A leading figure in the Korean performing arts scene, Eun-Me Ahn was born in 1963. Captivated by traditional dance and shamanistic practices, she studied contemporary dance at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. In 1988, she founded the Ahn Eun Me Company before moving to New York in 1991 to study at the Tisch School of the Arts. In 2001, she returned to Korea as Artistic Director of the Daegu City Dance Company, overseeing 45 dancers, where she created notable works such as The Little Match Girl and Skypepper.
She has continued to develop her choreographic and performance practice, revisiting Korean classics (Princess Bari, Chunhyang) and exploring social themes. Her work has engaged with non-professional older adults (Dancing Grandmothers, Dancing Teenteen, Dancing Middle-Aged Men) and individuals with disabilities, through Ahnsim Dance and Daeshim Dance.
With a repertoire exceeding 150 pieces, Eun-Me Ahn has cultivated a distinctive artistic language defined by her trademark vibrancy, positivity, and bold use of colour. She has earned international acclaim with iconic productions such as Symphoca Princess Bari, Let Me Change Your Name, Dancing Grandmothers, and North Korea Dance, which have been performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages.
In addition to her choreographic achievements, Ahn has expanded her artistic practice into the realms of installation and sculpture, exploring the interplay of movement and spatial language. Her solo exhibition Known Future (2019) at the Seoul Museum of Art and the Encounter-Face Project: Pinky Pinky Good (2024) at the Venice Biennale exemplify this innovative approach, where the body’s language is transformed into dynamic spatial expressions.