[Power K Women] Choreographer Hyeyeon Kim Dances with AI Robots: "Dance Is an Extension of Myself"

Interview with Choreographer Hyeyeon Kim, CEO of Yeonist Company

From Dancer to Performance Planner, Writer, and Moderator

"In the Age of AI, You Must Experience and Learn Through Your Body Even More"

Choreographer Hye-Yeon Kim, CEO of Yeonnist Company, says she feels heartbroken when a robot falls. It's not just a metaphor—she describes it as a sensation similar to a part of herself collapsing. For a dancer, the body is both a tool and the self, and even the AI robot she dances with comes to her as "another extension of myself." The question she consistently asks at the intersection of technology and art is simple: What is the body, and how will the body change in this rapidly evolving era?

Born in 1989, Kim is a dancer, performance planner, writer, and moderator, seamlessly moving between these roles. She worked as a professional dancer with the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company for 13 years and 6 months before resigning and founding the art content planning agency Yeonnist Company in 2024. In 2021, she began to fully engage in integrating AI and art by dancing with Boston Dynamics’ quadruped AI robot, Spot. Last year, she also collaborated with KAIST neuroscientist Professor Daeshik Kim on several projects, including the publication of "Between Humans." Meeting her, who is constantly transforming, we asked about "body and dance, AI and robots," and more.

Choreographer Hye-yeon Kim, CEO of Yeonnist Company, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily at Hyundai Motor Company headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-What led you to choose choreography as your profession?

▲I started dancing in fifth grade, so naturally, I walked the path of a dancer. Many dance majors focus more on learning movement as a technique. It's like there are many who dream of being actors, but few who aspire to be directors. At first, I dreamed of being an "actor" and was not particularly interested in creation. Then, while taking a composition class in college, my perspective changed. I found creating the dance itself more attractive than simply turning well, jumping high, or dancing skillfully. From then on, I began seeking out works by various choreographers and was drawn into the allure of creation, which naturally led to my career.

-You left the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company after over 13 years and now lead Yeonnist Company. Where does your passion and drive for constant transformation come from?

▲I think it’s an innate temperament. If I had to pick something I acquired, it’s my mother’s influence. Instead of sending me to after-school academies, she often signed me up for local special activities. Whether it was calligraphy, printmaking, or public lectures, she would throw me into new environments without hesitation. In these unfamiliar settings, mingling with everyone from young children to middle schoolers, I learned firsthand how to make friends, communicate, and find my footing. She also encouraged me to read five books a week. From picture books and novels to comics, history, and philosophy, the range was broad, and it became the measure by which I understood the world and people. From a young age, I found joy in discovering common threads across diverse fields of knowledge.

-What are the company’s goals for art and the public?

▲It’s been less than two years since I founded Yeonnist Company, but I started designing its structure over 13 years ago. While I was with the dance company, I steadily built a model as both a choreographer and planner, and upon leaving, I immediately turned it into a business. Our pursuits fall into two main areas: the artistic mission of promoting dance to the world, and the business domain of planning AI-based content and lectures. Initially, it was difficult to commercialize dance, but by generating revenue in other areas and pursuing greater value in art, a positive cycle was created.

Choreographer Hye-Yeon Kim, CEO of Yeonnist Company, poses during an interview with The Asia Business Daily at the Hyundai Motor headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

-Where do you find your business inspiration?

▲I was inspired by the Medici family, who led the Renaissance revival. I thought dance, which is often distant from the public compared to music or art, needed such a role as well. In the past, a single family might have filled that role, but now I believe "solidarity" can take its place. With the hope of becoming a patron who supports great artists and dancers, I’ve run the "Yeonnist" community for over 11 years, and the profits generated there are donated to orphanages or used to support artists.

-You have worked on various projects themed around AI and art with neuroscientist Professor Daeshik Kim. How did this project begin?

