[INTERVIEW] Would you learn K-pop dance at university if there was a course on it?

Oh Chu-yun, a professor of dance theory at San Diego State University, teaches K-pop dance to students during a workshop at California State University. Courtesy of Professor Josh Grisetti

'Dance and music can fade away if they are not properly documented'

By Dong Sun-hwa

K-pop dance will reach new heights in 2023.

It will be the first time in the history of K-pop dance that a renowned university outside Korea will offer a general education course on the subject.

Professor Oh Chu-yun at San Diego State University (SDSU) in California, who will teach the course starting this fall, says SDSU's new movement demonstrates the growing influence of K-pop dance fandom.

This change speaks to the success of K-pop dance in transforming from a niche interest to a far-reaching phenomenon that is now being formally recognized in academia.

"K-pop dance is now a genre that no longer relies solely on fans," Oh, an associate professor of dance theory at SDSU, told The Korea Times. "Today, anyone can enjoy, teach, and learn K-pop dance, even if they are not dedicated fans. All SDSU review committees have supported this proposal and some even said they want to take the class."

According to Oh, K-pop dance will become more sustainable with the school's fresh approach.

Professor Oh Chu-yun / Courtesy of Oh Chu-yun

"Dance and music can fade away if they are not properly documented," she said. The professor believes a more lasting impact can be made by converting them into educational programs.

"Although there have been many popular forms of dance in history, not all styles have been offered as a general education subject. The pioneering move at SDSU suggests that the school has acknowledged K-pop dance as a subject to enhance students' understanding of the humanities and arts," she added.

In contrast to other K-pop courses that are normally classified as ethnic or area studies, she expressed excitement about K-pop dance being offered as an official dance curriculum at her school. It is her belief that K-pop dance is now integral to understanding dance in the United States and beyond.

Oh, who also plans to offer another K-pop dance course at California State University Fullerton Summer Arts, defines K-pop dance as a dance form derived from K-pop songs, which is based on its origins and context.

A flyer for California State University Summer Arts' "K-pop Dance" course / Courtesy of Oh Chu-yun

"K-pop dance stands out from other dances since it focuses on an imitable and gesture-driven short-form of dance choreographed specifically for social media, which I first described in my 2022 book, 'K-Pop Dance: Fandoming Yourself on Social Media,'" she said. "Social media offers a backstage for socializing and a front stage for performing. It has affected many factors of K-pop dance, including distribution, sponsorship, spectatorship, and choreographic style."

She continued, "This new stage on our smartphone accepts and expects different types of dances, audiences and sponsors, many of which were not possible for the concert dances presented in luxurious theaters in the past."

"K-pop Dance: Fandoming Yourself on Social Media" not only explores K-pop dance itself but also delves deeper into the evolution and presence of its fandom on social media. According to Oh, it is the first of its kind that theorizes K-pop dance as an independent genre. It is based on five years of ethnographic fieldwork, interviews and participation-observation with 40 amateur and professional K-pop dancers in Korea and the U.S.

"I got into this project in 2016 when I was a visiting professor at Hamilton College in New York," she recalled. "When I was teaching a performance ethnography class, I brought Hamilton students to a refugee-serving organization in Utica, where I met a K-pop cover dance group consisting of refugee teens from Southeast Asia. They made me wonder about their motivations."

The book traces the evolution of K-pop dance from the 1980s to the 2020s, explaining its distinctive feature called "gestural point choreography" ― front-driven, two-dimensional, decorative, and charming movements of the upper body and face. It also views K-pop cover dance as a form of intercultural performance, suggesting that fans eventually "fandom" themselves and their bodies by imitating and idolizing K-pop dance.

The book cover of "K-pop Dance: Fandoming Yourself on Social Media" written by Professor Oh Chu-yun / Captured from Amazon

"The main highlights are the broadcasting backup dance troupes in the 80s, the first generation of idol dance in the 90s, the education model that generated singing entertainers and established the K-pop body, synchronized group dance, and gestural point choreography in the 2000s," she explained. "In the 2010s, the dance formula became internationalized, and in the 2020s, K-pop dance overarches global entrepreneurship, wellness and arts education and business."

A lack of literature posed the biggest challenge to the professor while writing the book.

"K-pop dance videos were plentiful, but academic analysis was scarce," she recalled. "In my case, I wrote my dissertation on K-pop dance at University of Texas Austin in 2015 and have published on K-pop dance since 2014. I hope my research paves the way for what I call 'K-pop dance studies,' inspiring the current and future generations of scholars."

Oh also believes that K-pop dance shares common ground with modern dance, in the sense that they have both embraced an experimental spirit. Such a characteristic is particularly visible in the performances of K-pop juggernaut BTS and rookie girl group NewJeans, she says.

"K-pop dance has embraced multiple stages of evolution and experimentation," the professor explained. "An example I closely examined in my book was BTS, which has blurred the boundaries across modern dance, traditional Korean folk dance, and shamanism. More recent examples include NewJeans' 2022 releases, 'Attention' and 'Hype Boy.' Their performances present vintage, indie music and fashion as well as a fresh approach to idol dance, with their airy hair, youthful bodies, and effortless, cheerful movements.

"The shape, lightness, and forms their hair creates while dancing resemble those of modern dance where choreographers consider hair part of the body movement," she said. "This is a good tool for highlighting fragile and delicate femininity."

What made the professor decide to dive into K-pop dance in the first place? As far as her background goes, it's quite natural.

Oh studied ballet at Sunhwa Arts High School in Seoul ― an elite school where internationally acclaimed ballerinas like Kang Sue-jin studied ― and majored in modern dance at Ewha Womans University. During her career as a modern dancer, she performed in various countries such as Austria, Germany, the U.S. and Japan, winning multiple dance competitions.

"My biggest lesson as a professional dancer was that all forms are connected," she explained. "Dancers take various styles of classes to get inspired and to expand their movement vocabulary. It is vital to approach dance as a fluid and constantly evolving art form. So, my professional dance background led me to get into K-pop dance. Although many people think it is not yet a dance genre, it is a genre whenever people dance to it. Consider hip-hop's roots in underground dance clubs and the streets. Today, it has changed the face of popular Western dance and dance education in the U.S."

Professor Oh Chu-yun teaches K-pop dance to students during a workshop offered by California State University. Courtesy of Professor Josh Grisetti

Oh believes K-pop dance and music are already part of the Western mainstream in terms of popularity, visibility, and quantifiable sales. Korean content, particularly K-pop dance, can be further promoted by taking additional steps, she believes.

"First, infrastructure support is essential," the professor emphasized. "The Korean government and industry can do more to support retired dancers, who will still be in their 20s or 30s after retirement. A wise use of human resources will make the K-pop dance scene more sustainable. Second, Korea can also support improving the educational and creative environment for the younger generation. It is important to follow the existing model, but groundbreaking creativity can always emerge out of the box. Third, sponsoring universities abroad to establish K-pop dance-related programs would have a longer-lasting impact. I have around 250 students each semester. Imagine how many students would learn about K-pop dance in the next 20 years until I retire."

It is also vital to let global fans and artists join the world of K-pop dance, making it more accessible.

"The era of the top-down model is over, and collaboration has a brighter future," she said. "The transaction system for K-pop dance is currently close to the local market, but K-pop dance is also a business area. Making the country's financial, banking, and transaction system more accessible to the world ― on and offline ― will boost the distribution and consumption of K-pop dance globally."