Vibin' With 1MILLION Studios in Seongsu, Seoul!
Andrea Jacobson
2 years ago
If you love Kpop dance you need to check out 1MILLION dance studio in Seongsu, Seoul. Thursday Jan 25, 2024 I attended the '1MILLION VIBE One Day K-POP Dance Program (Beginner Class)' and I had a blast! We learned a section of Seventeen's 'Left & Right'. If you are interested in dance at all, I recommend adding this to your Korea travel itinerary. It is a super fun and unique activity. 1MILLION VIBE is a fantastic travel program that gives you more catered one on one interactions to take a dance class in Korea at any level. This is geared towards beginner dancers and those that have never taken a dance class, but it is fun for all. It is a warm, friendly safe place. I have taken dance classes and have previously taken 2 classes at 1MILLION Studios before they started offering this more foreigner-friendly option. Before I was pretty nervous joining a Korea dance class as I do not know Korean, so this option with English was a welcome treat. Our dance instructor was Keszy and her assistant Jo Sooyon. These ladies were a bright force of dance energy! Keszy broke down simple grooves for us during warmup that we would later incorporate in the choreography we would be learning. Sooyon kept us hyped with her cheers and would move around to help out anyone missing a step or needing some extra assistance getting a move down. Even without English, hearing the music and having the counts given by Keszy helped keep us on track. The only difficulty was maybe the fact that Seventeen's song was called 'Left & Right', so we were saying and hearing "left" and "right" a LOT! It was pretty funny and we had a lot of laughter in class. Once we had down the section of choreography we were learning we worked with each other to create formations. When we felt comfortable it was time to perform and capture the Kpop magic on film! We even braved taking the dance routine to other areas of the studio to perform with different 1M backdrops. We got to check out most parts of the studio and there was ample opportunity to take photos and video. Our teachers were happy to take photos and video for and with us! It really made me feel like a part of the studio and dance crew. This is one of my favorite memories in Seoul and I can't wait to return.
Not only is this activity a fun treat, but it is in a really interesting area of Seoul--Seongsu. It is super easy to get here by train. Just hop off the Seongsu station and start strolling about. There is a ton of art, exhibits, popups, and shops in different nooks & crannies here. I stumbled upon several art exhibits, music popups, Kpop popup events, unique fashion, and interesting cafes and eats here. 2 noteworthy spots I checked out that are a bit Instagram-famous are in this neighborhood. There is the RainReport Cafe where it continually rains inside all year except for when it "snows" in the winter. Careful, I have dropped my phone in the water ponds under some of the upstairs seating! Good thing phones are waterproof now! There is also the Saladaeng Temple Thai fusion restaurant next door to the RainReport Cafe. You will need to check the boarding times for the raft departure in order to reach the restaurant (This is more for show and setting the theme, you can go any time and just wait for the raft to take you over.). They fully immerse you into heading to Thailand by taking you to the restaurant entrance by raft. When inside you are seated around a lovely water fountain. The food and drinks match the restaurant decor making this one of the more visually appealing meal experiences I've had in Seoul. Definitely make Seongsu a stop on your Seoul trip if you want to explore a unique neighborhood full of creativity.
