In a room on the second floor of the College of Hospitality building, chairs are pushed into a circle, framing an open space where students gather for a Random Dance Play. Through the wide-panel windows, the sun sets behind Lied Library as participants, legs bouncing in anticipation, wait for the event to start. Some students come dressed in plain clothes; others in stage-ready, K-pop-inspired streetwear.<\/p>\n
With a set playlist of random K-pop songs already loaded, dancers sprint to the center the moment they recognize a track and know the choreography. \u201cDanger\u201d by BTS kicks things off with sharp, controlled movements and tight precision. The energy shifts with \u201cFancy\u201d by TWICE, moving from hard-hitting hip-hop to a more mature, flirty retro-electropop. \u201cAdrenaline\u201d by ATEEZ \u2014 an EDM track marked by larger, more explosive choreography \u2014 follows, while those on the sidelines keep the dancers hyped with their cheers.<\/p>\n
That kind of supportive, energetic atmosphere is exactly what the UNLV K-pop Club<\/a> aims to create. Launched this semester, the club is the passion project of Vivian Montalvo Sanchez.\u00a0\u201cI wanted people to have a space where fans could meet, share their love for K-pop, and try dancing without pressure,\u201d says the first-year dance production major, noting they were surprised UNLV didn’t already have a student K-pop organization.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The club is open to everyone, from total beginners to longtime enthusiasts of K-pop. Liliana Devereaux-Gonzalez, the club\u2019s PR manager and historian, assures those interested in joining that they don\u2019t need to be hardcore fans to participate. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to know every dance or be a huge fan to join; it\u2019s really welcoming,\u201d says the first-year sociology major. K-pop baddies: Aubrey Tagarao (front),\u00a0a second-year computer science major, and Genesis Payne, first-year kinesiology and dance double major, perform on stage at Pida Plaza on April 30, 2026.<\/p>\n The Debut of K-pop<\/p>\n In the early 1990s, K-pop emerged in South Korea with groups like Seo Taiji and Boys, one of the first acts to blend rap and dance, and H.O.T., the first idol group to use the trainee system. The music fuses multiple genres, including pop, hip-hop, and EDM, while the choreography is precise, intricate, and eye-catching. The visuals \u2014 from outfits, hair, makeup, and staging \u2014 are often bold and trendsetting.<\/p>\n Groups such as BIGBANG, EXO, Girls\u2019 Generation, SHINee, Super Junior, and Wonder Girls found major success in the years following, helping bring K-pop to a wider international audience and setting the stage for its continued growth. Now, that growth has been solidified with the return of one of K-pop’s biggest acts: BTS.\u00a0<\/p>\n BTS 2.0: Members \u2014 Jin, Jimin, V, RM, Jungkook, Suga, and J-hope\u00a0\u2014 perform in Tampa, Florida, at Raymond James Stadium for the group’s first U.S. stop\u00a0on the\u00a0ARIRANG world tour. (Courtesy: Beth DeBouck)<\/p>\n After a four-year hiatus that included solo projects and mandatory military service for all seven members, K-pop global sensation BTS returns to Las Vegas for their ARIRANG world tour<\/a>. Fans, known as ARMY, are set to fill Allegiant Stadium for four nights \u2014 May 23, 24, 27, and 28 \u2014 underscoring the group\u2019s lasting influence on the genre\u2019s worldwide popularity.<\/p>\n Into the sun: BTS\u00a0returns to Las Vegas at the end of May for a series of performances that promote the group’s new album, ARIRANG. (Becca Schwartz\/UNLV)<\/p>\n The rise of K-pop in recent years parallels growing interest in Korean entertainment, from Parasite<\/a> (the first non-English film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture) to Netflix smash hits Squid Game and K-pop Demon Hunters.<\/p>\n Even the \u201cDNA\u201d of what defines a K-pop group is evolving. KATSEYE, whose GAP campaign featured a viral dance<\/a> to Kelis\u2019 \u201cMilkshake,\u201d debuted with five non-Korean members, showing just how much the genre has broadened.