Over the past few years, K-pop—short for Korean popular music—has charted its course of becoming one of the most popular forces within the music industry. One of the many appeals of K-pop music are the performers and groups along with their choreography because they blend together many techniques to create their own innovative style.
Inspired by popular K-pop groups such as Blackpink and Aespa and their impressive choreography, WJ’s APRO club is dedicated to learning and potentially performing the dances to their favorite K-pop songs.
Their creative process starts when the club votes on a song they like and are willing to perform to. Their previous performances have featured artists such as Stayc and Enhypen.
“We try to diversify the artists we cover. We did a lot of Blackpink during the past few years, so we didn’t do Blackpink this year,” club vice president Xinny Lao said.
Once they’ve chosen a song to cover, they find a mirrored version of the pre-existing dance for that song to learn it individually first, then they come together to rehearse as a group.
Their most recent performance was at Watkins Mill High School on May 6. The club has more performances coming up towards the end of the year, such as WJ’s International Night and Asian Assembly.
The club’s current focus is on their upcoming performances at International Night and Asian Assembly.
The club usually meets after school on Thursdays, but with performances approaching, they’ve had to add an extra meeting each week to prepare. Regardless of the time commitment, the club is looking forward to their upcoming show-case.
“It’s really time consuming because we have to practice to the ability where we are able to perform on stage,” junior Allison Lee said.
While rehearsals can become hectic, the sense of community that comes with being a part of APRO is what makes practicing enjoyable.
“I actually moved here for the start of high school, so I didn’t know anybody and one of the best ways to know people is through interest clubs…I joined a bunch of different clubs, but this was the only one I ended up sticking with because I loved the community there,” Lao said.
Members say that there is more to the club than learning and performing choreography.
“We really just hang out with each other and have fun… Sometimes when one group is rehearsing, the other groups wait around and the members who are waiting often do random dance challenges,” Lao said.
The club offers an inclusive environment and encourages anyone interested in K-pop music and dancing to join.
“It’s really friendly, everyone is really nice and we’re always happy to have new members,” Lee said.
