Welcome to ‘I tried it,’ an ongoing series in which our reporters try novel or trendy experiences in New York — so you can decide if you want to.
I love working up a good sweat without going to the gym, and I love listening to K-pop. So when I found out there are several dance classes across the city that tick both boxes, I knew I had to try one.
That’s why I found myself trudging in the rain on a recent Saturday morning to take a K-pop dance class at I LOVE DANCE. The Times Square studio opened in 2022 and specializes in my favorite genre.
K-pop choreography combines hip-hop, jazz and electronic dance styles and is famous for its synchronized dance movies.
The genre has become one of the most popular in the U.S., thanks to industry titans like BLACKPINK, TWICE and BTS — all of whom have sold out shows in the New York area.
A big part of K-pop fandom is learning your favorite artist’s choreography, as evidenced by ‘K-pop in public’ dance videos (with some garnering millions of views on YouTube), or the ‘K-pop random dance’ challenges on TikTok.
No wonder dance teachers in the city have caught on.
I found several studios in the New York and New Jersey area offering some version of a K-pop dance class, including I LOVE DANCE.
The studio offers dozens of classes a month and averages about 1,000 attendees across its three locations in the city, according to founder MJ Choi.
Of the three choreography options available the week I visited, I chose “Fast Forward by Jeon Somi,” a catchy electro-pop number full of energy that I've had on repeat on my Spotify playlist.
I also chose it because I came across a video on YouTube where K-pop superstar Jeon Somi appeared in a dance challenge filmed in Times Square last month.
I soon learned the dance challenge was organized by instructors and longtime dancers with I LOVE DANCE. They did a mashup of the idol’s top hits, right in front of Times Square.
I figured if they were making videos with Jeon Somi, they were a legitimate spot to launch my K-pop dance ambitions.
Once I entered the studio lobby, I was greeted by Choi, the founder, who is also a dancer. When I told her I was a novice, she gave me a smile. “It’s gonna be hard, but just have fun,” she said.
I sheepishly walked up the stairs to the dance studio.
The instructor, 27-year-old Maylin Ramos, greeted the class. After a quick stretch session, we dove right in. Ramos separated the class into four sections of 16-count routines.
She began by showing the hand and arm movements: a bit of whacking here, and then framing the face there. She followed with some footwork. (At that point, I was still trying to memorize the hands.) She'd then go through the routine with the music: once at 50% speed, then at 70% speed, and finally, full speed.
After each 16-count routine was over, Ramos glanced at the class through the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
The author at the dance studio.
“Questions?” she asked.
None of my classmates responded. Either they caught on faster, or they (like me) were too embarrassed to ask for help.
After about an hour of struggling to keep up, fumbling and almost tripping on my feet, I managed to get one section of a 16-count choreo down. For a moment, I felt proud. But before I knew it, the class was over.
Even as students were wrapping up, my heart was still racing, with my white cotton tee glued to my sweaty torso. I looked at the mirror and saw my cheeks flushed red. I wasn’t sure if the color was from the past hour’s cardio workout, or from the embarrassment I felt for not catching on. But I felt alive.
What to know before you go
Try your first class at the start of the month.
My biggest warning: don’t make the same mistake I did and take a class in the middle of the month. I LOVE DANCE’s classes are based on a four-week module, and usually start at the top of every month. The class I took was the third in the series, which meant the instructor had already taught the intro and first verse. No wonder my classmates had no questions for her!
If you’re a novice, try a beginner class.
The K-pop class I attended doesn’t teach the fundamentals of movement: flexibility, mobility, synchronization or proper body alignment. It’s focused more on mastering the choreography than on learning how to dance.
If you’re a first-time dancer, consider taking a beginner class. I LOVE DANCE offers programs for newbies, such as ‘hip-hop fundamentals’ and K-pop ‘diet dance’ lessons, which focus on simplified dance moves and cardio routines that are less focused on perfecting the choreography. Maybe I was overly ambitious. You don’t have to be.
Practice before you go. I’m serious.
It may sound a bit counterintuitive (and slightly intense) to practice before a dance class, but because the class’s pacing is a bit too fast for my taste, I’d recommend familiarizing yourself with the choreography before you go. Luckily, K-pop fans work fast, and it’s likely that your favorite K-pop dance tutorial is already on YouTube.
Consider bringing a friend.
Even though I embarked solo on my visit, I was fortunate enough to make a friend (out of desperation), who, like me, missed the first few classes. We gave each other glances of encouragement and support.
Leave your ego at the door.
“Making a fool of yourself is part of the process,” said Choi, I LOVE DANCE's founder. Her words kept playing in my head as I took the subway home that day, overstimulated and exhausted.
I'm not sure how much progress I made during that class, but I'll be going back at the beginning of the month to try it all over again.
You can learn more about I LOVE DANCE’s in-studio K-pop classes here. One-time tickets are $25.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the year the Times Square studio opened.
