Linda Kuo
Linda Kuo holds a BA in Communications and Minor in Economics from Boston College. She pivoted from a career in advertising to dance after being accepted to Broadway Dance Center’s Intern Program. The experience led to her performing with commercial artists Faith Hill, Lil Mama and Daddy Yankee; choreographing for Dr. Dre’s Beats campaign (Shanghai); and touring nationally and internationally for musical productions and contemporary dance companies, including Peter Pan and Katrina: A Whole Lotta Water.
As a choreographer, Kuo’s work has been presented on stages in New York City, Hawai’i and abroad. Some of her choreographic credits include Shanghai World Expo 2010, U.S. Embassy in China; the Contemporary Museum of Honolulu, Honolulu Academy of Art and Hawaii State Art Museum, Hawai’i; NYC 10 / NYC Dance Week; Triskelion Arts SummerFest, Brooklyn, New York; O’ahu Fringe Festival, Honolulu, Hawai’i; and Honolulu Biennial 2019; International Human Rights Festival; and Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York. Born in Taiwan and raised in Hawai’i, Kuo’s multicultural upbringing in the Pacific Ocean is influential in her artistry and creative approach. Dancing the hula helped cement her belief in dance as the backbone of cultural identity and resilience. Her choreography addresses social and cultural issues, while fusing contemporary, street and cultural dances with a strong emphasis on authentic and diverse storytelling.
Her creative vision has shaped Dancers Unlimited, the nonprofit dance company she co-founded, and artistic and community engagement missions. Kuo has a versatile dance background in hula, ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, house, swing, hustle, voguing and waacking. She continues house dance and capoeira training with house dance pioneer Sekou Heru. She is a member of BOLD (Builders, Organizers and Leaders through Dance) by Urban Bush Women and an alum of its Leadership Institute at New York University. KUO is also an alum of 92nd Y’s Dance Education Laboratory and holds a Nonprofit Arts Management Certificate from New York University. Most recently, she was a Halawai NYC Grant Awardee and a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council artist in residence.