Vivian Kim

Vivian Kim, MFA, came to Purdue University from Boulder, CO.  She stepped into the role of lecturer for the Dance Program within the Department of Theatre and Dance in fall of 2024.  She received her MFA in Performance and Choreography in Dance with a secondary emphasis in the Alexander Technique from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018.  Her work in the Colorado dance community involved, but was not limited to, dance education for various K-18 studios, teaching at community colleges and universities, performing and choreographing for local dance companies, serving as a board member at the Boulder Ballet and Mi Chantli Arts and Movement Sanctuary. 

Vivian and creative partner Keith Haynes, MFA, established, directed, and produced many shows through their dance company, VisKosity Dance Collective (VKDC).  VKDC was an interdisciplinary dance company that utilized Modern dance movement and Street Dance (House, Hip Hop, Chicago Footwork) in their dance works.  Vivian and Keith also had the opportunity to adopt the Boulder Contemporary Dance Festival from Cindy Brandle of the Cindy Brandle Dance Company and transformed the concert into an all-styles weekend-long performance called the FreeForm Dance Festival.  

Vivian has been training in Modern dance since 2010 with various instructors around the country. In 2017, she began training with Rennie Harris (Rennie Harris Pure Movement) and in 2020 added the form Popping by training with Dassy Lee (Femme Fatale).  Vivian’s research and creative work has been presented in Costa Rica, W&L University, University of Colorado Boulder, Metropolitan State University Denver, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Ohio Northern University, amongst many others.

Vivian is an energetic teacher who is passionate about making dance accessible to students of all movement backgrounds.  She aims to bring forward authentic historical education of Jazz dance, Hip Hop, and Modern dance styles to the students.  Though learning the fundamentals and movement vocabulary for any style is the focus of dance, Vivian also focuses on cultivating creative, safe, spaces for students to feel confident about their movement and movement expression.