I don't really have any fond memories of my childhood-self dancing. I was the little kid who was so shy that she didn't speak much outside of the house, which of course meant that I just as rarely expressed myself through actions. While envying my peers who perfectly executed their dance moves with confidence, like it was a natural part of their very being, I worried that I would make a massive fool out of myself. Granted, my dad was a fantastic dancer in his youth (and he still has some of those moves), so I've always had a sense of rhythm but never really acted upon it. The concept was very foreign and daunting to me and it lead to general apathy towards the subject.
It wasn't until I was introduced to K-Pop in middle school that my interest was slightly piqued. I was fascinated by the different kinds of choreography that were showcased on a regular basis and got myself wondering a lot of things. How do girl groups stay smiling all the time while skipping and jumping in high heels? How to guy groups manage to move like water and not break much of a sweat? Just how? Then again, 2008-10 is dubbed as the genre's "Golden Era," so it's not too much of a surprise. (Although the stage outfits were often...questionable.)
(The ultimate throwback, honestly.)
It was around that time that I started to learn K-Pop choreography. It was all fun and games; my friends and I tried our best not to fall flat on our faces and laughed all the way throughout. That's when I started liking the idea of dancing and grew accustomed to it. But even then, I didn't like the thought of performing in front of a larger group of people. It was still an obstacle I had to overcome.
The interest died down during high school because, let's face it, barely anyone has an inkling of life during those four years. Choreography became even more intense. Synchronization became the core essential in many groups' title tracks. And the outfits got a little better, but I think some could've still used some work. I was intimidated but kept my eye out for something that rightfully caught my attention.
(I aspire for this kind of control and confidence. Also, I forgot how good these songs are.)
Fast forward a bit to college, where there were so many people with varying degrees of dance experience who gathered into and joined the institution's first chartered dance crew, and voila! You got me. I've since been sucked into the world that is dancing (K-Pop, of course) and am currently a co-chair for the crew. It's been a long but rewarding journey, despite all of the blood, sweat and tears I put into practices (I lie about the blood, but the others are spot-on). And yet, I can't improvise or choreograph for my life... It's a sad truth that I've somewhat come to accept.
To end this rambling reflection of mine, here are some of my favorite choreographies to date, some K-Pop and some not.
I should mention that I usually gravitate towards guy groups/"masculine" dances, but I'm actually planning to learn "Dance Like We're Making Love" to push myself out of my comfort zone. Let's see how that goes!
