IMDL #5: Acclimation
Invited guest performing artist at Splendor in Amsterdam, collaborating with dancers and musicians in real-time composition.
About the Artist
A Life in Movement.
Jee Eun Ahn — choreographer, performer, and dance educator.
Across Cultures.
Through Movement.
Jee Eun Ahn is a choreographer, performer, and dance educator born and raised in Seoul, Korea. Now based in the United States, she works across live performance, dance film, and improvisation. Her international collaborations bring dancers and musicians together in theatrical and site-specific settings.
Her earlier artistic work includes founding Jee Ahn and Dancers in Florida and New York, and serving as co-director, choreographer, and dancer with Ainos Dance Company.
Currently
Assistant Professor of Dance
Dance Major Program Advisor
Middle Tennessee State University
Artistic PracticeMovement, Memory,
Movement, Memory,
and Exchange.
Ahn explores relationships among movement, cultural experience, sound, and space. Through improvisation and interdisciplinary collaboration, she brings dancers with different movement vocabularies and personal perspectives into a shared creative process. This collaborative approach allows individual experiences to shape the work and opens space for new artistic possibilities.
Drawing from her Korean cultural background and cross-cultural experiences, she explores how traditions, memories, and personal perspectives can inform contemporary movement and creative expression.
Her ongoing choreographic research explores the relationships between movement and sound, the body and its environment, and the ways dancers communicate and respond to one another. Through structured improvisation and collaborative experimentation, she continues to investigate new possibilities for movement and artistic expression.
Explore the WorkPerformance & Creative Development
Selected Milestones.
International Performing Arts Project
Featured international guest artist at improvisation festivals in Tongyeong, Jeju, and Seoul, Korea.
University of Alabama Residency
Invited to restage It Echoes Between with university dancers for Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre, alongside guest master classes.
ACDA Southeast Gala Concert
It Echoes Between selected for the American College Dance Association’s Southeast Gala Concert.
Creative Activity & Faculty Development
MTSU support through Faculty Creative Activity Travel Grants and Faculty Professional Development Travel and Instructional Enhancement Grants.
Doug Varone’s DEVICES 4
One of 12 selected choreographers; presented L’Ancora at Gibney Dance in New York.
Appointments & Education
Background.
Selected Appointments
2023–present
Assistant Professor of DanceMiddle Tennessee State UniversityDance Major Program Advisor
2017–2023
Assistant Professor of DanceTexas A&M International UniversityDance Minor Program Coordinator. Tenure and promotion to Associate Professor granted Spring 2023.
2015–2017
Adjunct Professor of DanceTexas A&M International University
2013–2015
Founder & DirectorJee Ahn and Dancers, Florida & New York
Education
2015
Master of Fine Arts in DanceFlorida State UniversityConcentration: Choreography and Performance
2005
Bachelor of Sport Science in Physical EducationSeoul National UniversityConcentration: Dance Education
View CV
September 2025 · PDF
Writing & Research
Beyond Performance.
Her scholarly research examines the psychological dimensions of dance, including perfectionism, coping, injury and rehabilitation, and motivation.
Peer-Reviewed Publications 4 articles
- Ahn, J., Cho, S., & Lainas, H. (2025). Exploring the relationships between perfectionism and psychological well- and ill-being in professional dancers: The mediating role of coping tendencies. International Journal of Applied Sport Sciences, 37, 222–236.
- Ahn, J., & Cho, S. (2025). Psychological factors influencing injury and rehabilitation in dancers: Integrating theoretical and applied perspectives. Journal of Korean Society for Rhythmic Exercises, 18, 13–23.
- Ahn, J., & Collins, C. (2022). Psychological aspects of dance. Research in Dance and Physical Activity, 6, 17–26.
- Cho, S., Collins, C., & Ahn, J. (2018). Talent development and motivation in dancers. Journal of Wellness, 13, 423–430.