Khorii Hunter Tinson (she/her) is a movement artist and choreographer born in Woodbridge, Virginia, rooted in Atlanta, Georgia, currently based in Tallahassee, Florida.

As the daughter of a Marine, Khorii grew up dancing overseas and in several states, but can credit the majority of her pre-collegiate training to Dance Theatre of Jacksonville (Jacksonville, NC) under the direction of Debra Baile-Becerra. With this studio, Tinson trained in Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Tap and competed dance competitively as well as attended conventions in various states on the East Coast. Since 2019, Khorii returns to DTOJ every year for their annual Alumni Intensive where she teaches master classes in House and Contemporary and sets choreography for the upcoming competitive season. Khorii also teaches and choreographs at various studios in Florida.

Khorii has her Masters of Fine Arts in Dance degree from Florida State University (2026). Most recent credits at Florida State include premiering her MFA Thesis D.R.O.N.E, which showcased a group of individuals rooted in their own codes of resistance to oppression, and in her colleague Ashleigh C. Hartnett’s MFA Thesis SYNERGY. Khorii also made live music with various instruments including Djembe and a talking drum for Kimberly Milan’s MFA Thesis Soualichi. Other credits from Florida State include performing in Baye and Asa’s The Customer (2025), a poling solo, Under the Stars, There is a Heaven (2024) choreographed by Kehinde Ishangi, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar’s restaging of Give Your Hands to Struggle (2023).

Khorii received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance, emphasis in Performance and Choreography, degree from The University of Texas at Austin in May of 2020. In her time at UT, she performed and worked in processes with renowned artists such as Rennie Harris, Charles O. Anderson, Gesel Mason, Courtney Mazeika, Jenn Freeman, Stephanie Martinez, Bridget Moore, and many more.

Additionally, as a Graduate Student at FSU, Khorii taught Intermediate-Advanced House for Non-Majors. She also taught House and Jazz for the Summer Dance Intensive and Young Dancers Workshop.

Khorii specializes in teaching the following techniques at recreational/competitive dance studios: House, Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Improvisation; ages 4 - Adult.

Dance is a means of liberation and freedom; an art form crucial to the preservation of history. To be a movement artist is to be a human who seeks and tells the truth, provokes conversation about the self and the world, and speaks using the body in all of its glory and intelligence. To be a movement artist is to center the previousness of the human body and its abilities, to take care and nurture yourself- and encourage those around you to do the same. 

Dance is a necessity. It is how I show up for myself, my community, and for the world at large. I remember protesting for the Black Lives Matter movement in Austin, Texas, in my last year of my undergraduate career, and I realized why I felt so liberated in those moments was because I was making full use of my body to enact change, or at the very least- to express my truth and frustration, my hopes for the future, and anger with the past and present. I realized then, that dance is an otherworldly act of self preservation, and not just something that I love and feel born to do. 

As a person, and an artist, I am moved by the experiences of marginalized groups, domestic and abroad, and highly political conversations and movements that could drive us towards a world where money, war, and greed are not the driving forces of humanity. Believing in a fully transformed world is not easy and requires in depth research into the past, understanding and empathizing with the present, and hoping for the future to put social justice into practice, rather than theory. 

I am continuing to grow as an artist citizen every day, someone who creatively acknowledges and practices the importance of staying informed and in tune to the inner workings of the machine.

أَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ

As a teacher, I am interested in the marriage of our physical and spiritual bodies and what it means to tap into that individual and communal search for ecstasy through movement. In order to achieve this state in the classroom, I believe in promoting student agency and autonomy, as well as demonstrating the right to be respected and seen no matter your position in the classroom. Whether it is a House, Contemporary, or Ballet class, this objective remains.

A classroom that centers self and community wellness is important. I strive for my classroom to be free of judgment, preconceived notions and perceptions, and harmful/triggering rhetoric. There should be very little, if not any, power imbalance in terms of safety and respect. 

I believe the classroom is a space designed for valuing and utilizing history, in all of its ugliness and prettiness, and a place where challenging the status quo is welcomed, encouraged even.

In the times that we are living in, it is increasingly important to remain steadfast in the true nature of being a pedagogue: to tell the genuine and honest truth. It is not acceptable to fabricate reality and stray away from language that may be triggering. It is our job to tell it how it is, and as artists, it is our job to remain embodied and empathetic, and ready to act.

Students should leave the room feeling challenged, inspired, and satisfied. It is important to me that each student feels they achieve a goal set by themselves as well, not just the goals I envision for them. Whether it be one class or a year of classes, the student should feel as if they have grown in sufficiency toward the given learning objective. They should have gained a broader sense of knowledge and value in the world at large, able to take what they learned from class and apply it to areas not just in the studio, but outside of it as well.

My greatest asset as a teacher is being able to adapt to the class and hold space. To command a classroom means to be a nurturer of passion and endless possibility.