UC Irvine

The Hmong diaspora has drawn the attention of Hmong scholars, artists, and researchers to understand its cultural dynamics, identities, boundaries, and influences. Hmong culture has transformed through interactions with diverse cultures, which this research examines through the lens of the third space theory by Homi K. Bhabha. This theoretical framework is used to investigate the cultural resistance and hybridization of identities that emerge from within. The exploration of my personal lived experiences, along with five interviews of Hmong-identifying individuals who are educators and artists, captures perspectives on performative identities within Hmong, hip hop, and Korean pop culture, as well as aspects of gender and sexuality in dance. As a result, these investigations utilize the acculturation model theory by John W. Berry as a framework for understanding performativity by analyzing dancers through choreographic works. This finding reveals how each third space offers boundless possibilities not only for cultural resistance and the hybridity of identities but also for a theatrical performance of different acculturation strategies, allowing dancers to embody cultural contexts and explore movement qualities and techniques on their bodies. Ultimately, this study demonstrates how Hmong people resist, create, and reinvent ways of preserving cultural heritage and constructing their identities within various cultural contexts, illustrating what it means to be Hmong. Additionally, it shows the significance of embodying the essence of a dancer, further highlighting the relationship between cultural expression and personal identity through artistic perspectives and choices.