<\/p>\n Devon Alvizo, a second-year hospitality major and the club\u2019s event manager, says K-pop’s universal appeal has to do with more than a Billboard-topping album. \u201cWhat\u2019s amazing about K-pop is how it combines music, visuals, and choreography into one performance,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s something about the energy \u2014 it\u2019s infectious, and you can\u2019t help but get into it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Moves That Make K-pop Pop<\/p>\n Besides offering an inclusive platform for fandom discourse, the K-pop Club invites members to bring their best moves to the dance floor. Three of the club\u2019s founding members met while taking dance classes through the College of Fine Arts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing K-pop dance covers since high school, and I wanted to bring that back to campus,\u201d Montalvo Sanchez says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Members meet weekly to discuss K-pop topics, give themed presentations, and to play games. The club also holds mini performances and Random Dance Play events, giving members a chance to practice the routines that make K-pop so intricate and engaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe choreography is what pulls people in. It\u2019s high-energy, and the patterns are really creative,\u201d says Alvizo, who initially learned of the club via a Reddit post created by Montalvo Sanchez. \u201cOrganizing Random Dance Play and performances is fun, but getting everyone in sync is a real puzzle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He adds that seeing dances posted online by other fans is what inspired him to begin learning routines. \u201cI started watching dance covers on YouTube and TikTok, and it just clicked for me \u2014 I had to try it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n K-Pop Club dance team members (from left): Devon Alvizo, hospitality; Asia Ortiz, education; Genesis Payne, dance performance and kinesiology; and Tahesisa Roberson, audio production (Becca Schwartz\/UNLV)<\/p>\n Blood, Sweat & Choreography<\/p>\n With the inclusion of a dance team, members can follow in their bias\u2019s [fandom speak for favorite idol] footsteps by performing at on- and off-campus events. \u201cWe have 12 dancers this semester preparing for upcoming performances,\u201d Devereaux-Gonzalez says.<\/p>\n Dance team member Genesis Payne, a first-year kinesiology and dance double major, says K-pop has been a creative influence for as long as she can remember.<\/p>\n \u201cI first got into K-pop in middle school through BTS \u2014 they\u2019re still my favorite group,\u201d she says, confiding that she double biases powerhouse dancers Jungkook and J-Hope. \u201cWith my love for K-pop and wanting a sense of community here at UNLV beyond just my majors, joining the club felt like a no-brainer.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The K-pop Club gives students a community-focused space for meetups, fan discussions,\u00a0and practicing favorite dance routines. (Becca Schwartz\/UNLV)<\/p>\n Payne adds her love of K-pop pushed her to improve as a performer. \u201cBTS choreography is complicated but iconic. Learning it really challenged me and helped me grow into the dancer I am now,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of the routines let dancers show their star quality, which makes performing even more exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n Joining Payne on the team is first-year dance production and management double major Minjun Alejandrino. With 15 years of dance experience \u2014 including cheer, gymnastics, and colorguard \u2014 he was drawn to K-pop for its synchronized group choreography and high-energy performances.<\/p>\n \u201cI love working with teams to create a performance for people to enjoy. Learning choreography and adapting it to match our formations just brings me so much joy,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Besides highly technical routines, K-pop is known for its fusion of dance styles. Many memorable performances are shaped by choreographers from diverse backgrounds, including Sienna Lalau, a Samoan American, who contributed to \u201cON\u201d and \u201cDionysus\u201d; Brian Puspos, a Filipino American, who worked on \u201cSerendipity\u201d and \u201cButterfly\u201d; and the Norwegian-based dance crew Quick Style, who collaborated on choreography for songs like \u201cSave Me.\u201d<\/p>\n Alejandrino counts BTS\u2019s \u201cBlood Sweat & Tears\u201d as his ult-fav routine to perform and shares that his bias is ENHYPEN main dancer Nishimura Riki. Being part of the K-pop Club’s dance team has also helped him settle into campus life. “I didn\u2019t know many people outside my classes,” he says, “but performing with the team has made me more comfortable and helped me meet others.”<\/p>\n He encourages anyone curious about K-pop to join. \u201cEven if you\u2019re just starting out, or just looking for friends, it\u2019s a really welcoming space.”<\/p>\n Ready to join?<\/p>\n If the K-pop Club sounds right for you, be sure to check out their Instagram<\/a> for the latest events, meetups, and performances.<\/p>\n (Photos by Becca Schwartz\/UNLV)<\/p>\n
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