Lia Kim is a South Korean professional dancer, choreographer and dance coach. She is best known for being the head choreographer and founder of 1Million Dance Studio. Her dance style is urban hip-hop and funk. Kim has gained huge international recognition over the years and has performed at several events and concerts around the world. In addition, the South Korean professional served as a judge for two dance performances, both local and international. The dancer is both a symbol of inspiration and a role model for many budding young dancers around the world.
Lia Kim (Kim Hye Rang) – Biography
Kim was born as Kim Hye Rang on July 10, 1987 in Ahyeon-dong, Seoul, South Korea. She was raised in her home country, where she studied and gained the fame she enjoys today. She is one of the most famous Korean pop choreographers and has trained artists such as Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon, Minzy and Miss A’s Min. Kim reportedly studied at Dong-Seoul University, but graduated in hip-hop dance from Yon-Sei University.
Before Kim turned professional, she was a street dancer and it was from there that she started her dancing career; dance in the streets of Seoul and participate in various street dance competitions. Through her participation in various street competitions, her fame began to grow gradually as people noticed her dancing skills. Gradually, Lia went from a street dancer to a professional choreographer.
As she did on the streets, when she became a professional dancer, Lia Kim participated in several dance competitions at the national and international levels. At the Euro Battle dance competition held in Portugal, Kim finished in second place in the popping category. At the world dance competition, she emerged as the popping winner. She did the same in Pop Lock Ladies and at the Dosi Hip-hop festival.
Lia Kim has worked as a dance coach for some of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea, such as SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, LEON Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. She has also performed choreography for artists such as Miss A, 2NEI, Generation Girls, Reading, Jay Park, Got7, Jang Woo Hyuk, Wonder Girls, Sunmi, TWICE, BoA, Son Dam-Bi, Melody Day, WANNA B, Dreamcatcher. and after school. She was a judge at World of Dance 2016 in South Korea, Urban Dance Camp 2016 and Astro Battleground. Lia was the head instructor of the 2016 Fair Play dance camp.
Having worked as a dance coach for some of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea as well as some other dance studios, Kim quit being a coach to focus more on choreography. She said some of the reasons she quit being a trainer were because she felt like she was selling her talents to make money, but also passing on her talents to others and not be recognized for their work.
Apart from the fame she attained as a choreographer, Kim also gained fame from being an internet celebrity. She founded the YouTube channel 1Million Dance Studio. The channel was established on February 6, 2015. It currently has over 14.2 million subscribers and has had over 3.2 billion views on its videos. 1Million Dance Studio also has 966,000 followers on Instagram. Kim’s personal YouTube channel ‘Lia Kim’ has over 950,000 subscribers and has garnered over 52 million views on her videos. Her YouTube channel was established on July 16, 2012. She has over 822,000 subscribers on her personal Instagram account.
The South Korean choreographer is the co-founder of the KORE XG∆CHI clothing line. She also owns an online fashion store called SHOP LIA.
South Korean dancer’s family life
Lia Kim was born to Kim Geuk-sook and KimJong-hwan. Her father, Kim Jong-hwan, is a South Korean singer and is commonly referred to as the “Adult Ballard Emperor”. His most recognized works are Reason for Existence and One Hundred Years Promise. He won two Golden Disc Awards for his works in Reason for Existence and Out of Love in 1996 and 1998 respectively. Her Reason for Existence award went to the Popularity category, while her For Love award went to the Album of the Year category.
Other than her father, not much is known about the rest of Lia Kim’s family. Also, she wouldn’t be linked to anyone as a boyfriend or husband at this time.