Irena Yin | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

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Irena Yin is a creative with a multicultural twist. Raised in Shanghai, China, Irena began her ballet training under the tutelage of Flora Cheong-Leen and Meili Zhu. She took her training full-time at Elmhurst Ballet School in England before moving to Master Ballet Academy in Arizona.

At USC Kaufman, Irena diversified her movement by exploring various concert and social dance styles. Expanding on her existing artistry, she has performed works by choreographers including Leïla Ka, Jillian Meyers, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Justin Peck, and Christopher Wheeldon.

As a choreographic storyteller, Irena takes inspiration from the fleeting moments of daily life. Blending her experience at Central Saint Martins’ summer program, Irena views choreography through the lens of fashion and production design. In addition to presenting choreography at USC, she co-led a project for the Trinity Laban x USC Kaufman CoLab, a week-long collaboration between music and dance.

Beyond dance, Irena is pursuing an MA in Public Relations and Advertising from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. In 2024, she was named a fellow for the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program and interned as an art director at Deutsch, where she worked on accounts for Pizza Hut and Dr Pepper. She furthered her journey in art direction and design through The One Club For Creativity’s Boot Camp in 2025. USC Phi Beta Kappa inducted Irena in her junior year for academic distinction.

She aspires to continue exploring how creativity transcends forms, bridging dance, advertising, and storytelling.

Irena Yin | Photo by Lee Gumbs

Irena Yin | Photo by Lee Gumbs

Irena Yin | Photo by Cathryn Farnsworth

*This performance reel requires a password. Please contact Elliott Scher at elliotms@usc.edu for access.