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경력 20년의 안무가 홍영주(42)씨는 지난 6일 코리아헤럴드와 인터뷰에서 오디션 프로그램 ‘댄싱 9’으로 인해 춤을 어려워하기 보다는 즐기는 분위기로 변화하는 것이 보기 좋았다고 했다. 그 역시 춤이 재미있다는 것을 알려주기 위해서 춤을 가르친다고 말했다.
홍씨는 “춤추는 것이 스노보드를 타고 수영을 하는 것처럼 재미있다는 인식을 가졌으면 좋겠다”며 한국 학생들의 사고방식을 지적했다. 서양권 학생들이 재미로 춤을 배우러 오는 반면 한국 학생들의 대다수가 특별한 목적을 위해 오는 점을 꼬집었다.
20년 안무가로 활용하면서 왁스와 박진영을 비롯한 많은 가수들의 안무를 구성했고 가장 친한 동료인 가수 백지영의 경우 다섯 개 앨범의 안무를 담당했었다. “사람들이 ‘노래만 아니라 춤도 히트를 쳤다’고 말할 때 가장 뿌듯합니다. 백지영씨가 그 중 하나입니다” 라고 말했다.
어릴 적 합창단 활동을 하며 가수의 꿈을 키웠지만 부모님의 반대로 포기하고 졸업 후 바로 취직했다. 클럽에서 열린 회식자리에서 그는 춤을 추었고, 이때 처음으로 자신이 춘 춤으로 칭찬을 받았다. 그 후 “젊음의 행진” 댄서 모집 공고를 보고 오디션에 지원, 백댄서로 활동하면서 차근차근 안무가의 길을 밟아 나갔다.
힙합 무용가로도 잘 알려진 홍씨는 당시 춤꾼들 사이에서 유명했던 이태원 클럽 문나이트에서 처음 힙합댄스를 배웠다. “힙합의 좋은 점은 동작이 정해져 있지 않아 좀 더 자유롭게 움직일 수 있습니다”라고 말했다.
엠씨 해머 (MC Hammer), 바비 브라운 (Bobby Brown), 티엘씨 (TLC) 등 많은 해외 아티스트들의 영향을 받은 홍영주의 안무는 힙합적 요소를 포함하고 있다.“사람들이 케이팝 댄스의 장르를 묻는다면 한 장르 내에서도 오리지날 힙합, 뉴스타일 힙합, 어반 힙합 등 다양한 하위 장르가 있기 때문에 전 힙합이라고 말합니다”고 말했다.
홍씨의 목표는 발레, 현대무용, 비보잉까지 모든 것을 가르치는 10층 규모의 교육기관을 만드는 것이다. “여태 춤을 추는 동안 춤을 싫어한 적은 한 번도 없었고 22년간 춤을 췄고 계속 춤을 출 것입니다.”
그는 “계속 춤을 추고 싶어서 댄스 강사가 됐고 아이들을 가르치는 것이 재밌고 보람차다”라고 말했다.
홍씨는 현재 안무 연출과 더불어 한국국제예술원에서 방송무용을 가르치고 있다.
(한글: 성진우 인턴기자)
홍씨는 “춤추는 것이 스노보드를 타고 수영을 하는 것처럼 재미있다는 인식을 가졌으면 좋겠다”며 한국 학생들의 사고방식을 지적했다. 서양권 학생들이 재미로 춤을 배우러 오는 반면 한국 학생들의 대다수가 특별한 목적을 위해 오는 점을 꼬집었다.
20년 안무가로 활용하면서 왁스와 박진영을 비롯한 많은 가수들의 안무를 구성했고 가장 친한 동료인 가수 백지영의 경우 다섯 개 앨범의 안무를 담당했었다. “사람들이 ‘노래만 아니라 춤도 히트를 쳤다’고 말할 때 가장 뿌듯합니다. 백지영씨가 그 중 하나입니다” 라고 말했다.
어릴 적 합창단 활동을 하며 가수의 꿈을 키웠지만 부모님의 반대로 포기하고 졸업 후 바로 취직했다. 클럽에서 열린 회식자리에서 그는 춤을 추었고, 이때 처음으로 자신이 춘 춤으로 칭찬을 받았다. 그 후 “젊음의 행진” 댄서 모집 공고를 보고 오디션에 지원, 백댄서로 활동하면서 차근차근 안무가의 길을 밟아 나갔다.
힙합 무용가로도 잘 알려진 홍씨는 당시 춤꾼들 사이에서 유명했던 이태원 클럽 문나이트에서 처음 힙합댄스를 배웠다. “힙합의 좋은 점은 동작이 정해져 있지 않아 좀 더 자유롭게 움직일 수 있습니다”라고 말했다.
엠씨 해머 (MC Hammer), 바비 브라운 (Bobby Brown), 티엘씨 (TLC) 등 많은 해외 아티스트들의 영향을 받은 홍영주의 안무는 힙합적 요소를 포함하고 있다.“사람들이 케이팝 댄스의 장르를 묻는다면 한 장르 내에서도 오리지날 힙합, 뉴스타일 힙합, 어반 힙합 등 다양한 하위 장르가 있기 때문에 전 힙합이라고 말합니다”고 말했다.
홍씨의 목표는 발레, 현대무용, 비보잉까지 모든 것을 가르치는 10층 규모의 교육기관을 만드는 것이다. “여태 춤을 추는 동안 춤을 싫어한 적은 한 번도 없었고 22년간 춤을 췄고 계속 춤을 출 것입니다.”
그는 “계속 춤을 추고 싶어서 댄스 강사가 됐고 아이들을 가르치는 것이 재밌고 보람차다”라고 말했다.
홍씨는 현재 안무 연출과 더불어 한국국제예술원에서 방송무용을 가르치고 있다.
