In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, NBC News highlighted Rūts Dance Studio in Koreatown as part of a series covering the surging popularity of K-pop dance.
Run by sisters Diny and Eileen Kim, the dance studio has only been open for a year and a half, but they say they are already feeling the power of K-pop thanks to the growing number of students.
“We have been open for only a few years now, but the growth we’ve been seeing is super crazy,” Eileen said. In fact, all the classes on May 15 were full, and the K-pop dance class on May 16 was already full as well.
Rūts Dance Studio initially started as a hip-hop based dance studio, but they have been trying to keep up with the high demand for K-pop dance classes.
“K-pop is such a phenomenon and craze right now,” Diny said. “It’s choreographed by the best of the best choreographers in the world. It’s a celebration of not just AAPI but Korean culture in general.”
The Kim sisters are experienced professional dancers and choreographers with years of experience.
Diny started as a hip-hop dancer in San Diego in 2010 and is now a member of the world-renowned dance crew GRV, where she has choreographed commercials for Lotte, including “Like the First Time,” “Chilsung Cider,” and “Milkies.”
Eileen, who is the co-director of GRV’s exhibition team GRooVe, is also an accomplished dancer who has performed on stage with K-pop groups BTS and Blackpink, and recently performed as a stand-in for Blackpink’s member Jisoo during the Coachella performances.
Notably, Rūts Dance Studio offers affordable classes with over 30 talented instructors, including the Kim sisters.
They offer three classes a day, Monday through Saturday, and each class costs $15. A month of unlimited class visits costs around $180. The idea is to make it affordable for anyone to learn K-pop dances as well as other genres.
“We grew up in Koreatown, and our goal was to build a community from scratch,” Eileen said.
“It really comes back full circle,” said Diny. “Growing up here, we lacked a community, so we wanted to provide that for people here now.”
For more information about Rūts Dance Studio, visit therutsstudio.com or follow them on Instagram at @rutsdancestudio.
BY SUAH JANG [support@koreadaily.com]
