Vivian Kim is a lecturer in the Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance, with a focus in street dance.

What got you into dance in the very beginning of your dance life?  

I started out in a creative movement Ballet class when I was a child (this was in Denver, before my family relocated to Nebraska).  I didn’t really enjoy it though, so my mom unenrolled me after the first few class sessions.  It wasn’t until we relocated to North Platte, NE when I really started getting into dance. My cousin, Janice, was taking classes at The Dance Factory and they were having a “bring a friend to dance” week – so I went with her! I remember it being a Jazz class and thinking to myself “yes, I need more of this!”.  So, I enrolled in Jazz for the following year and I ended up dancing and assisting all throughout middle school and high school.

What keeps you interested in dance as a career/art/discipline?

I’m not going to lie… dance as a career is difficult and a lot of hard work, but I truly believe there isn’t another profession out in this world that impacts people as strongly as dance does. As a dance educator, the reward of being able to see the physical progress within my students is incomparable to anything else.

Dance as a career is interesting to me, because of the form’s versatility.  Dance can be used for “entertainment” purposes, activism, therapy, storytelling, narration, what CAN’T dance do/be used for?!  Additionally, there’s always something new to learn. Regardless of how long you’ve been training in a style, performing, or educating, this field is buzzing with peers and up-coming choreographers/educators that bring something new to the table.

How has your transition to Indiana and Purdue been?  Highlights?

My transition to Indiana has been good. I lived in the Midwest for a major portion of my life, but after living in Colorado for the last 9 years, it was quite the culture shock and adjustment.  The humidity BLEW my mind when I got out here.  If you haven’t been to CO before, it is SO dry all year round. I haven’t had a chance to really engage with the community as much as I would like, but it’s been nice to be greeted with open arms from the faculty and staff in the Department of Theatre and Dance.  I’m slowly beginning to expand out into the Street dance community in Indianapolis, which I’m looking forward to cultivating more.

What took you from your early dance styles, to modern in college, to street dance? Why this progression of styles?

So, I’m a studio kid. I grew up learning commercial jazz, tap, lyrical, ballet and pointe from ONE dance instructor in the small town of North Platte, NE.  I decided to stay in-state for my undergrad, because it was close to home and a bit lighter on the financial end of things.  The program at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, has a focus on Modern concert dance.  I had no idea what Modern dance or concert dance were, but I auditioned for the program anyway and fell in LOVE with the freedom and challenge of the movement.  I began specializing in Modern dance in 2010 and continue to take class, choreograph, teach and train in this style. 

In terms of Street styles, I didn’t really have a trajectory or a ‘why’ behind my focus and training.  I had always loved Street dance for the (different) type of freedom and joy it brough to my life, but before beginning the MFA program at CU Boulder, I was mostly focusing on Commercial Hip Hop a.k.a. Jazz Funk/Street Jazz.  Which means that the “hip hop” movement was more choreography-based.  Meeting Rennie Harris in 2017 at CU Boulder changed my entire perspective on Hip Hop. He and his Artistic Director of his Denver-based company, Grassroots Project, asked me to begin coming to the Saturday morning training sessions and the trainee company rehearsals on Wednesdays. We focused primarily on House dance and Hip Hop. As I began to learn more about the History of Hip Hop and its impact nationally and globally, I began to fall more and more in love with this style.  In 2021, added the style Popping to my repertoire while training with my now mentor Dassy Lee from Femme Fatale (LA). 

I don’t necessarily think there’s a rhyme or reason to why I began training in these styles when I did. If I had to pinpoint something, I’d say it’s because of the region I grew up in as a youth and young adult.  Had I had the opportunity to learn authentic Street dance/Hip Hop at a young age, I truthfully think I would’ve began there rather than in a traditional dance studio.

What is your favorite thing about Purdue’s Dance Program so far?  

The openness and enthusiasm to try something new from the students and the support from the dance faculty AND the talent, passion, and drive from the students within the dance program and amongst the dance-based student organizations.

What are you hoping the future will bring, at Purdue, in life, in general?

I’m hoping to elevate the presence of Hip Hop culture and dance on campus. I have hopes of bringing Red Bull Dance Your Style to campus to teach classes, educate dancers on the history of Hip Hop styles and history, and connect with the students on campus.  I would also love to see the dance program impact and integrate with other departments across campus.

What do I hope the future will bring in life? This is a pretty loaded question, but at the bare minimum, I hope that people will begin to feel more compassion and understanding for others and themselves.   Compassion is something we are seriously lacking in this version of our world and I think it could do us good!