AMPLIFY NASHVILLE HONOREES

Jen-Jen Lin is the founder of Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville.

Jen-Jen came to the United States in 1991 from Taiwan and has greatly contributed to the cultural and artistic richness of Nashville.

She holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and in 2002, she founded Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN) to continue pursuing her passion in performing arts as well as promoting Chinese arts. Jen-Jen was awarded “Living Cultural Treasure Award” by Scarritt-Bennett Center, Nashville, in 2000, and the Carell Fine Arts Artist in Residence in 2013 at the Harpeth Hall School. She has taught Chinese dance at the Nashville Chinese School, was Principal of the Nashville Chinese School 1999-2001, the initial Chinese language program teacher at Eakin School, presently teaches modern dance at the Vanderbilt University’s Dance Program, TaiChi at Sevier Park, and is a Teaching Artist for the Arts Education’s ArtSmart Program at the at Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Over the years, CAAN performances have included over 100 performers, six drums and lions, one Monkey King, a Moon Goddess, the great woman warrior Mulan, and a 60-foot long Dragon. Their dancers and drummers have performed at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Ryman Auditorium, Nashville Dragon Boat Festival, National Folk Festival, Frist Center for Visual Arts, Discovery Center in Murfreesboro and many community centers and parks across Middle Tennessee. CAAN’s newest venture is to bring an annual Chinese New Year Celebration to Hillsboro Village. The event collaborates with Chinese language programs at various schools, Vanderbilt University, professional artists, and various other organizations.