Center for Performance Studies Events

K-Pop

K-Pop's Other: Cultural Appropriation & Racial Dynamics
in the Global Consumption of Korean Pop Music

“K-Pop” can best be defined as multimedia music, integrating aspects of performance, song, dance, and digital technology. Of particular note is the emphasis that K-Pop places on the striking presentation of the performers’ bodies, clothed in bold fashions and animated through flashy choreography. K-pop is a rapidly expanding cultural phenomenon, and the global reach of this genre has far reaching implications for racial dynamics. Paralleling this trend, K-pop fandom has become conspicuously multiracial. Although K-pop performers are predominantly ethnic Koreans, K-pop nowadays commands a global fandom that cannot be limited to a small number of ethnic/racial groups.

In collaboration with the Center for Performance Studies and the Center for Korean Studies, this project explores the racial dynamics involved in the production and consumption of Korean Pop (K-pop). The goal is to integrate the study of K-Pop with the kinesthetic dimensions of performance while situating these explorations in the theoretically rich framework of racial dynamics in a manner meaningful both to UCLA students and the greater community.

Schedule:

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Academic Symposium in Royce Hall, Room 314, UCLA Click here to RSVP to the Academic Symposium

  • Keynote Speakers:
    • Roald Maliangkaij, “Reclaiming Soft Power: The Conditions for K-Pop’s Global Aspirations”
    • CedarBough Saeji, “Evolving Discourses on Cultural Appropriation in K-Pop”
  • Featured Panel:
    • Suk-Young Kim, “Racial Volatility in the K-Pop Industry”
    • Katherine Lee, “Fashioning Local Identity Through Gangnam Style”
    • Peter Broadwell & Tim Tangherlini, “Modeling Cultural Technology: Aspects of Visual Style and Choreography in 9,000+ K-Pop Videos on YouTube”

 

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Dance Workshop in Kaufman Hall, Room 208, UCLA Click here to RSVP to participate in the Dance Workshop (limit 40)

  • with K-Pop Choreographer Aimee Lee Lucas

  • *Priority will be given to workshop participants that attend the Academic Symposium

 

Sponsored by the Arts initiative Award, Center for Performance Studies, Department of Theater, and Center for Korean Studies