Soomi Kim (she/her) is a New York City–based actor, deviser, theatre-maker, and movement artist whose hybrid works merge biography, autobiography, and physical storytelling. Her practice centers on interdisciplinary collaboration and the embodiment of Asian and Asian American narratives through movement, text, and multimedia form.
Kim is best known for spearheading a trilogy of collaboratively devised plays with director Suzi Takahashi: Lee/gendary (2008, written by Derek Nguyen), dictee: bells fall a peal to sky (2012), and Chang(e) (2015). Inspired by the lives of Bruce Lee, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, and Kathy Change, the trilogy honors three Asian American cultural icons whose performance practices and untimely deaths resonate through Kim’s body as living archive. All three works were presented at the 1st, 3rd, and 4th National Asian American Theatre Festivals in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
While Kim’s early trilogy established her as a visionary deviser, her foray into writing her own text began with MLCG (My Little China Girl)—an autobiographical dance-theatre solo commissioned by Dixon Place (directed by Leta Tremblay, developed with Suli Holum) that earned her Gay City News’ Most Memorable Solo Performance award.
Since MLCG, Kim has continued to expand her voice as a writer, choreographer and generative artist through Body Through Which the Dream Flows (co-directed with Meghan Finn, presented at New Ohio Theatre’s Ice Factory and The Tank, 2022), Testing2 (a 2024 Core Production at The Tank), and GUT (굿)—directed by Peter Kim—a multi-act, bilingual dance-theatre trilogy exploring intergenerational memory, loss, and ritual. Serving as the sequel to MLCG, GUT (굿) marks the culmination of Kim’s two-decade exploration of mortality in extraordinary AAPI and Korean lives. Together, these works trace Kim’s evolution from a collaborative deviser to a multi-hyphenate creator whose authorship emerges through the intersection of text, movement, and embodied narrative.
Kim has performed and toured extensively with companies and artists such as Ex.p girl, composers Nick Brooke and Grisha Coleman, and the late Fred Ho. Her acting credits span downtown and regional theatre, independent film, and web series. She is a graduate of Circle in the Square’s Professional Training Program and trained for three years in the Meisner technique.
Residencies & Awards
Mercury Store Artist in Residence (2025); NYC Women’s Fund recipient (2024); MacDowell Fellow (2024); BAM Artist in Residence (2024); Berkeley Rep Ground Floor A.I.R. (2023); The Assembly Theater Deceleration Lab (2022); CRS Artist Grant (2022); Orchard Project Greenhouse Lab (2020–21); Marble House A.I.R. (2019); Dixon Place commission (2017); HERE A.I.R. (2015); Hemispheric Institute (2014); NPN Creation & Forth Fund grant; Mabou Mines A.I.R. (2014); Asian Arts Initiative (2012–13); NYITA Outstanding Production of a Play for Lee/gendary.
Press & Publications
Kim’s work has been featured in The Drama Review (MIT Press), The New York Times, The New Yorker, Huffington Post, Time Out New York, NPR’s WHYY Radio, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Culturebot, and The Korea Times.
Guest Artist & Lectures
Kim has been invited to speak and lead workshops at Harvard University, Lehman College, Marymount Manhattan College, Oregon State University, Baruch College, and by organizations including APANO, Emerge NYC, and the Asian Arts Initiative. She was a featured artist at the New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC) and a participant in the National Directing and Ensemble Creation Institute, co-founded by Art2Action and Pangea World Theatre.Chang(e) was presented by Boom Arts in Portland, OR (December 2017). Separately, following Kim’s Harvard University visit, Professor Vivian L. Huang published an essay in The Drama Review (MIT Press) titled “What Shall We Do? Kathy Change, Soomi Kim, and Asian Feminist Performance on Campus.
Movement & Choreography
Kim has choreographed for Grammy-nominated vocalist Thana Alexa (music videos ONA and Doyenne by SONICA Trio) and performed in over twenty live industrials with The Art of War, a martial-arts performance troupe under Empire Entertainment. She has choreographed extensively for her own works and for projects such as Warriors: Make Art Not War (dir. Maja Fernquist), In Her Words: The Story of Anna May Wong (dir. Yunah Hong), and Audition (2g’s Breaking Bamboo showcase).
Soomi has sought mentorship by acclaimed artists Alexandra Beller (Alexandra Beller Dances and former dancer with Bill T. Jones), acclaimed choreographer/dancer Olivier nominated Hannes Langolf (former DV8 Physical Theater dancer) and choreographer/dancer Yael Ben Ezer (former Batsheva dancer). Kim’s choreographic style blends codified and non-codified gesture, virtuosity, and emotional precision—seeking visceral storytelling that challenges tradition while fusing text and movement.
GymKim Choreo LLC
A former competitive gymnast and coach, Kim is the founder of GymKim Choreo LLC, which provides floor-routine choreography and creative dance workshops for competitive gymnasts. She has choreographed hundreds of routines for gyms throughout NYC and beyond.
In the works: short dance film Olive & Olivia and GUT (굿).
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