▲Director Daehyung Lee invited me to a community where intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and artists gather. Professor Kim was at the center of it. At the time, the metaverse (extended virtual world) was a hot topic due to the impact of COVID-19, and I was translating that into choreography and applying it to community content. Professor Kim remarked, "There’s something unusual about the rise of AI—let’s study it together." Since both academics and artists were present, there was a suggestion to produce results around a common theme, which led to the creation of the work "Generative Opera" and the book "The Era of Generative Art." Such collaborations have continued since then.

-Was the desire to promote dance at the heart of it?

▲People live with a sense of thirst and anxiety about what they lack. However, that anxiety is only possible because we are alive and healthy now. Dance is an art where my body becomes the tool. Just the fact that I have a body means I am already halfway to what I want, so the process of filling the other half can be enjoyed. That’s the role of dance—to make the public aware of this.

-Did your personal experiences also shape this value system?

▲There was a period of about four to five years when I suffered from a thyroid disorder. I had to take a year off from university to fully recover. When I was sick, nothing else mattered. These are things you don’t realize when you’re healthy. At the time, I envied everyone who could work with a healthy body. After returning to school and taking a composition class, I discovered the intrinsic value of dance and developed my own value system, which has driven all my activities since.

At the domestic global startup fair 'NextRise 2021 Seoul' held in 2021, choreographer Hyeyeon Kim, CEO of Yeonist Company, showcased choreography with the AI robot Spot. Photo by Hyeyeon Kim

-In 2021, you danced with the AI robot "Spot." What was that experience like?

▲I was the first artist to be matched when Hyundai Motor Company acquired Boston Dynamics. I collaborated with ZeroOne, Hyundai’s in-house startup incubator, and developers worked to data-map Spot’s gait, the angle of its leg lifts, and the way it sits. If I fanned its hips, it would wiggle; if I beat the janggu drum, it would get excited and mimic the drumming. This was before AI and robotics were highly advanced, so it was a bit unrefined, but working together made me attached to the AI robot and fueled my interest in expanding into art.

-Did you feel the robot was another "you"?

▲I view dance itself as an extension of myself. Even if another dancer expresses my ideas, if the starting point is rooted in my identity, it is my work. The same applies if the form shifts from a human body to a robot or AI. The person who provides the original source or foundation is the most important. That's why my heart aches when the robot falls—it is an extension of myself. As robotics advances, I believe this concept of extension will only grow stronger.

-What do you see as the current trends in choreography and the dance arts?

▲Many say the AI era is creating polarization, and this is happening in dance as well. AI is now organically incorporated into artists’ themes, and many projects that receive support include an AI component. Artists are splitting into two camps: those who are curious about AI and actively embrace it, and those who declare they will not use it at all, pushing their pure artistic vision even more tenaciously. Those who are ambivalent in the middle are disappearing.

-Do you have any advice for aspiring choreographers or juniors who dream of following your path?

▲I would tell them to read many books, meet many people, and travel to many places. Reading is a fast way to experience the world alone, and meeting people is another way to connect with the world. To young female juniors, I say that youth itself is the greatest weapon. Being empty or lacking is not a bad thing—it’s an incredible advantage. When you lack something, people want to help and fill it. So don’t be shy—always put yourself out there. Setting foot in uncharted territory and experiencing it with all five senses is the best way to broaden your world. In the AI era, the saying "direction over speed" is outdated. Both matter, but now speed determines direction. Unlike in the past, when thinking and philosophizing were enough, now you have to experience it with your own body. Especially for AI, you won't know unless you try. I’m not saying to get swept away, but that you should move your body to find your center amid the speed. The AI era is, in fact, a time when the body becomes even more important.

Choreographer Hye-Yeon Kim, CEO of Yeonist Company, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily at Hyundai Motor Group headquarters in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

▶About Choreographer Hye-Yeon Kim (CEO of Yeonnist Company)

A choreographer working with generative AI, and CEO of the art content planning agency Yeonnist Company. She creates choreography and dance content under the motto, "Everything we move is dance." In 2021, she performed a dance with Boston Dynamics’ quadruped AI robot "Spot." Her co-authored works include "Between Humans," "Nonexistent Films," and "The Age of Generative Art."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.