K-pop cover dancing has become a community-building activity all over the world. In Turkey, it is performed in public spaces such as parks, squares and the busiest streets of metropolitan cities and shared on social media platforms. This body performance is different from other K-pop fan events because it involves an embedded physical performance and requires a new type of capital (Bourdieu, 1984): performance capital (Miller, 2017; Gruzd & Hodson, 2021). We observe that preparing for a K-pop cover dance performance is a laborious and emotional process that requires time, investment in costumes, and obtaining official permissions to shoot videos in public spaces. Most groups rely on their digital skills to produce and upload their videos. As dancers lip sync to the song and perform original choreography, they convey cultural and social values by using their bodies as a space/material for gender politics (Khiun, 2013). As part of the field research, 20 K-pop cover dancers were interviewed in 2022. Male and female youth dancing together in public spaces contributes to their well-being and also builds group identity. The performance of K-pop cover dancing in Turkey has both a global and local meaning through the revitalization of the dance. In social media, under the hashtag "K-pop in public space", they become a part of the global flow of content. On the other hand, in local context, through their dancing bodies, they performed gender politics at the public sphere.

Authors:
Ferruh Mutlu Binark, Hacettepe University, Turkey
Alptekin Keskin, Independent Scholar, Turkey

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Posted by Clive Staples Lewis

Last updated: 2023-02-23 23:45:00

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