Performances
ARTS & CULTURE
While I was unable to continue with dance ensemble 2, I still participated in a lot of dance performances at school. This involves dance fun and cafes, in which I either formed a group with my friends or was invited to join others. Most of the performances were K-pop as it was my favorite genre and I also had had most experience in.
K-pop is one of the most famous dance styles which is also an important aspect of Asian cultures. However, there are numerous stereotypes and prejudice against it. A lot of people judge it for 'not being an actual dance.' With the large population of my friends who were also interested in the genre, I was puzzled to see that there was no performance or any activity related to K-pop at all last year. Therefore, in our second year, my friends and I decided to introduce the genre to our community.
The performances were different from dance ensemble 2 in the way that they were not part of any ExEd. We did not have any choreographer or instructor to guide us or a specific time slot that worked for everyone. This became the main challenge to us as K-pop is mostly fast-paced and requires a lot of practice together as a group. With the limited time, all of us worked collaboratively in discussing any important points or changes we could make: suggesting new ideas, refining dances, or figuring out positions to achieve the most swift transition and synchronization. Throughout the practice period, I exercised time management and teamwork with everyone in the group. Soon, even the challenges became fun to tackle and my passion for dancing became even stronger after.
Dancing to 'Ddu-Du Ddu-Du' by Blackpink for dance fun
Dancing to 'Boy With Luv' by BTS for new moon cafe
The performances I participated in were not only dances. I have been playing the piano for over 12 years, though since I came to the States I had been too overwhelmed with the new classes and people that I did not have the chance to continue on this passion until I was invited to play along with my friends in one of the cafes. Despite how the last time I played the piano was not long ago, I still had to spend some time in recalling the techniques and learning the scores. I had also rarely played with a group before, not to mention with string instruments. Therefore, I worked hard both on my own and with the group to perfect the piece. This performance also rekindled my passion in music and hence motivated me to come back to my piano again.
Playing the piano to 'A Whole New World,' a song form Disney movie Aladdin