Choi is an important figure of early modern dance in Korea, Japan and China who gained worldwide fame in the 1930s.

Choi was born into a yangban-class family in Seoul, Korea during the colonial period, and was also known by the Japanese pronunciation of her name, Sai Shōki.

At first Ishii  was hesitant to admit Choi as his student, as he believed that the Korean public did not appreciate dance and thought that their performance resembled that of a traveling circus instead of a respected troupe.

[8] In early 1920s Korea, it was uncommon for a family with conservative Confucian beliefs and ideals to allow for their child to study dance.

[1] After Choi gained her parents' reluctant permission, she left for Japan with Ishii, his wife, his sister, and his students on the next day on March 25, 1926.

[11][circular reference][10] Although the dance group performed successfully and brought in a lot of income, they struggled financially because of Ishii's debts.

Choi differentiated herself from traditionalism, but also from the new women who specifically identified breaking jeongjo (chastity) as a more modern practice.

Despite Choi’s desire to be recognized for developing new dances in Korea, the Korean society only regarded her as part of the "new woman" trend, setting her against the traditional ideal of women.

The image of femininity was anticipated to play a role in bridging the divide between perceptions of colonized individuals and colonial encounters.

Choi’s career trajectory and the various spaces in which she performed generated multiple and distinct identities influenced by the desires of the intended audience.

The chronological shifts in Choi’s career as well as the national tensions she navigated gave insight to contradictions within the Japanese colonial empire.

[34] Choi was supported by numerous Japanese intellectuals, including Yasunari Kawabata, and corresponded with both Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso.

Critics They praised Choi’s work as they believed that she could represent one of the Manchukuo national mottos that called for Five Races under One Union.

[1] Choi was the first female dancer in colonial Korea to perform outside of her country, even though Japan did not allow for dances to express resentment or resistance towards the Japanese Empire.[1].

Because of this, her dance career took place under Japanese imperialism and that influenced the treatment she received from authorities in her country, when living both in South and North Korea.

[49] In 1939, in an international dance competition in Brussels, Belgium, Choi was appointed as one of the judges along with Rudolf von Laban, Mary Wigman, Serge Lifar, and Anton Dolin.

[50] After this competition, Choi was invited to perform at an international music and dance festival in The Hague, the Netherlands.

[52] The audiences included Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, Romain Rolland, and Michel Simon.

In 1943, Choi began a series of 130 performances with the goal of comforting soldiers (known as: tairiku imon) in Manchuria, Korea, and northern and central China.

Some postcolonial critics in Korea argue that Choi was forced to serve soldiers by the Japanese colonial regime.

Japan changed to total war mode after the Imperial Japanese Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor.

[59] In 1943 she trained in Chinese Opera movement with Meilanfang in Shanghai and in started the Oriental Dance Research Institute in Beiping (now Beijing) in 1944.

Kim Il Sung was fond of plays, and he thought about the political benefits that the public arts could give.

On July 25, 1947, Choi sent her daughter, her sister-in-law, and her students to Prague, Czechoslovakia to perform in an international youth dance festival.

[70] Kim received T-34-85 tanks, artillery, military planes, and his reinforced army exceeded South Korea's three to one.

[77] On February 25, 1955, North Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nam Il announced the need to normalize relations with other countries for peace regardless of the social system.

[78] After the delegates' visit, more Japanese including Koreya Senda, Jukichi Uno, and Tomoyoshi Murayama met Choi in Pyongyang.

She often incorporated traditional elements such as hanbok into her performances, but adapted them with contemporary cuts and fabrics, showcasing her unique interpretation of Korean identity.

[90] Additionally, her choice of pointed-toe shoes added a fashionable edge, emphasizing the elongated lines of her outfits.

[91] This combination of Western elements with her unique artistic flair contributed to her status as a fashion icon among the "Modern Girls" of Korea.