BYU's Korean Student Association had their annual K-pop dance party Oct. 21 in the Wilkinson Student Center East Ballroom.
The students who attended spent their Friday night dancing and celebrating Korean pop culture. The K-pop-themed dance party played songs from popular Korean artists like Psy and Blackpink and had a Halloween costume contest and K-pop dance performances. Hosts Brian Kim and Amy Jeong also incorporated educational elements into their script, like teaching the audience Korean phrases.
According to the Korean Student Association's website, the club hopes to unify those of Korean descent or those interested in Korean culture through learning and experiential opportunities. To promote diversity and unity, the Korean Student Association holds its annual K-pop dance party in the fall and the Korean Festival in the Winter.
Co-President Vivian Lee said the main purpose of their club is to create a community for Koreans and Korean Americans. She said she had seen many improvements over the past few years with more Koreans and people of other ethnicities coming to their activities.
'From today, I'm just hoping that people are having fun, enjoying our culture and learning to appreciate it,' Lee said.
Brian Kim, part of the KSA finance team and MC of the event, said he hoped people could get a taste of how Koreans have fun and have a good experience with Korean culture.
He also said he was impressed by how many people knew the choreography and executed clean-cut movements during the dance competition and Just Dance section of the party.
'I'm always just so impressed by how much people know about K-pop,' Kim said. 'Just seeing everyone just how involved they are, and the amount of practice especially the performers put in I think just blows me away — like, that's the best part.'
Kim said he was satisfied with the outcome of the party, but hopes in the coming years people that are not part of the niche group of K-pop fans can come to these events.
Mikaela Sircable, a performer in a dance group called Xtra Xtra, said she loves performing specifically at these types of events because the crowd is so kind and welcoming. She said the K-pop party is always a great time because she can be with like-minded people and is not worried about being judged for her interests.
Myler Yee, a first-time performer at the K-pop party, said he would 'definitely, 100%' perform again. Yee said he enjoyed the energy from the crowd.
'The energy was so much fun — like, its way different than just dancing in front of a mirror,' Yee said. 'You want to get into it more as people cheer you on more, so I had the time of my life out there. It was dope.'
According to their Instagram, Korean Student Association meets every other Tuesday at the Wilkinson Student Center 3290 at 7 p.m. Students can stay updated with the club's activities through their Instagram or Facebook.