Episode #29- Jin Kim: Becoming a professional dancer and performer

On this episode of Real Talks on the Rocks, I sit down with Jin Kim, who is a Bay Area professional dancer, K-pop dance instructor and has been a performer on professional broadway-style shows that have been put on in San Francisco. Jin's experience ranges from being a team dancer for the Golden State Warriors, to his most recent stint as the "sexy Han Solo" in the burlesque parody of Star Wars called "The Empire Strips Back". Hear how Jin had the courage to drop out of college at a major University in order to pursue his passion and the lifestyle choices and sacrifices he has made in order to keep the dream alive! You can reach out to Jin on his Instagram: https://instagram.com/jinkimming Thank you to all of my supporters who are supporting me on Patreon and allowing me to grow this channel! Click the link below to access this episode's bonus content: https://patreon.com/realtalksontherocks For all of the links to the other avenues to view/listen to my show, you can visit my website at: https://realtalksontherocks.com There you will find links to Apple Podcasts, Spotify as well as my Patreon page. You can also follow me on: Facebook: https://facebook.com/realtalksontherocks Instagram: https://instagram.com/realtalksontherocks Twitter: https://twitter.com/realtalksrocks #dancing #inspiration #performer Chapter Markers 00:00- Preview 01:05- Introduction 04:13- Why Dancing? 07:11- Dropping out of UC Davis 11:35- Shifting the focus from college to dance 17:15- Dancing industry in LA vs the rest of the country 21:30- Overcoming rejection in the industry 26:40- The career shift to teaching, then tech 28:40- Working for Tech: Follow the money but hate my job??? 35:40- Re-evaluating life after Tech 37:08- Figuring out which path to take 42:44- Dancing for the Golden state Warriors 46:20- dancing pro and making little to no money 51:48- Why JIn teaches, but hates K-pop! 56:04- The ugly side of the K-pop industry 1:00:15- Life (and food) in Korea 1:06:31- A brief try at a YouTube career 1:10:20- Auditioning for The Empire Strips Back and larger shows 1:14:32- How a show is created and put on 1:20:45- Stripping 1:24:30- Ending the show 1:26:41- What this career means as it evolved 1:30:51- Dating within the industry 1:34:28- When it’s time to evolve in your career 1:42:06- Trying out Acting as a career 1:46:06- When the Journey means more than the end goal 1:48:40- Advice for tech employees scared of being laid off 1:55:57- Final Thoughts