I will be the first to admit that I have never been physically active. My idea of a good time is a great book(or fanfiction!), a blanket, and some nice background music. I’m more likely to be binging a K-drama over the weekend than going out and actually doing something. Exercise is boring. Sports are a laughable idea. This is how I’ve always been and will probably continue to be all the way up to my grey years. However, if I had a weakness, something powerful enough to get me off my couch and into physical movement, it would be K-pop.
It's hard to deny that K-pop is made of bops. It doesn’t matter what kind of music you typically listen to; when that beat drops and
vocals go off, there isn’t anything else to do but get up and dance. We’re not even talking about the "booty music" that is rising in K-pop, though that certainly is a good example. K-pop as a genre is prone to high-energy, fast pace songs that are perfect to dance to. Add that to the amazing choreography performed by our favorite artist, and somehow even the most uncoordinated among us(me) believe we can get up and join them.
This has created a phenomenon. Most K-pop fans, or at least the ones I’ve known, admit to at one time or another dancing to a K-pop song or attempting to learn the choreography of a song. All K-pop fans dance. It might only be in their kitchen(me) or bouncing around in the car(also me), but all fans dance. From a simple shimmy to a full choreography, K-pop fans can’t resist the thrum of the beat and will, at one time or another, get off their couch and dance.
Random Dance Play is a huge part of the fandom experience. Knowing the choreography of a song is a testament to a fan’s love for the song or group. Dancing is a way for fans to express their appreciation for how hard an artist works. And it’s just a lot of fun. RDPs are always a highlight of K-events. It is a great way to bring fans together, as it’s fun for the dancers and fun for the crowd. RDPs can also act as a kind of challenge or test for fans to see how many songs they can recognize and how quickly they can react. Overall, great expression of the fandom experience.
So, what does this mean?
Well, it means that despite the copious amounts of time K-pop fans may spend on their computers or phones, we are also motivated to get up and move. So, in a funny kind of way, K-pop is good for our health.
Locally, two dancers have decided to capitalize on this K-pop dancing phenomenon and have started up K-Pop Zumba classes. The creators of Kpop It! are hosting weekly Zumba classes
where all the songs are K-pop songs. Which, even for someone as low energy as me, is an irresistible idea. Zumba isn't as demanding or precise as learning choreography and is fairly low impact while being good cardio. Everyone knows that exercise is good for us. But if you’re anything like me, you think it’s kind of awful. The obvious solution is to find something you can enjoy while being active, working all those muscles, and burning calories. Some people enjoy sports, hiking, or swimming.
But K-pop fans can’t resist dancing, so Zumba is the perfect combination of fandom and exercise.
So far, I have only attended one class with Kpop It!, but I plan to attend more in the future. I love the idea of combining the fan experience with something healthy and good for us. Many K-pop fans experience bullying or mockery for their love of the genre. But it’s times when K-pop motivates us to do something good that lets us shake it off. Why should we feel ashamed of exercising for an hour a week? And having fun while doing it? Any time a lot of K-pop fans come together as a group, it’s going to be a fun time. I really hope that the creators of Kpop It! continue with their classes and that people continue to attend for a long time. Hopefully, one day there will be more K-pop songs tied to Zumba and exercise classes so people can understand that fans aren’t just sitting around on their computers all day. Our fandom is built on music, and the love of music leads to dancing.
If K-pop fans are dancing anyway, why not do it together?
Comments