On November 15th, the Korean Language and Culture Program hosted its fourth annual K-Pop Dance Event at the Asian Auditorium Centre, bringing together over 50 students and guests for an unforgettable evening of music, dance, and Korean culture.
This year’s event was organized by students associated with the program, with special support from the Vancouver Consulate General of the Republic of Korea, who provided generous prizes, gifts for all attendees, and delicious Korean food and snacks.
The night kicked off with learning the choreography for Armageddon by AESPA, the popular K-pop girl group. Participants had voted for this song in advance, and two talented students — Nathan Chon and Aerin Wang — led the group to teach the dance. Despite the complex footwork and hand movements, thanks to Nathan and Aerin’s friendly, step-by-step instructions, everyone mastered the moves by the end of the session.
After working up a sweat, it was time for a quick break to refuel. Students enjoyed Kimbap Dosirak (packed meals), while Balance Game got everyone’s competitive spirit going. The game, which involved tournament-style polling on K-pop songs, was a fun way for students to share their favorite tunes and add to the cheerful energy.
The main event of the evening was the Team Dance Relay, hosted by Cecillia Park, Jeremiah Tayag, and Izzy Starks. Students were divided into six teams and competed against each other in a dance challenge. The rules were simple: each team member had to copy the choreography from the previous person, and the last member had to guess the song and artist. The game quickly became intense and filled with laughter as participants gave their all. The winning teams took home awesome prizes — portable bluetooth speakers for first place, Spotify gift cards and photo card albums for second, and UBC Asian Studies merch and hand cream for third.
To wrap up the night, students gathered for Random Dance, a fun and spontaneous game where students danced to random K-pop songs. Whenever the music started, those who knew the moves jumped into the circle to show off their skills. Students danced together and cheered each other on, regardless of their dance experience.
Overall, the K-Pop Dance Event was a huge success! Students had such a blast that many wished there was even more time to dance and play. A big thanks to the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea for making this event possible and for helping to promote Korean culture in such a fun and engaging way. We can’t wait to do it all again next year, so mark your calendars for more K-pop, games, and dancing! Visit our Instagram (@ubckorean) to see more photos and Youtube for the video (2024 K-pop Dance Event) of the event.
Until next time — Annyeong!
