Lia Kim, co-founder of 1MILLION Dance Studio, poses at her studio in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, February 21. (Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk)

Dancer/Choreographer Lia Kim never imagined achieving international stardom when she co-founded 1MILLION Dance Studio in 2014. When YouTube started to become a platform that allowed people to make it big in pretty much any field, Kim jumped on board by uploading videos with her dance crew.

The number of subscribers grew exponentially, coinciding with the rise of global interest in K-pop. As of March 1, 1MILLION Dance Studio’s YouTube channel had more than 25.9 million subscribers.

“Besides our hard work and talent, the YouTube platform has definitely helped us reach a wider audience. When I read the comments on our YouTube channel, a majority of them are written by our global fans,” she said in an interview with Korea Here & Now.

Kim has choreographed a lot of K-pop dance routines for singers like TWICE, Sunmi and MAMAMOO and is now a well-known figure not only in the dance scene but also among the general public through her appearances in TV shows, including SBS’s “Sing for Gold” and Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter – The Next Way.”

She was a “first penguin” – whereas most small- to mid-sized companies are IT or platform based, according to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups – she jumped into a different field: K-pop-driven cultural content.

Kim recalled that before COVID-19, about 75 percent of the students enrolling in the dance classes at her studio were foreigners. When the pandemic hit, that percentage dropped significantly. It is increasing again since travel restrictions were lifted, and now over 50 percent of her students come from outside Korea.

She added that some foreign students pick 1MILLION Dance Studio just to learn from the studio’s star instructors, including, of course, Kim.

“I was surprised to hear that some people actually came to Korea just to meet me in person. Many of our students are from North America, Japan, Southeast Asia and Europe,” she said.

Lia Kim, center, teaches dance class at 1MILLION Dance Studio in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, February 1. (Courtesy of 1MILLION Dance Studio)

Kim said anyone can enjoy dancing regardless of their background or age, adding that her goal is to make dance accessible and enjoyable to everyone.

“We don’t have an age limit, but most of the students are in their teens and 20s. Another thing I noticed is that there are a lot of people who take up dance classes as a hobby. In the past, we had more students who wanted to become professional dancers or K-pop singers,” she said.

Despite a hectic schedule due to TV appearances and other activities, Kim still tries to teach dance classes whenever she is available.

1MILLION Dance Studio currently offers three dance class programs. While anyone can sign up regardless of qualifications, the three programs are geared toward beginning, intermediate and advanced levels: Step by 1M, Learner and Master class, respectively. Each class takes students through step-by-step choreographed movements for a selected song.

“Step by 1M and Learner classes are the most popular ones. My goal as an instructor is to create a dance culture that is supportive enough for any beginner to easily access,” she said.

Kim shared her thoughts about K-pop dance becoming recognized to many as an individual genre that no longer relies on fandom.

“I heard that several universities abroad started offering K-pop dance courses. It’s amazing how Korean culture is beloved by fans all over the world. As the country is becoming more culturally proficient, we must ensure choreographers and dancers are protected by copyright,” she said.

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