The dance festival held by Sohu in Beijing brings together K-pop enthusiasts, cover dancers, and idols, creating a vibrant celebration of music, friendship, and self-expression on the global dance cultural stage.
On November 26th, Chinese internet company Sohu held its first dance festival in Beijing, gathering idols such as BOY STORY and Name, as well as hundreds of cover dancers and bloggers under one roof.
The cover dance culture has flourished due to the global popularity of K-pop, where enthusiasts shoot and sometimes perform live performances of their idol group dances.
Participants participate in random dance and other activities, continuously playing choruses of different K-pop popular songs, allowing those who understand dance choreography to showcase their movements. These activities are usually held in public squares or shopping centers, promoted on social media platforms and in the organizer's WeChat groups.
19-year-old Li Zihao is one of the six members of the Chinese hip-hop boy group Boy STORY, emphasizing the unique appeal of random dance: "Compared to performing on stage, this is an activity that people can enjoy together. You can be completely strangers, but you can still feel each other's atmosphere and energy. This is very valuable."
For K-pop and C-pop enthusiast Lin Mengqi, the charm of random game dance lies in "almost every participant knowing the same meme, spontaneously forming a formation and singing along.".
24-year-old Lin became a fan of Korean pop music in 2010. Her favorite K-pop groups are mostly second-generation idols like 2PM and T-Ara (referring to idols who debuted from 2003 to 2011), as well as C-pop groups like ONER and BOY STORY.
Lin said, "I participated in my first casual dance in 2018.". "Not long after, I started shooting dance covers with other K-pop fans and met half of my current social circle."
She actively participates in casual dance performances, shoots dance covers, and posts them on social media. She said, "Buying clothes and paying my photographer does require money, but like going to a concert, the emotional value I gain from dancing cannot be measured by money.".
In recent years, Lin has observed a shift: in today's casual dance programs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find songs from "second-generation" idols. "Now, it's mainly K-pop songs that made their debut after 2015," she said. "This is the main reason why I tend to shoot dance covers instead of participating on my own."
Lin has his own shelter online. She explained, "When I released dance covers such as" Jeon Won Diary "for T-ara N4 (T-ara's unit team), their views were lower than my new K-pop combination cover.". "However, I received support and encouragement from many fans and those who still remember this song, which gave me a deep sense of belonging."
