By Honorary Reporter Tsveti Pashovska from Bulgaria

Photo = Korean Embassy in Sofia

The Korean Embassy in Bulgaria has spread the spirit of Korean pop music in Bulgaria through the 2020 K-pop Online Contest. On Oct. 2, Korean Ambassador to Sofia Jeong Jinkyu awarded prizes to the winners of the competition, including grand prize winner Karina Nikolova, at the embassy.

The following are excerpts from an interview with Nikolova on her love of K-pop dance.

All the winners of the 2020 K-pop Online Contest in Bulgaria (Korean Embassy in Sofia's Facebook page)

Please introduce yourself.
My name is Karina Nikolova, I'm 22 years old and I live in Sofia, Bulgaria. Dancing and videography are my two biggest passions now. I'm also looking for suitable education to support a dance career or something in video editing and filming.

How long have you done K-pop dance?
I didn't really dance before discovering K-pop, but started around three years ago. I initially just listened to the music and admired the choreography, but slowly started wanting to follow the moves. I started with quietly following the choreography in my room at night, and as time passed, I started dancing a lot more for fun. Eventually, I gathered the courage to gather a group of people for a song I loved, "Clap" by Seventeen, and this started my journey. I danced horribly in the beginning but realized how genuinely I enjoy the music and dance, so I never stopped.

Korean Ambassador to Sofia Jeong Jinkyu poses with the winners of the 2020 K-pop Online Contest in Bulgaria. (Korean Embassy in Sofia's Facebook page)

Was this your first time competing in a K-pop contest?
No, this was the fourth serious competition I entered since starting to dance. My first was last year at the Changwon K-pop World Festival Regionals, where my group and I won second place.

How did you choose the dance for the competition?
I decided on dancing to Verivery's "Thunder" since I liked it as soon as it came out. I dance to only male-oriented choreography and was amazed at how strong and diverse the dance is. The song is extremely energetic and I love K-pop songs that are hard hitting with a unique and tough style. It's a very challenging choreography as well, with a lot of floor moves, which I needed knee pads for. Songs that intrigue and surprise the audience are the most interesting to do, and that's another reason I picked it.

Winners of the 2020 K-pop Online Contest in Bulgaria (Korean Embassy in Sofia's Facebook page)

What is the hardest thing in learning and preparing a new cover dance?
For me, the hardest part of learning was doing a dance move that I'm scared to do, like floor moves. I learn fast but need more time to make the moves clean and understand the correct positioning. I want to challenge myself so I pick songs I think I can't pull off, which helps overcome my fear and motivate myself to do better. I'm now working most on is energy, as it's hard to attain boy group energy when you're a girl.

What advice do you have for K-pop fans who want to dance but lack the inspiration and confidence to start?
My biggest advice for aspiring dancers and singers is to never give up, even if it sounds cliche. I started from the bottom, as in I couldn't dance at all and was embarrassed. But when you have passion for something, you must understand that nobody hands success to you on a silver platter.

Don't stop when you fail, no matter how many times you do. Don't stop because someone says you're no good. One of the best K-pop dancers was once called hopeless by a trainer (Taeyong of NCT), but he worked hard and is now one of the best in the industry. So my advice is to keep working hard with motivation and confidence, and you'll get rewarded sooner or later.

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.