CUNY Dance Initiative to Present Sun Kim Dance Theatre In ALIEN OF EXTRAORDINARY

The CUNY Dance Initiative will present the world premiere of Alien of Extraordinary by Sun Kim Dance Theatre on Sunday, November 9 at 5pm at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. General admission is $20, with student tickets available for $10. 

Alien of Extraordinary is a dance theatre piece born from the labyrinth of the U.S. artist visa system - a process that flattens human stories into forms and reduces lives to paperwork. Choreographed by Sun Kim, a South Korean immigrant who specializes in the street dance style of popping, the piece takes its name from the "alien of extraordinary ability" (O-1) visa and her own experiences with it. Performed by a cast of eight dancers, Alien of Extraordinary features theme music by klezmer musician and composer Michael Winograd. The piece is an invitation to witness the immigrant artist's journey in all its fragility and resilience, creating a meeting ground for empathy, imagination, and shared belonging.

There will be a post-performance Q&A with Sun Kim and J. Brian Cho, an attorney who specializes in the O-1 Visa process, moderated by LPAC Artistic Director Handan Ozbilgin.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Sun Kim is a dancer, choreographer, artistic director, and dance educator. Hailing from South Korea, she specializes in Popping - a style of street dance in which she finds strength and freedom to speak her truth. She was just awarded a 2025 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Choreography, and received the 2022 Emerging Artist Award at Harlem Stage Gala, and was nominated at the 2022 Bessie Awards for Outstanding Breakout Choreographer. She currently performs in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Cub on Broadway.

Sun started learning breaking and popping at age 12, and quickly fell in love with the art form. After training for 10 years, she moved to NYC in 2011. She won a Step Ya Game Up world final Popping battle, made it to the top eight at UK B-Boy championship world final as the USA Popping representative, and has performed for Cirque du Soleil. Additionally, Sun Kim has taught at various institutions such as Princeton University, Broadway Dance Center, Peridance Center, and Kookmin University in South Korea.

She has worked commercial jobs for Madonna, Elton John, Phish, Nike, McDonald's, Golden Goose, and Gap, and also presented her own work for Burning Man at Sotheby's, Harlem Stage, Breakin' Convention, Jacob's Pillow, New Victory Theater, and Mark Morris Dance Center.

Sun Kim Dance Theatre (SKDT), founded by Artistic Director Sun Kim, has a mission to explore the possibilities of Popping dance style in a theatrical manner along with different aspects of physical theatre, and use it as a medium for storytelling, amplifying diverse voices and sharing universal human experiences.

SKDT is committed to creating platforms that elevate the work of underrepresented artists, particularly those from the street dance and immigrant artist communities. We believe that by featuring a broad range of perspectives, we can contribute to the creation of a more inclusive and equitable world.