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| Photo Credit: KCCUK |
Hey guys :)
I arrived at KCC both nervous and excited on Saturday, as expected!!! The class started with a review of our Origami Assignment, a couple were shown including mine. If you're curious as to what it is, you can read all about it here.
This week at KPop Academy it was all about K-Dance or KPop Dance to be exact. We were all anticipating this day for about 3 weeks already when we started deciding on the song choreography we wanted to learn. There was a lot of choices most of which were EXO :). In the end it was decided that we'll learn EXO's Growl and Orange Caramel's Catallena.
I thought there were great choices, that was before I watched the choreography on YouTube!!!!
The moves to EXO's Growl looked complicated for a girl like me who always believed she had two left feet!! I tried it a few times in the week leading up to the class but it was an epic fail. But I was reassured by the discussion on the facebook group and was looking forward to a fun and hilarious class which BTW was exactly what we had!!
We were introduced to Tammy and Caroline from Team LoKo who were going to teach us the class. They gave a short introduction telling us about teaching a KPop Dance Workshop once a month in London. Each month has a different theme, and the next one they have on April 20th is all about the Bangtan Boys. You can find out more on their face book page here.
We started the class with a 5 minute warm up session which left me sweaty and breathless already ㅋㅋㅋ I thought in my mind, this is gonna be FUN (in a slightly sarcastic tone). Then it was time for Orange Caramel's Catallena which was going to be taught by Caroline.
Here's the Music video below if you don't know the song
We only learned the chorus dance, at first there was a few missed steps but after 40 mins of practice, we were all dancing in sync. Here's the choreography
I thought it was going to be relatively easier than growl, and I sure was right but that didn't mean that this wasn't difficult either LOL. My favourite part was was when they clapped their hand, said yes and then started doing the backwards and forwards step. The girls danced effortlessly and I wondered how it was so, but after getting the hang of it I realised that it takes practice to look that flawless.
Next we moved on to the oh so intimidating Growl!! This dance was taught by Tammy. She started by mentioning to us how difficult it will be :) yikes!! Let's start off with the Music Video
First off Tammy showed us a couple of the chorus moves and then she said we should mirror her dance, lets just say it was a disaster and we all erupted in laughter. All i could see were people jumping and moving in circles. Mind you we were doing it at a pace slower than the original version. But I guess we all had a fighting attitude so we tried and tried again. Here's the choreography below
After 55 mins of trying, we weren't as good as we were doing the first song, but some people did manage to get a hang of it. As for me, my two left feet sure did a number on that song, it was like I was just jumping in circles. The little I did manage to grasp did however leave me feeling cool about myself. In case you haven't seen the dance to Growl, it is certainly has some swaggerliciousness to it!!
Next it was a little break where we were divided into 3 teams to compete against each other. I was in team 3 with Kim, Naima, Cristtel and Ashia. We tried to come up with a choreography which I thought was good for the time we had to prepare. After the break, it was time to battle it out. I mentioned how I was glad we were team 3 because it meant we would perform last. But then we were called out to perform first.
We started with Catallena and all our intended choreography was soon forgotten as we tried to remember the steps and keep up with the music. Next was Growl, now this one was so funny to perform. I think none of us was able to figure it out and we ended up just going back to our seats.
I just realized that I have gotten so used to everyone there that I didn't feel shy or get stage-fright performing in front of everyone. Awesome right!!!
Team 2 and 1 performed and they were amazing. In the end Team 2 Won!!
It's Picture time....
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| Photo Credit: Team LoKo. |
I was mighty proud of myself by the end of the workshop. I realized that my two left feet might probably be a myth and maybe putting in a bit of practice might help me master a KPop Dance. It really was an enjoyable experience and Tammy and Caroline are awesome teachers. They found funny ways to make the class fun like Tammy's Swaggy Chicken (I thought that was funny). They also mentioned how quic we caught on cos they usually take about 1hr 30mins to teach a song and we did 2 songs in the same amount of time. Well done everyone!!
They told us a bit more about their workshop, It is for all levels of dancers. So if you're looking for a fun way to experience KPop and meet other KPoppers in England, it'll be worth attending one of the sessions. It is a fun way to make like-minded friends I guess :)
We then headed to Chinatown for some Bubble Tea, we passed these people at Trafalgar Square having the biggest Pillow Fight I have ever witnessed. I don't know anything about it, but it is worth Googling. I have no words, but you can see for yourself. Here are a few pictures...
I surely am gonna miss living in London, you get to see and experience so many things that even the random ones are enjoyable.
After getting Japanese Matcha Tea (which I didn't like BTW) at Cuppacha we went into this mini shopping area that sold a bunch of Random stuff including KPop Merchandise. I decided to make my first KPop Album purchase and ofcourse it had to be a GD Album. I bought Coup D'Etat Album, GD socks and got a free postcard. I filmed myself opening the album which I'll be uploading to YouTube in a jiffy.
I feel this post has been long enough, So I'll stop here. If you've read upto here, Komawoyo (Thanks). I have exciting posts lined up this week so I'll see you soon.
안녕,
meera
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