Key Points
- The 2023 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival was held recently in Sydney.
- The winning team, ‘Today & Always’, will now represent Australia at the global final in Seoul, South Korea.
- ‘Winning is not as important as enjoying the process,’ says team leader David Tu.
During the week, David Tu works as a mathematics teacher at Burwood Girls High School in Sydney.
However, his other passion is K-Pop, and, every Saturday, he can be found teaching the moves to hit songs like “I AM” by IVE and “Hype Boy” by NewJeans at an urban dance studio.
Despite his many years of practice, Mr Tu said he was “shocked” to be announced as one of Australia’s representatives to take on the world’s best K-Pop dancers in Seoul later this year.
Mr Tu and his crew, ‘Today & Always’, were crowned winners of Australia’s 2023 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival at an event in Sydney in early June.
Fifteen teams, comprising 117 individuals, took part in the final, after being whittled down from 116 audition videos.
Contestants in the 2023 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival in Australia gather for a group photo. Credit: Korean Cultural Centre in Australia
“All the fellow competitors put together such excellent performances that we would’ve been happy and supportive of any result.”
‘Keep trying and trying’
Mr Tu said he became a high-school teacher because he was interested in sharing knowledge with students and helping younger generations achieve their best.
When asked about the correlation between maths and K-Pop, he answered with a big smile: “There is nothing (in particular), but dance moves (do) have lines and shapes."
He said he first started listening to K-Pop when he himself was in high school and Taeyang’s ‘Wedding Dress’ came out.
He and his friends then discovered SNSD and Brown Eyed Girls, and became captivated by the striking visuals and choreography.
“I started learning the dances for fun at home. I wasn’t good initially, but I found the music so enjoyable it didn’t matter,” he said.
Mr Tu only started properly training in dance when he got into university and joined the UNSW K-Pop Society. Through them, he was introduced to Crossover Dance Studio, where he decided to take some classes.
That was eight years ago.
‘Today & Always’, winners of the 2023 K-Pop Cover Dance Festival in Australia. Credit: Korean Cultural Centre in Australia
They formed to create a dance cover of IVE’s ‘I AM’ and only decided to enter the competition on a whim as auditions for the first round had just opened.
Their members come from diverse backgrounds.
Christie Huang is studying interaction design at the University of Sydney and Natasha White is striving to become a graphic designer. Josie Venter graduated high school last year and is now on a gap year, while Pearl Zheng’s professional background is in government policy.
Courtney Phan said she met the members of this team through various projects, and she was excited to continue dancing with everyone in the future.
Ms White said, "We had no expectations going in. We just wanted to come and have fun on the stage together and just really make the most of the opportunity that we got to be here because we weren't expecting it.”
‘Today & Always’ after winning first place. Credit: Korean Cultural Centre in Australia
They practised about five times in three weeks before filming their YouTube audition video, and they crammed in another three sessions in the fortnight before the Australian final, he said.
As Australian champions, they will now take part in the September World K-Pop Cover Dance Festival in South Korea along with teams from more than 10 countries.
"We want to remain humble and focus on presenting our best possible performance. We will work hard to do our best to make Australia proud,” he said.
While they hope to practice more ahead of the final, they also want to “enjoy our time together as a team”.
Mr Tu dreams of participating in a K-Pop idol survival show, like Boys Planet, and has advice for others like him.
“Keep trying and trying; your efforts will always show. Have the confidence to be yourself and have fun with the process,” he said.
‘K-Pop teaches cooperation’
Moon So Young, the director of Seoul Newspaper, which hosted this competition, praised this year’s Australian winner.
“‘Today & Always’ were so great; their performance level was no different from last year’s world final winner,” Ms Moon said.
Back Koo Young, a famous K-Pop choreographer invited to the competition as a judge, said K-Pop dance had been embraced by all age groups in Australia.
“When I held K-Pop dance workshop in other countries, many young kids came, but in Australia, fans of various ages seem to enjoy K-Pop together,” he said.
Moon So Young is the director of Seoul Newspaper which hosted the competition. Credit: SBS Korean
“K-Pop cover dancing can help resolve social problems such as economic difficulties, polarisation, discrimination, hatred and generational conflicts,” she said.
“Team members dance together and learn to cooperate, the sense that you and I are one.”
This is the 13th year of the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival, and Australia has participated in it since 2021.