(한글: 성진우 인턴기자)
<관련영문기사>
Changing the mindset of K-pop dance
Top choreographer Hong Young-joo put the fun into dancing
Choreographer Hong Young-joo was certainly happy when audition show “Dancing 9” came out. While not involved with the show, she said she was glad to see Korea looking at dance not as something difficult, but as something that people can truly enjoy.
“The reason why I wanted to teach kids is not for the sake of teaching kids, but to show them that it’s fun,” she said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Dec. 6.
There are differences between the Western and Korean students in her studio, she pointed out. Her Western students come to learn dance for fun, whereas a majority of her Korean students come to class with a specific goal.
“It’s the mindset of Koreans that I think should change,” she said. “I want people to think of dancing like going snowboarding or going swimming, something fun that can be casual.”
In her 20-year dancing career, Hong, 42, has choreographed for many a name in the K-pop industry, from Wax to JYP and even opening numbers for the Style Icon Awards and Melon Music Awards. She said she is closest to singer Baek Ji-young, for whom she has choreographed five albums.
“When some people say, ‘That artist succeeded, not only because of her song, but because of her dance,’ that’s when I feel the proudest. And one of those artists is Baek Ji-young,” she said.
In addition to choreography, she runs her own studio in Apgujeong-dong, as well as teaching in the dance department at the Korean International Institute of the Arts.
Hong never planned to be a dancer. While in school she was in choir and thought she would become a singer. However, her parents had other plans, telling her that “being normal is the best thing you could do.” So instead, Hong entered a company after high school graduation.
Then one night Hong ended up dancing at a club for a company dinner. It was the first time she received compliments for her dancing. Later, when she saw KBS’ “March of the Youth” advertising for entertainers and dancers, she decided to audition. Her dance career officially started shortly thereafter, when they hired her as a backup dancer. During that time she met future JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young and worked her way up to becoming a professional choreographer.
Hong learned hip-hop dance, what she’s best known for, at a club in Itaewon called Moon Night, which was famous for dancers, she recalled. YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk learned to dance there as well, she added.
“What I like about hip-hop is that the movements aren’t fixed. You are able to move more freely,” she said. She added she was influenced a lot by artists such as MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and TLC. She infuses a lot of hip-hop elements into her choreography for K-pop.
“When people ask me what genre (dance) K-pop is, I say hip-hop, because there are numerous genres within that genre as well. There is original hip-hop, new style hip-hop, and urban hip-hop,” she said.
And while she someday hopes to own a 10-story building where everything from ballet to modern to b-boying is taught, for now she continues to teach, which she’s done for 10 years now.
“While I’ve been dancing I’ve never once hated it. I’ve been dancing for 22 years now, and I want to continue,” she said. “And I became a teacher because I want to be involved still. And teaching kids is fun as well as rewarding.”
By Emma Kalka
(ekalka@heraldcorp.com)
Changing the mindset of K-pop dance
Top choreographer Hong Young-joo put the fun into dancing
Choreographer Hong Young-joo was certainly happy when audition show “Dancing 9” came out. While not involved with the show, she said she was glad to see Korea looking at dance not as something difficult, but as something that people can truly enjoy.
“The reason why I wanted to teach kids is not for the sake of teaching kids, but to show them that it’s fun,” she said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Dec. 6.
There are differences between the Western and Korean students in her studio, she pointed out. Her Western students come to learn dance for fun, whereas a majority of her Korean students come to class with a specific goal.
“It’s the mindset of Koreans that I think should change,” she said. “I want people to think of dancing like going snowboarding or going swimming, something fun that can be casual.”
In her 20-year dancing career, Hong, 42, has choreographed for many a name in the K-pop industry, from Wax to JYP and even opening numbers for the Style Icon Awards and Melon Music Awards. She said she is closest to singer Baek Ji-young, for whom she has choreographed five albums.
“When some people say, ‘That artist succeeded, not only because of her song, but because of her dance,’ that’s when I feel the proudest. And one of those artists is Baek Ji-young,” she said.
In addition to choreography, she runs her own studio in Apgujeong-dong, as well as teaching in the dance department at the Korean International Institute of the Arts.
Hong never planned to be a dancer. While in school she was in choir and thought she would become a singer. However, her parents had other plans, telling her that “being normal is the best thing you could do.” So instead, Hong entered a company after high school graduation.
Then one night Hong ended up dancing at a club for a company dinner. It was the first time she received compliments for her dancing. Later, when she saw KBS’ “March of the Youth” advertising for entertainers and dancers, she decided to audition. Her dance career officially started shortly thereafter, when they hired her as a backup dancer. During that time she met future JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young and worked her way up to becoming a professional choreographer.
Hong learned hip-hop dance, what she’s best known for, at a club in Itaewon called Moon Night, which was famous for dancers, she recalled. YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk learned to dance there as well, she added.
“What I like about hip-hop is that the movements aren’t fixed. You are able to move more freely,” she said. She added she was influenced a lot by artists such as MC Hammer, Bobby Brown and TLC. She infuses a lot of hip-hop elements into her choreography for K-pop.
“When people ask me what genre (dance) K-pop is, I say hip-hop, because there are numerous genres within that genre as well. There is original hip-hop, new style hip-hop, and urban hip-hop,” she said.
And while she someday hopes to own a 10-story building where everything from ballet to modern to b-boying is taught, for now she continues to teach, which she’s done for 10 years now.
“While I’ve been dancing I’ve never once hated it. I’ve been dancing for 22 years now, and I want to continue,” she said. “And I became a teacher because I want to be involved still. And teaching kids is fun as well as rewarding.”
By Emma Kalka
(ekalka@heraldcorp.com)
