On Feb. 15, the SIS Dance Club, D$Q, performed at the Hongdae Post Theater in an invitational dance showcase with six other teams from international schools. The event was organized by Hankuk Academy of Foreign Studies, which invited teams from SIS, Daewon Foreign Language High School, and Seoul Foreign School (SFS) to perform at the event. Three dance groups from D$Q staged a total of eight performances.

“Since we put in our effort to find time to practice, even outside of school, I think our Hong-dae performance was quite successful,” said Janice Roh (12), D$Q co-president. “We have never had these many members. As much as it is difficult to arrange formations and schedules, we have the best family-like moments, and our performances are more appealing. When preparing for each performance, Lynette and I meet up on the weekends to choreograph. Then, we schedule practice sessions with each individual team and teach them the dance moves.”

Each D$Q performance involves creative choreography, painstaking attention to detail, and synchronization among team members. The co-presidents, Lynette Kim (11) and Janice, choreograph each song by synthesizing moves found on YouTube. The choreography is then introduced to the team by splitting the song into multiple sections. From January to April, an especially busy time of year, D$Q meets every day during both office hours and activity period. During the daily practices, the club allocates time for the members to practice both individually and as teams, building teamwork and uniformity.

“The team performed extremely well,” said Jinkyu Han (11), D$Q member. “Each school had its own atmosphere, and I felt like it was a good experience where we were able to interact with the other schools despite different backgrounds. Some drawbacks are that these outside-of-school performances can be time-consuming and at times require a lot of commitment. Overall, however, I like how we are able to experience new situations and atmospheres through these performances.”

In the near future, D$Q hopes to improve teamwork and individual confidence on stage. For example, D$Q is encouraging rookie members to invest time into practices to increase familiarity with the dance moves, up to the point where dance moves are instinctive. On the other hand, experienced members can try harder choreographies, experimenting new moves. Ultimately in performances, these harder moves take the spotlight when the team pauses for a moment and gives one member all of the attention. Throughout this semester, D$Q plans to perform at Chadwick International School on April 5 and at SFS on March 6. The Pep Rally, hosted by the Tiger Sports Council, will also feature a D$Q performance.