Kagan was born in Samara in the Russian Empire and moved to the United States as a young child.

[5] Kagan was the dance director at Henry Street Settlement Playhouse (now Abrons Arts Center) in New York City.[when?

[9] In 1961, the House Un-American Activities Committee targeted and blacklisted the Mimi Kagan Dance Group as a "subversive organization", which was part of a list published in national newspapers.

[10] In 1971 and 1972, she collaborated with her second husband, the composer Earl Kim, on the work "Exercises en Route", which toured and featured text by Samuel Beckett, and the soprano soloist Benita Valente.

The show had Kagan dancing and four other dancers from Boston Ballet, including Anamarie Sarazin, Eileen O'Reilly, Robert Steele and Anthony Williams.