About

MiRi Park is a b-girl, choreographer, performer, producer, scholar and mother based in Thousand Oaks, CA. She spent 15 years living, working and performing in New York City where she learned the art of b-girling and other underground dance forms. Notable performances include the Bessie Award-nominated evening-length piece A Single Ride by choreographer Ephrat Asherie, RENT at the Hollywood Bowl (Dir., Neil Patrick Harris), and the final Broadway tour of RENT (Dir., Michael Greif). She has also worked with choreographers Maura Nguyen Donohue/inmixedcompany, Doug Elkins, Marlies Yearby, Nia Love, Rennie Harris, and actor/producer Kate Rigg.

MiRi served as Producer/Curator and Marketing Director at Dance New Amsterdam (formerly Dance Space Center). She later helped launch Columbia University’s Oral History Master’s Program (OHMA) as Program Coordinator, with her MA advisor and OHMA/Columbia Center for Oral History and Research (CCOHR) Director Mary Marshall Clark. MiRi is currently on faculty at Cal State Channel Islands and is the Associate Choreographer of the 20th Anniversary tour RENT.

MiRi’s previous academic work focused on the oral histories of NYC b-girls in the 1990s. Her current research interests include: hip hop studies, dance history, oral history, consumption studies, postcolonialism, trauma, feminism, African American studies, Korean history, Asian American studies.

Crews: Fox Force Five, Tru Essencia Cru, Breakin’ In Style

Education

MA American Studies, Columbia University;

BA Journalism, BFA Dance, UMass Amherst;

2004 US & World Air Guitar Champion