NC State’s KPACK club dances to a variety of K-pop music, cultivating a sense of community through Korean music and culture, and other interests they share. They participate in performances, host community workshops and film dance covers.
When KPACK members meet, they split into different groups depending on what song each of them are covering at the time. They practice moves on their own and then come together to film videos. Iniya Gnanakkumaran, a third-year studying mechanical engineering and artistic director of KPACK, said the process is similar to filming a music video, in which participating members usually dress in coordinated outfits and pick a location near or on campus.
“We’ll also do mini photoshoots for the songs that we’re doing, we try to match the concepts as best as we can to be like the original artist,” Gnanakkumaran said. “We post them on our Youtube and Instagram as well.”
According to Gnanakkumaran, KPACK holds community workshops every two weeks where students on campus come out on Fridays and learn choreography. The workshops aren’t too complicated; they usually entail simple choreography of popular songs at the time. Workshops are a fun way for students to meet new people with an interest in Korean music. Community workshops are generally open to any student interested, even those who aren’t official KPACK members. In the past, workshops have focused on choreographies by artists like BTS, TWICE and BLACKPINK.
“They’re a fun little stress buster to get the weekend started,” Gnanakkumaran said. “Our goal is to create a fun community with people who also like K-pop.”
KPACK has been working extremely hard this year, and in the past couple of months spent a great deal of its time and effort in preparation for its spring showcase on Feb. 5. The showcase consisted of performances the members had been performing since the beginning of fall.
Parking Starling, a third-year studying psychology and co-captain of KPACK, said the biggest goal for this year is the showcase, held for the very first time. The night turned out to be a success as the performers had an unexpected amount of turnout.
“It’s been anticipated for two years now, because of COVID-19 we had to push it back twice,” Starling said. “We want our members to be out there and be able to perform.”
Despite being a dance group, an extensive amount of dance experience isn’t required. KPACK is an inclusive community and prides itself on spreading cultural awareness. KPACK looks for passion and enthusiasm more than anything.
According to Callie McAdoo, a third-year in international studies and co-captain of KPACK, extensive dance experience isn’t required and students that join the club often get better with practice. Members have the opportunity to learn other skills besides dance from joining KPACK, like time management and responsibility.
“There’s a lot of dancing commitment, so it’s important to learn how to manage your time and build communication skills because we have to talk to one another and learn from our mistakes,” McAdoo said.
Students can audition to be part of the team by participating in the audition process at the beginning of each semester. This process consists of submitting a dance to two K-pop songs the captains will review.
To learn more about KPACK, check out its Instagram, Facebook or join the email list.
