Ahn Yoo-jin (; born 1968
) is a South Korean choreographer, dancer and university professor. She is famous for introducing and popularizing
belly dance in South Korea.
Life
Ahn Yoo-jin became known by the name Xena Ahn when she emigrated to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1988. She first encountered belly dancing from a female dancer who lived in her neighbor's house. In the early 1990s, she qualified as a belly dance instructor at an art school located in several cities in Turkey.
Ahn Yoo-jin first introduced belly dance to South Korea in 1995 when she founded "Bellydance Korea", South Korean first educational institution specializing in belly dance. She also created a new belly dance style adapted to Korean people's body shape and emotions. In 1998, she participated in a belly dance performance hosted by Walt Disney Korea at the Hilton Hotel in Seoul. Ahn Yoo-jin, a professor of practical dance at the Seoul National University of Arts, served as chairman of the Korea Belly Dance Association and CEO of Belly Dance Korea, appearing in various broadcasting and magazines to introduce belly dance while training several leaders and dancers.
Ahn Yoo-jin was appointed as a part-time lecturer specializing in the elementary belly dance course at Kwangju Women's University in February 2006. However, she was indicted without detention by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office in November 2007 on charges of exercising false documents after forging a diploma under the name of a university president in Sydney, Australia.
On September 13, 2008, she appeared in the Chuseok special program ''National Baby Face Selection Contest'' (전국동안선발대회), which aired on
Seoul Broadcasting System
Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) () is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting System (서울방송). Its f ...
(SBS), and won the first place.
After graduating from
Korea University
Korea University (KU, ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea, established in 1905. The university is included as one of the SKY universities, a popular acronym referring to Korea's three most prestigious universities.
The ...
with a master's degree in cultural contents and a Ph.D. in dance studies at
Sangmyung University
Sangmyung University is a private university in South Korea. It consists of the first campus in Jongno District, Seoul and the second campus in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do
South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do'' ...
, she worked as a professor of dance at Sangmyung University and served as chairman of the Korea Practical Dance Association, a division under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Books
* ''Let Me Dance - Belly Dance'' (나를 춤추게 하다 - 벨리댄스, 2007)
* ''Content Policy and Applied Humanities'' (콘텐츠정책과 응용인문학, 2014)
Awards
* 2009 Korea Federation of Arts and Culture Organizations Special Achievement Award
* 2016 Korean Culture and Arts Council Leader Award
* 2016 Seoul Mayor's Commendation
References
External links
Korea Practical Dance Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahn, Yoo-jin
1968 births
Living people
South Korean female dancers
South Korean choreographers
South Korean women choreographers
Belly dancers
Entertainers from Seoul
South Korean expatriates in Australia
Korea University alumni
Sangmyung University alumni
People who fabricated academic degrees
South Korean women academics