Biography

Vivian Kim, MFA, is a dance educator, choreographer, and performer currently based in Indiana. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL) under the direction of Susan Levine-Ourada. She later graduated with a Masters in Fine Arts for the Performance and Choreography in Dance with a secondary emphasis in the Alexander Technique from the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). Throughout much of Vivian’s career she has had the opportunity to specialize in Concert Dance in the form of Modern dance with training and mentorship from Helanius J. Wilkins, Gesel Mason, Jenna Riegel, Noelle Bohaty, Erika Randall, and various other phenomenal choreographers and dance educators.

During her time in the CU Boulder, Vivian began training in Street Styles and Hip Hop with Rennie Harris and his Artistic Director Larry Southall. She has been training, performing, and choreographing in the styles of Hip Hop and House dance for the past eight (8) years. In 2021, she added Popping dance to her repertoire while receiving training and mentorship with Dassy Lee (Femme Fatale, LA). As a result, Vivian’s movement and choreographic research intersections Modern dance technique and concepts with Hip Hop, House, and Popping. She is continuously working towards creating her own unique voice as a choreographer to elevate Modern dance and bring Street Dance and Hip Hop to the concert dance arena.

Vivian is passionate about about dance as a radical form of self-love and freedom of expression. She believes that dance is an integral part of culture, community, and individual growth and development physically, mentally, and socially. She has had the opportunity throughout her 15 years in as a professional in the field to facilitate events, teach classes, and host dance concerts that bring dancers from different genres and the larger community together.

Vivian’s choreographic/creative research encompasses her identity as Korean-American woman frequently toggling the line between traditionalism and the contemporary. Ideas of the ‘Model Minority’ myth, the Confucius Analects for Women, and living/existing in the socio-cultural binary of ‘black’ or ‘white’ are prominent themes within her dance works. Other areas of research that inspire Vivian is the intersection and cultural exchange of information in K-Pop Music, Culture and Dance and Hip Hop Culture and Dance.

Prior to relocating to Indiana, Vivian and creative partner, Keith Haynes, MFA, established an interdisciplinary dance collective in Boulder, CO called VisKosity Dance Collective (VKDC). VKDC was a dance company with artists of all styles creating Street Style/Modern dance works and presenting repertory concerts of their own works. Most importantly, VKDC was a staple in the Boulder/Denver Metro area for bringing the community and dancers together to perform and share their passion for dance in the FreeForm Dance Festival (FFDF). Hosted, curated, and directed by Vivian and Keith, FFDF brought forward the powerhouse dancers of all generations and styles to the forefront of the Colorado dance scene. At this moment, VisKosity Dance Collective is on hiatus, but their works and snippets of the company can be viewed on Instagram at @viskositydancecollective

She is grateful for the abundance in opportunity she has had over the many years of being a dance educator and choreographer. Vivian has lectured and/or has been a guest artist various institutions and festivals such as CU Boulder, UNL, Washington & Lee University, University of Nebraska Kearney, Ohio Northern University, Red Rocks Community College, Envision Festival (Costa Rica), the Unseen Festival (Denver, CO), San Souci Film Festival (Boulder, CO), Under the Radar (Omaha, NE), and various others. Her creative work has been presented in Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, Utah, and Indiana.

In this new chapter, Vivian is currently teaching as a full-time lecturer in the dance program within the Department of Theatre and Dance and Purdue University at Purdue University. Her teaching focuses are on Hip Hop, Modern dance, and Jazz dance. Keep up with Vivian’s upcoming classes, workshops, and performances on her instagram @vivkimdances