May 17 was a day like any other. When the lunch bell rang, students poured from their homeroom into the halls, migrating to the cafeteria to buy a bite to eat, or making a beeline to join their friends. A long line began to form in the Commons, as students waited ages to get their yearbooks. 

Suddenly, a deep bass thrums throughout the room, grabbing the attention of students waiting in line, students passing by for the cafeteria and even students sitting up on the Bridge. The K-pop Dance Club strutted to the middle of the floor and began a surprise performance.

Using the Commons as their stage, the club danced to a mash-up of 11 popular K-pop songs: “Hot Sauce” by NCT Dream, “Eleven” by IVE, “Paint the Town” by Loona, “Love Dive” by IVE, “Rumor” by Produce 48, “BEcause” by Dreamcatcher, “Weapon” by ITZY, “Naughty” by Irene and Seulgi, “Pretty Savage” by BLACKPINK, “Into the New World” by Girls’ Generation and “Dreams Come True” by aespa. “This is our first flash mob in over four years, so I was really excited,” senior officer Kim Abera said. “The audience was so supportive and we got a lot of cheering, which I think helped us to perform 110%.”

The club has been practicing for the flash mob since February, during meetings on Tuesdays in the dance studio. At their meetings, the members meticulously arranged themselves into formations where each club member took the role of one of the song’s original dancers. They used choreography videos posted on YouTube by the original artists to learn the dance. “The effect formations have is that they make the whole dance look cooler and more cohesive,” junior Megan Liu said before the performance. “Because we practiced a lot and our officers are really good at teaching, I think we will do well.”

The members split themselves into sub-groups, and each group learned the dance for specific songs from the mash-up, so that each dancer could have a break while performing. “I don’t expect there not to be mistakes when we’re changing positions,” sophomore Carolyn Fu said before the performance. “But I know we’re good enough that we can cover it up and keep going.” 

The flash mob was not the first time the club has performed this year. They also danced to “La Vie en Rose” by IZ*ONE at Puttin’ on the Hits on Dec. 16. “I didn’t participate in our POTH dance because I was busy with schoolwork,” freshman Victoria Alexander said. “So I was really proud that we did the flash mob and I liked how so many people were there to support us and watch us dance again.” 

Members hoped that the flash mob would draw more attention to how hard they practice and what it is they do. “This is basically the big thing we’ve done this year, since POTH,” Fu said. “It’s really important to us.”

Overall, the members were pleased with their performance. “I was really nervous, but I think it turned out really good,” junior Jules Lindauer said. “We knew our positions, and we got lots of applause. There were even people filming.”

The club will be open to new members in the upcoming school year. Aberra emphasizes that students do not need prior dance experience to join. “I joined the club during COVID because I wanted to be a part of something I liked,” Liu said. “I wanted to join freshman year but I was kind of too scared to join clubs. I’m glad I joined now, though.”