▲ K-Pop Academy 2023 1st term student recruitment poster
Last Thursday, 15 June, the Korean Cultural Centre in South Africa concluded the first term of the K-Pop Academy 2023. This two-month course, designed for K-pop lovers in South Africa, provided a stage for students to showcase the skills they honed during the term.
▲ Students of the K-Pop Academy 1st term
The K-Pop Academy is a regular training program that the Centre has been providing for K-Pop lovers in South Africa since last year. In the first term of this year, introductory and intermediate dance courses were opened, and about 40 students completed their courses. The program attracted a wide range of age groups, from as young as 13 to individuals in their 50s. Some students even traveled from other cities, spending hours on the road each week to attend the courses, highlighting the K-pop craze sweeping through South Africa.
▲ Students performing in front of their classmates
During the completion ceremony on this day, the students had the opportunity to demonstrate the dance moves they had learned and practiced throughout the term in front of their classmates, and also were given feedback from their instructors.
▲ Introductory course student Jedida
One of the youngest students of the term Jedida (15) shared, “I came across K-pop for the first time through a YouTube video at home during the COVID-19, and then I instantly fell in love with it and have been practicing K-pop on my own for 4 years now.” She added “Now I have a dream to go to Korea and become a student of the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), eventually establishing my career as a professional dancer.”
▲ Instructor Lindsay judging students’ performance
Instructor Lindsay (26), who won the People’s Choice Award at the Changwon K-Pop World Festival in 2018, representing South Africa, said, “My career has changed completely since I participated in and won the Changwon K-Pop World Festival. I, as a K-pop instructor, want to travel the world and wish to contribute to the birth of the next generation future K-pop stars in various countries—African countries in particular as they have rather been marginalized.” Lindsay also shared his personal ambition, stating, “I wish to combine this uniquely African energy with K-pop in my choreography, and someday show the audience my own K-pop performance with the touch of the Africanism which I find profoundly beautiful.”
▲ Students applauding their classmates’ performance
The K-Pop Academy will consist of a total of three terms this year, and in addition to the regular terms, special workshops with various instructors are also planned to be held throughout the year.
▲ Graduates of the K-Pop Academy 2023 1st term
The Centre is currently recruiting students for the special workshop session that will be held during June and July, and the regular second term recruitment will be announced in the coming week.
For more details, visit their website at https://sa.korean-culture.org/.