To All The K-pop Fans I’ve Met Before

To: The Fans

If you have any interest in K-pop—at all—you’ve probably heard of Karl-Pop or KRUSH Dance Crew, our 2 beloved K-pop clubs on campus. People often ask: “What’s the difference?” or “Do I join one, or both?” or the dreaded “Aren’t they just the same thing?” 

Short answer to the last—no. And as your official-unofficial guide to K-pop at Carleton, I’ll do my best to explain the eccentricities of each club and why you should join both of them! 

Karl-Pop

If you couldn’t tell from the photo above, Karl-Pop is a fun, social, and meme-filled space. We host various events throughout the term, our most popular including: Karaoke, Presentation Night, and Top-loader Decorations—it’s all stickers, photocards, gemstones, and design galore (all for free, too). And before you call us basic, take a look at our Waterbomb concert, where we gave our fans (club members) water balloons and water blasters to cool down our performers!

When it comes to dance, Karl-Pop offers 6 dances every term; practice is for 1 hour a week for each dance. Then, on the last day of classes, you’ll show off everything you’ve learned and perform for the termly showcase—or another campus event like AANHPI Night, International Fest, and more! One of the highlights of Karl-Pop is that we don’t place a limit on how many people can join a dance. For example, if the original choreography for NewJeans’ Attention has 5 people, but 9 people want to join the dance, the director for that song will create a new dance formation to fit all 9 people. It’s a super fun, welcoming, low-stress, and low-stakes experience, so don’t hesitate to try it out. If you’re here early before the showcase, you’ll hear our pre-stage chant (which I think is both charming and laughable): “Cause when we’re jumping and popping we’re Karl-Popping!”

KRUSH Dance Crew (KRUSH)

KRUSH Dance Crew is (true to its name) primarily focused on dance. We host Random Play Dance; dance workshops (our most recent partnered with Karl-Pop); record cover videos; and perform at various events including: KRUSH’s termly showcase, Lunar New Year, Date Knight, and more. We’re also partnered with our neighboring college, St. Olaf. Together, we host joint performances and dance sign-ups, meaning you can join dances taught by either Carleton or St. Olaf directors.  

KRUSH dances are also structured to mirror the original K-pop group. If Body by MEOVV has 5 members in the original choreography, we’ll cast 5 members into our cover group. Additionally, while the practice times are up to the directors, the time commitment is generally 2–4 hours a week (with 2-hour-long practices). This might sound scary, but fear not! KRUSH directors are prepared to teach you and support you every step of the way. 

Fun fact: I’ve never danced before college. I owe it all to the seniors who took it upon themselves to teach me (as a freshman) everything I now know (as a junior). Honestly, I knew nothing my first term at Carleton—but two kind seniors invited me to join Armageddon by AESPA and taught me, bit-by-bit (and sometimes, very painfully) how to move each part of my body to perform the choreo correctly—I believe it all paid off.  

Take it from me—as someone who’s never danced before—to take a chance with our K-pop clubs. Join both to see the different vibes and meet everyone. I swear we’re nice and friendly, and we’re open to all individuals, no matter your background in K-pop or dance. 

XOXO

Alice (she/her/hers) is a rising junior from the Bay Area majoring in Cognitive Science and Psychology. During the summer, she works as a Student Researcher for the Decision-Making Lab and as a Fellow for Admissions. During the school year, she is a Resident Assistant and a former Student Baker for the Bakery. In her free time, she is engaged in Aikido, Karl-Pop and KRUSH Dance Crew (our K-pop clubs), Fellowship in Christ, and In Other Words, our multilingual literary magazine. Things she considers yummy include: strawberries, matcha (ft. Little Joy), picnics, memoirs, poetry (ft. Time is a Mother), violet (the color), naps, heart-to-hearts, tiny outings, random interactions, and Pikmin walks.