People across France come to Paris to take K-pop dance lessons

In a building with all four sides and ceilings made of glass located in Parc Andre Citroen in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, a dance workshop was held by 1MILLION, a famous South Korean dance crew on Saturday (local time). “I love K-pop and knew 1MILLION. I came running to take their classes held in Paris,” said a French college student with excitement.

About 50 dance enthusiasts across France came to Paris to take lessons from choreographer Baek Goo-yeong, despite the heat wave with the highest temperature of over 36 degrees Celsius. There were several suitcases in a corner of the classroom as several of them just arrived in Paris on Saturday morning.

Baek was welcomed with cheers by participants as if it was a K-pop concert. Participants followed his move for several minutes to his voice counting the beat. When “Mmmh” by Kai, a member of Exo, came on, everyone moved their hips and arms in perfect synchronization.

Participants varied from middle school students to adults, with a large portion of them being girls in their teens and 20s. An office worker said she came from Normandy to take Baek’s classes after she sat down on the floor with sweat dripping during a break. “I am honored to take classes from 1MILLION choreographers whom I have watched in videos for a long time,” she said. “I only began dancing a year ago but I know 1MILLION very well,” said a 14-year-old middle school student who came to Paris from Besancon. “K-pop dance features various styles, which makes it more interesting.”

“As we were told by French students that going to South Korea to take dance classes from 1MILLION is on their bucket list, we decided to offer them such opportunities in Paris,” said a member of Primetime, a non-profit organization run by South Koreans in France and the host of the event. “I felt like K-pop has become a culture that is enjoyed by people across the world, beyond the culture of South Koreans.”


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com