Student takeover---Stephanie's Tale of Song and Dance

K-Pop Dance Class and an Indie Concert-What could be better?

By Stephanie B.

Today we had the opportunity to meet and dance with Roki, a dancer and choreographer for YG Entertainment at YG’s X Academy.

He’s worked with many idols, so getting to learn choreography from him was such an honor. He taught us the second chorus for “Mmmh” by Kai, and while it was challenging it was also very fun!

A few of our team leaders joined in to learn with us, and everyone was so focused. By the end, we split into three teams to show what we had learned over the course of the hour. Here’s my group!

Everyone was so supportive of each other, and the energy was consistently high, making it easier to perform.

I did mess up a few times, but by the time I was done, I was more focused on how much fun I was having rather than my mistakes. One person from each group got to dance with the instructor as well, and they all did amazing!

Choreo credit: Roki and YGX Academy (Follow them on Instagram: ssu_x_mini and ygx_official). Music: Mmmh by Kai

After class, we had a chance to tour the YG Café (the SamE) and Gift Shop or go shopping in Hongdae. I chose to go shopping, since the streets of Hongdae are lined with good stores. My friends and I stopped at a few clothing shops and ate fried chicken afterwards (Korean fried chicken is a must have!) Once it was time to head back with the group, we headed down a path of stairs to an underground club for an indie band performance.

The duo that performed for us, 정흠 Jungheum Band (Follow them on Instagram: jungheumband_official), was insanely talented! Although we were unfamiliar with the band, everyone was captivated by their amazing performance of their original songs and a Kpop medley prepared especially for us!

They were so good that we all asked for an encore, and they graciously let us enjoy one more song cover by them. 

Just when we thought the night was over, we found out it was just getting started. A DJ played a mix of Kpop classics and favorites, and we all sang and danced until pizza (courtesy of CIEE) came out! We all wound down to light music while enjoying food and conversation with each other. Though we were all tired from walking, dancing, singing, and more, we were able to enjoy each other’s company and keep making great memories. 

We look forward to more Seoul-ful experiences in Week 2!