Just outside of Jester Dining, eager dancers experiment with various styles of dance, from hip-hop to contemporary, through workshops organized by UT student organization The Space. Now, dancers can learn a new style for the month of October: K-pop.

The Space, started by UT students, provides free dance classes of various levels and styles. Jay Xu, co-director and business junior, said The Space’s mission caters to students who do not partake in University dance organizations but still want to expand their dance skills. The Korean Dance Crew, a dance organization founded to promote Korean pop culture and modern dance styles at UT, partnered with The Space to provide K-pop dance classes every Wednesday this month.

“A lot of UT dance organizations hold auditions at the beginning of the semester, and a lot of the training and competitions and rehearsals are exclusive to only members,” Xu said. “This poses a problem for the people who did not make auditions and now have no other outlet to improve and practice.” 

Xu said he personally experienced this problem when he faced rejection his sophomore year after trying out for KDC.

“I’m now in a fortunate position where I can help the people who struggle with the same problems that I shouldered as a dancer and as a beginner,” Xu said. “The best thing you could ever hope … is that the problems and struggles you faced can be helped directly through your influence and what you do with your organization.” 

The head director of KDC, biology senior Sanjana Aluru, said she hopes to promote a sense of community and dispel negative or degrading views of the relatively new K-pop dance style. 

“I want to also expand K-pop dancing to people (who) aren’t as familiar with it because it can be looked down upon by some dancers who tend to rank or (make a) hierarchy (of) different dance styles,” Aluru said.

Viktoria Thompson, a psychology senior and K-pop class instructor, emphasized the importance of dance for improving her mental health during the school year. Ultimately, she said she feels more energized to approach responsibilities like homework after rehearsals. 

“I know I can rely on KDC practice to be those two hours where I can just hang out with my friends and do something we all love to do and listen to music that we all like,” Thompson said. “It helps take off a lot of stress. I know if I wasn’t in KDC, I would just be spending those two hours studying away, and that’s not always healthy for study habits or mental health in general.” 

Alan Tong, an economics freshman, said he felt eager to attend the first K-pop class this month. He said dance helps build his confidence and provides a challenge for him, as the style is opposite to the freestyle dance that he’s practiced for years.

“A lot of people say, ‘I can’t dance’ or, ‘I don’t like dancing because I’m not good at it.’ This is how you get better,” Tong said. “If you go, no one will judge you, and you will always have a good time.”

The co-directors of The Space, Xu and Kim Ngo, said they hope their workshops provide a safe space where beginners and experts alike can express their personalities.

“We just want people to have fun. The reason we come back to dance so much and the reason why we want to make the community better is because we’ve had so much fun with the people we’ve been around,” Ngo said. “If we can just give the slightest amount of enjoyment to anybody out there, then it’ll be worth it.”