Live Arts (previously the Annenberg Center), re-engaged KYL/D to present a live streamed performance for it’s 2021 Spring Digital Season, which included a virtual masterclass for students and a live Q&A session with Kun-Yang Lin and the dance artists immediately following the performance.
Moreover, through diverse digital program offerings including live, pre-recorded and hybrid material, KYL/D was able to increase the number of students served through its education program, CHI Dance. The company is working on plans to invest in new technology equipment in order to create more robust digital offerings and higher quality marketing materials in the future.
Professional development opportunities in 2020 included the Business Director attending the National Creative Placemaking Summit, the DanceUSA conference and several sessions dedicated to anti-racism work, which will play a role in the company’s initiatives for 2021 and beyond. Additionally, KYL/D attended the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) virtual conference in January 2021, which included showcasing 5 different evening length concerts of the company's work, the biggest showcase in KYL/D history at APAP, providing more awareness among national and international presenters.
KYL/D was able to successfully continue holding virtual board meetings through online meeting platforms throughout 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, the pandemic impacted all of the company’s earned revenue streams, however, KYL/D was able to sustain the same level of individual giving from 2019 to 2020.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
KYL Dancers Inc.
Board of directorsas of 07/06/2023
President Ken Metzner
Executive Director: Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Kun-Yang Lin
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers & CHI Movement Arts Center; Temple University.
Ken Metzner, Esq.
Kun-Yang Lin/Dancers & CHI Movement Arts Center; Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Ellen Gayda
BodyWord® Therapies; Body Psychotherapist
David Harrison
Former ED: Kulu Mele African Dance & Drum Ensemble
Ellen Schwartz
Private Practice
Alex Carbonell
Restaurateur: Bourbon and Branch- Philadelphia, Circles and Squares- Philadelphia, The Commodore Restaurant- Philadelphia, Pizza Plus- Philadelphia, It’s Nutts Restaurant-Titusville NJ
Bingyu Hatzis
Supervisor/Manager: Hollywood Grill: Wilmington Delaware, Winner Ford in Cherry Hill, NJ
Elbert Black
Accounting & Finance Professional
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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