“For me, K-pop is the perfect combination of music, choreography, outfit and joie de vivre,” says 30-year-old Xinrui Yang. K-Pop, short for Korean Popular Music, is a collective term for Korean-language pop that includes elements of hip-hop, R&B and electro. This mix has long played an important role in the dancer’s life, who originally comes from China and founded the EcLipse Dance Crew in 2018 together with friends. In the self-organised association, dance enthusiasts aged between 20 and 30 rehearse choreographies to K-pop songs, which they then perform in public places, such as Odeonsplatz or in front of the Alte Kongresshalle. They often film their performances to share on social media.
The dancers meet regularly at weekends to train and have already won numerous prizes at competitions. Compared to other types of dance, K-pop just ties in more closely with her life, says Yang. “It’s something I do together with my friends: We listen to the music, go to concerts and talk about it.” She particularly likes songs that have beautiful melodies that are easy to memorise and have a perfectly matched choreography.
“In K-pop the choreographies mesh so well with the music that they immediately stick in your head. As a dancer, when I hear the melody, the movement comes all by itself.”
The perfect balance
Dancing has always been one of Xinrui’s passions. Especially during her school days in China and her business studies in Cologne, hip-hop dancing was a pleasant way for her to balance out her stressful everyday life. In 2016, Xinrui moved to Munich to study for her master’s degree, where she is a consultant at a large management consultancy, dedicating some of her free time to K-pop: “K-pop is very popular, everyone knows the songs,” she says. But there are even bigger fans in her crew, she says with a laugh. Three years ago, its ever growing membership – which today stands at over 30 – prompted the Crew to tighten its admission rules and introduce auditions. Yang often takes on the role of trainer, organises workshops and performances, but also encourages the dancers to meet for smaller projects.
Asia’s dance factory
Originating in the nineties, K-pop has grown into a huge movement – an expression of a youth culture that is growing steadily, also beyond the Asian music market, and breaking all streaming records. There are by now countless K-pop bands and a large international fan community. Having become a significant economic factor, South Korea’s export hit is even subsidised by the country’s government: According to official estimates, K-pop generates ten billion US dollars a year. It was Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy that made K-pop known throughout the world in 2012. The accompanying music video was at times the most-viewed video on YouTube, counting 5.5 billion views by now. In Germany, K-pop received a good deal of media attention with the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Signing even children and training them intensively, major talent agencies and entertainment companies also play a key role in keeping this phenomenon alive. Tens of thousands apply to become part of a cast girl or boy band. The chosen few undergo years of rigorous training with foreign language lessons and dance and vocal coaching as well as learning how to deal with fans and journalists with the aim of one day becoming a K-pop idol.
“What’s important for me is that a K-pop idol is good at dancing,” says Yang. She is a great fan of the dance skills of Kai from the boy band Exo, for example, whom she has seen live at a concert in Frankfurt. The cult around the idols largely plays out live or on social media, with fans performing the choreographies of well-known K-pop songs. As each song has a fixed choreography, it’s easy to learn. For each dance cover project at EcLipse, the dancers must learn the choreographies at home before meeting to rehearse the formation and deciding on the outfits, says Xinrui.
K-pop dance with the EcLipse Dance Crew
Tanz den Gasteig on 5 July 2025K-pop taster
“Many of the choreos are not that difficult. You don’t have to be a professional dancer to join in. Anyone can learn them quite quickly,” says Xinrui. Ideal for a big participatory event like Tanz den Gasteig in Hall E. Xinrui will hold a workshop with part of her EcLipse Dance Crew – including a show, of course. What’s especially important is “your attitude, your facial expression that you bring across.” Ultimately, it’s all about putting yourself in the shoes of a K-pop idol: “You sing, dance and feel like them.” And it’s even more fun in a group.
Text: Anna Steinbauer
