Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown Vibe_ Hosts K-pop Dance Lessons

Georgetown Vibe_ Hosts K-pop Dance Lessons

Georgetown Vibe_, a student dance group that specializes in Korean pop (K-pop) dance, hosted two open sessions to teach students of all experience levels new choreography Feb. 25 and Feb. 26.

The group, which was founded in 2018, serves as a social space for people enthusiastic about Korean dance and culture. Since its inception, Vibe_ has expanded its reach to the Georgetown community, and it now boasts multiple running dance crews and its own media production team. 

Co-Presidents Becks Truong (CAS ’24) and Jimin Lee (CAS ’24) said they prioritize making all interested participants feel welcome. Truong said the club includes dancers of all levels in open sessions and embraces the diverse backgrounds of its members.

“I think the beauty of Vibe_ is that it doesn’t matter how into K-Pop you are, how good of a dancer or how involved you’ve been with us in the past – we always have a place for new members who are enthusiastic about good music and creating community,” Truong wrote to The Hoya.

Quaylin Dang (SFS ’25), a Vibe_ performance director who helps lead the club’s open sessions, said the club designs open sessions as a way for prospective members to get involved with the club without a lot of pressure.

“Our open sessions provide a low-commitment, low-stakes way for people to learn more about the dance side of our club and gain some experience dancing to K-Pop choreographies,” Dang wrote to The Hoya.

@georgetownvibe_ / Instagram | The CSJ appointed Professor Arjun Shankar of the School of Foreign Service to becomes the center’s new faculty and research director on Feb. 22.

In the open sessions, experienced members taught participants K-pop choreography step-by-step, practiced with them and then let participants showcase their routines and socialize with one another, according to Dang.  

“At the end of each open session, we divide participants into smaller groups to give them an opportunity to get to know one another and spotlight their hard work while the rest of the participants cheer them on,” Dang wrote. “In this way, not only are our participants able to interact with other members of the K-pop community, but it also provides a way for our board members to interact with our general body members in a more intimate setting.”

Besides hosting open instructional sessions, the club produces official Vibe_ dance covers that are edited by the club’s media team. 

“Every semester, we organize at least two different semester-long group projects where members of the group will learn an entire choreography together,” Dang wrote. 

Vibe_’s covers have received hundreds of views on their social channels, and Dang said the covers help bridge Georgetown Vibe_ with the larger K-pop community across the world.

“Dance covers are a huge part of the fan culture of K-Pop, so these projects serve as a way to engage with K-Pop enthusiasts both inside and outside of the K-Pop community,” Dang wrote.

Zoe Bushman (CAS ’25), the club’s director of marketing, said she found community at Georgetown through participating in Vibe_ after joining the summer before the pandemic started. 

“I’ve never participated in dance groups and wasn’t looking for that in a K-Pop community, so when I got to Georgetown, I was drawn to the social aspect of Vibe_,” Bushman wrote to The Hoya. “Being part of a club devoted to K-Pop is a new experience and one that I’ve deeply appreciated.”

Truong said the club’s name reinforces its focus on inclusion because Vibe_’s founders intentionally named it to reflect the members’ diverse values.

“A common misconception about Vibe_ is that we’re only a dance crew and that you can’t join if you don’t dance, which is the opposite of our values,” Truong wrote. “The underscore in our name is similar to a ‘fill in the blank’ line to represent the spectrum of K-Pop enthusiasts and dancers who join our community.”

Truong said she plans to work toward building an even more inclusive environment and a stronger community at Vibe_.

“We want to create a safe and inclusive environment for people to express their passion for K-Pop however they want to express it, whether that be through fun games, finding someone to attend concerts with or doing dance covers,” Truong wrote. “I hope that Vibe_ can continue to be a welcoming community on Georgetown campus for all K-Pop enthusiasts and newbies for years to come.”

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