Linxin
"Kisa" Li
(she/they/ta)
Multidisciplinary Artist-Scholar:
Choreographer, Filmmaker, Educator, Photographer, Composer, RYT
Bio.
Linxin “Kisa” Li 李琳馨 (she/they/ta) is a multidisciplinary artist-scholar, educator, and advocate for social justice within the performing arts. She is currently a Visiting Scholar in Dance at the University of Dayton, where she also directs the UD Dance Ensemble (UDDE). Kisa utilizes dance, film, and multimedia performances to engage audiences and students in discussions about identity, inclusivity, and cultural critique.
Through Kisa Productions, Kisa directs and produces projects that intersect dance, film, music, and multimedia performance. Her notable works include the dance film "劫: Self-Deconstruction," which won the Best Experimental Film award at both the Hong Kong World Film Festival in 2022 and the World Class Film Awards in 2024. Another work, Dear Kisa, earned the Best Choreography award at the X World Short Film Festival 2023. Additionally, she was awarded the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs' Dance Award in 2024 for her work and direction with UDDE. In the summer of 2024, Kisa was honored as a Dance Studies Association Conference Fellow, where she presented her article titled "An Autoethnography: Teaching Chinese Contemporary Dance as a Catalyst for Inclusive Dance Studies," published in Dancer-Citizen, Issue 19. This article explores how Chinese contemporary dance can enhance inclusive dance pedagogy and emphasizes the connection between cultural specificity and dance education. In addition, Kisa has served as a jury member for the Utah Dance Film Festival 2023 and as a judge for the Student World Impact Film Festival 2022, and a standing committee for the Dance Studies Association Conference 2025.
Kisa holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance with a minor in Psychology from the University of Dayton. Kisa seeks to deepen her interdisciplinary research and continue advocating for performance as a tool for cultural critique and social change.
A Voice:
As a first-generation immigrant and queer Asian woman, my life has been a journey of continuous evolution and boundary-pushing. Growing up in China, I discovered the transformative power of movement to express my inner world and imagined reality at a young age. Dance became a medium to share my true self with the world, beyond language.
Ten years ago, at 20 years old, I came to the United States, which presented an opportunity for reinvention and challenged me to adapt while remaining true to my roots. Everything I have experienced in the United States has made me more determined to create art that gives voice to the underrepresented and marginalized.
Experiences of exclusion due to my race, skin color, queer identity, and immigrant background in the United States have fueled my commitment to advocating for diversity and inclusion; an environment where everyone feels welcomed, seen, and empowered. These encounters with marginalization have profoundly shaped my identity and informed my approach as an artist and educator.
My theoretical approach to artistic practice is rooted in the belief that performance has the power to dismantle oppressive structures and offer new perspectives on identity and culture. Storytelling through movement, choreography, film, and other mediums remains my passion. I strive to highlight marginalized voices and visualize the unspoken. Themes of racial justice, identity, sexuality, community healing, and social justice drive my creative process. Art allows me to heal and can transform struggles into empowerment.
I am committed to using the arts to inspire positive change, foster empathy, and change the world through small efforts in arts, teaching, and my creative work. I am dedicated to pushing boundaries to create an inclusive future despite challenges. I am eager to contribute new perspectives through academic research, collaboration, and social practice, building bridges between higher education and the real world, and empowering generations to fearlessly embrace change.