About

Woobin Lim (林優斌) is a dancer and choreographer trained in contemporary dance. He completed his bachelor’s (2013), master’s (2019), and doctoral (2022) degrees in contemporary dance at Chung-Ang University. In his master’s research he applied Root-Bernstein’s thirteen thinking tools to an improvisational dance program to study the development of students’ creativity; in his doctoral research he took the semantic interpretation of place (placeness) as a starting point and examined the process of bringing poetry analysis and the thinking tools into the making of a work. This doctoral research led to the creation and analysis of the exhibition-format dance performance Don’t Give Me the Whole Truth (2022).

As a dancer, in 2015 he joined the Niigata-based Noism Dance Company in Japan as a full company member, performing in artistic director Jo Kanamori’s TARU KINUTA, Painted Desert, and SAUDADE. With Cha Jong-hyun’s Unanswered Question (대답없는 질문) he appeared on international stages including Beijing (2013), Hanover (2015), and a tour of Spain’s MASDANZA and the Canary Islands (2018). He also took part in the work of Choi Sang-cheol, performing in Chaos (혼돈) (2018, Changjak Sansil Best Work) and Their Argument (그들의 논쟁). Their Argument won the President’s Award at the 2023 Korea Dance Awards. In competition, he took first place along with the Special Prize for Foreigners and the Judges’ Special Prize at the 2014 Nagano International Choreography Competition, and first place in the contemporary senior division at the 2016 Seoul International Dance Competition.

As a choreographer, he has presented the mono-dance In Between (2022), the exhibition-format dance performance Don’t Give Me the Whole Truth (2022), A Distance Within a Distance (거리 속의 거리) (2022, through the Seoul Dance Festival’s Dance Lab), GoGoGo (2022), Forest of Sound (소리의 숲) (2023), and Hollow Breath (공허한 숨결) (2025), and he received the Best Choreography Award at the 2022 WBAC Grand Prix Competition. He has taught contemporary dance practice at Chung-Ang University since 2014 and currently lectures at Kangwon National University, the National Traditional Arts High School, and Incheon Arts High School.

2026: Contemporary dance practice lecturer, Kangwon National University (current)
2025: Premiere of choreographic work Hollow Breath (공허한 숨결) (Chung-Ang University Arts Festival)
2023: Performed in Their Argument (그들의 논쟁) (choreography by Choi Sang-cheol) — President’s Award, Korea Dance Awards
2023: Premiere of choreographic work Forest of Sound (소리의 숲) (Yang Sun-yong Project)
2022: Ph.D. in Contemporary Dance, Chung-Ang University
2022: Best Choreography Award, WBAC Grand Prix Competition
2022: Choreographed and performed in the exhibition-format dance performance Don’t Give Me the Whole Truth / choreographed and performed in the mono-dance In Between
2018: Performed in Unanswered Question (대답없는 질문) (choreography by Cha Jong-hyun) — Spain’s MASDANZA and Canary Islands tour / performed in Chaos (혼돈) (choreography by Choi Sang-cheol), Changjak Sansil Best Work
2016: First place, contemporary senior division, Seoul International Dance Competition (military service exemption)
2015: Full company member, Noism Dance Company (Japan) — performed in Jo Kanamori’s choreography TARU KINUTA, Painted Desert, SAUDADE
2014: First place, Nagano International Choreography Competition / Special Prize for Foreigners / Judges’ Special Prize / began as contemporary dance practice lecturer, Chung-Ang University
2013: B.A. in Contemporary Dance, Chung-Ang University / performed in Unanswered Question (대답없는 질문) (choreography by Cha Jong-hyun) — Beijing International Choreography Competition
2012: Third place, Berlin International Dance Olympics
2010: Third place (Senior), Hellas International Dance Competition, Greece
2009: Second place, men’s senior division, Korea Contemporary Dance Association Competition