A simple fad, K-pop? Not for the Lyonnaises of Yag Crew. By creating this Korean dance troupe in 2016, the six young founders had no idea that their hobby would take them far. Away…to the land of morning calm.
“I’m going to Korea next year for a year of intensive language learning,” says Alyssia Gaoua, 24. A journalism student, she has a dream: “To become a correspondent in East Asia”. A logical path for one who was immersed very early “in Chinese and Japanese cultures, because my family is passionate about Asian literature”.
Master both traditional dance and K-pop
Same domino effect for Gabriela Lecourt, 21, human resources student: “My passion for Korea began when I discovered K-pop, around 14-15 years old. I became interested in the country, the culture, and my interest extended to Asia in general,” she says. Their common passions made them meet in a K-pop dance academy in Lyon, PressPlay. “At the beginning, there was only one class, there were six of us, and it quickly grew,” she explains. We became friends and decided to create our own crew. Today, we are officially ten members, from 20 to 25 years old, but sometimes we are more! »
The Yag Crew began by presenting “covers”, covers of K-pop hits. “But in recent years, we have tried to open up to several dance styles, and to create our own choreographies”, specifies Gabriela Lecourt. For the sake of authenticity, the troupe insists on mastering the basics of traditional Korean dance: “The creation that we will present this weekend at the Korean Touch was commissioned from us by the France-Korea association for the Consular Day, she adds. And we were lucky to have a dancer who came straight from Korea, Ms. Moon, who coached us to check that we were respecting the basics. »
An economically powerful pop culture
At first glance, K-pop and tradition seem contradictory. However, it is perhaps their fusion that explains how Korean pop culture has conquered the world. Alyssia Gaoua explains that “K-pop has allowed many people to discover Korea in a fairly easy way, by offering K-dramas, cooking classes, to make people want to go deeper on their own” .
The young dancers are well aware of the manufactured and commercial side of K-pop: “Korea’s strategy was to copy Japanese J-pop to do something better, because they were going through an economic crisis, continues Alyssia Gaoua. . They said to themselves that it was better to produce it at home to reap the economic benefits. And it worked, first within their borders, then in Asia, then elsewhere! Korea even has a ministry dedicated to pop culture. “A success that has not escaped its powerful neighbor: “Today, the phenomenon is still discreet but China is in turn trying to copy K-pop to do better…”
The Yag Crew will be its dream ambassador Korean Touch, July 2 and 3 at the Vaulx-en-Velin racecourse. The troupe will present to the public four covers of K-pop dances, “and two versions of a traditional song, “Arirang”, which is taken up every year at the festival, specifies Alyssia Gaoua. We will offer a version mixing fan dancing and K-pop. Tradition and modernity: the winning double of Korean pop culture.