Interview: Female Hip Hop Dancer SUN KIM Tells Her Story

Kangseon "Sun" Kim, is a female hip hop dancer who specializes in the style of popping from South Korea. She was a member of a dance crew, and won several dance battle competitions. Some of her performance credits include dancing with 45 DEGREES/Cirque de Soleli and producing her own show, entitled WHO YOU ARE, that focuses on overcoming inner battles to find your true self.

I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with Ms. Kim, a foreign-born freelance dancer based in New York City, about her unique story coming into the field of dance and the challenges she has faced along the way.

Q: How did you get into dance/hip hop?

A: Living in Korea and the Asian culture, there are often many high standards people are expected to follow. Dance and the arts are not typically part of those "requirements." Therefore, growing up, I had no knowledge of hip hop. It wasn't until one day when I was 12, I came across a book that was about hip hop dance. In it, there were pictures of different dance poses. It made dance look cool!

Later, when I went to middle school, they had an after school dance program. It was pretty unusual to have such a program in Korea, but I was happy they did. It was there I was introduced to breaking, and later popping, which I just fell in love with. And things took off from there.

Q: What are some things you have done in the dance scene in Korea?

A: A few years after I got involved with the dance program at my school, I joined the dance group, Sweety Boogie- one of the best female popping crews in Korea. I was with them for about 10 years. During that time, I had the opportunity to teach, perform, and also encourage other girls that they can also get involved in hip hop dance.

Q: What made you come to the U.S/why New York City?

A: One of my sisters was already living in New York, and often encouraged me to come and study English. I thought it sounded like a good opportunity and had planned to come for a year or two. However, once I got here, everything changed. There really is no place like New York. I loved the atmosphere. I had a lot of support despite the fact that I thought I was different. But being different was a good thing.

During that time, I had the opportunity to study both English and dance. I was exposed to so many different dance styles. I also took classes at various studios such as Broadway Dance Center (BDC), Peridance, and Cumbe.

Q: Can you talk about a challenge you faced and overcame?

A: When I first came to New York, I was here on a student visa. While I was here, I had auditioned for an Off-Broadway show. The casting director really liked me and asked when I could start. However, once the director discovered I only had a student visa, they weren't interested in me anymore because I wasn't legally allowed to work.

That prompted me to apply for an artist visa. I did a lot of paperwork, and worked with a lawyer for over two months to get everything in order, and my application got rejected. My lawyer said that I could appeal, but I was discouraged and didn't want to. Plus, this was all starting to get very expensive. With my mind all set to return to Korea, my mother urged me to appeal, so I did and one year later, I got the visa. Once I had the visa, I was able to audition, perform, and teach. I appreciated the many opportunities that came my way and continue to do so.

A project that I have been working on that is important to me is the show I produced called WHO YOU ARE. It is about being able to find your true inner self. We all have our inner battles. Mine has been not feeling good enough. But I had to learn that I am the only one who can be me! So through this project, we (the artists) are able to tell the intimate stories of our lives through different mediums of art.

Q: Do you have any words of inspiration for other dancers that may have a similar path?

A: Don't be afraid! There are many reasons to be scared such as coming to a new place, how expensive it is to come to the US, and the fear of failing. But failing is a good thing, because you can learn from those mistakes. And with that, I am able to help other dancers in similar situations, and guide them through the visa process.

Also, if you really want to come here, there is always a way to make it happen. Just go for it!

Sun Kim is such an inspiration to me and I hope she is to you as well! I love the way one moment by chance introduced her to dance and totally changed the trajectory of her life. I also appreciate her honesty and vulnerability when talking about the challenges she has faced along the way.

Be sure to catch her in another production of WHO YOU ARE in spring 2018. Also, check out Sun's website for more information about her at www.sunkimdance.com.

Photo Credit: Jeong Park