At 16, Eileen Kim confronted a life-changing choice: Keep residence to complete highschool in Chicago or transfer to Washington D.C. to pursue her dream of changing into knowledgeable dancer. After spending the summer season on the Kirov Academy of Ballet in DC, she was accepted into the year-round program and begged her dad and mom to let her go. Although she had solely been coaching in ballet for 2 years, she took a leap of religion and went. A number of leaps later, she is now knowledgeable dancer, balancing her profession with an ever-growing checklist of inventive pursuits.
In her childhood, Kim skilled critically in rhythmic gymnastics, however by eighth grade, she had reached the very best degree of the game and transitioned to ballet. “I assumed ballet was comparable sufficient, however I rapidly discovered that wasn’t true,” she says, laughing. “In any case, I fell in love with it, and it caught.”
After graduating from Kirov, Kim moved to New York Metropolis to proceed coaching. She secured an apprentice contract with Common Ballet a yr later, bravely shifting to Seoul, South Korea, at solely 19. One season later, she realized there was extra she wished to discover, each inside dance and past.
Kim found the College of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman College of Dance, utilized, and was accepted. After graduating in 2023, she spent a yr with Cincinnati Ballet II earlier than becoming a member of BalletX, the place she is now ending her first season.
Past firm life, Kim has her palms in a number of creative pursuits. She was lately accepted into the Countertechnique teacher-training program, works because the social media supervisor for Laguna Dance, teaches yoga, and takes on aspect tasks; most lately, a video-art class at Fleisher Artwork Memorial.
On Her Yr in South Korea
“Wanting again, I had a ravishing expertise in Korea. My mother immigrated to the U.S. on the similar age I used to be once I lived there, so in a means, it was [like living] the other of her. I perceive Korean tradition from the angle of being American but bodily Korean. For my identification, I’m so grateful I lived there as a result of it helped me grasp issues about my tradition I wouldn’t have in any other case.”
On Deciding to Go to School
“Throughout my Kaufman audition, I felt the identical sense of belonging I had at Kirov—I knew it was the place I used to be speculated to be. However even after getting accepted, I struggled with the choice. While you’re younger, decisions really feel so massive, like ‘This might change the trajectory of my life’ massive. And in a means, it did. However I took one other leap of religion.
“Generally, you’ve gotten these actually lovely moments of readability the place you assume, I don’t know what I’m doing, however I do know I’m meant to be right here proper now. So, I spent a yr in Korea after which left for L.A.”
Classes Gained From College
“At Kaufman, I discovered my ardour for fostering areas of togetherness, creativity, and collaboration. We have been empowered to create our personal paths. Producing exhibits and occasions wasn’t an task. I simply noticed a necessity, or possibly a inventive want, and went for it. My buddies and I have been like ‘Okay, let’s make this occur,’ and we turned our concepts into motion.
“Kaufman additionally taught me what I used to be interested by—and that my curiosity was simply starting. Now that I’m in firm life, I do know what I need to discover subsequent. If I didn’t have one thing else to stimulate me creatively, I believe I’d get bored. And by staying curious, it naturally fuels my work within the studio.”
On Instructing
“I like educating. I owe a lot to the lecturers who believed in me, and I don’t assume lecturers get sufficient credit score. My mentors—Stella Voskovetskaya, Erin Forrest, Anton Wilson, and Jodie Gates—have formed me into the artist I’m.
“Certainly one of my favourite experiences in Cincinnati was educating on the Cincinnati Ballet Academy. I taught some choreography courses, and watching my college students dive into choreography and uncover their very own love for it—identical to my lecturers did for me—was extremely rewarding.”
Goals for the Future
“There’s a lot I’m excited for, however proper now, I’m pleased to be in BalletX in Philadelphia. While you’re youthful, you’re all the time dashing towards what’s subsequent, however now I’m able to pause, take every thing in, and develop. I’m additionally wanting ahead to beginning my Countertechnique coaching and creating as a instructor.
“I’ve so many goals as a result of I’ve so many pursuits. I don’t know precisely what’s subsequent, however I do know it’s there. I like making issues occur, producing, choreographing, and creating environments that convey individuals collectively via artwork. I’ve all these seed concepts, and when the time is correct, I do know they’ll come collectively.”
