At the school club fair that marks the beginning of spring, the event that commanded the attention of the entire audience and had everyone cheering loudly was the performance of K-pop dance club WILD EYES. Able to pull off any dance regardless of the concept of the song, their talents are put on display at school festivals, in street performances, and at their own concerts. Their dynamic performances are much like those of a well-established idol group. They meet every Wednesday at 7 PM at a practice room near the university and dance until they are exhausted. We were able to meet with the new members of WILD EYES.
Street Performance at the 2023 Koyon Games
Everyone looks like they get along.
Yejun We get along well even when we’re not dancing. We love making each other laugh so much that sometimes it feels more like a comedy club.
Mona It’s reached the point that I worry it will shock the newbies.
Chanhyung We’re close friends, so that closeness naturally gets expressed in our dance.
When people think of K-pop, they think of perfect group dancing. What’s most important to you while practicing?
Yejun While it’s true that the angle and timing of each motion is important, I was surprised when I first joined WILD EYES that we even synchronize our attitudes toward dancing. Our outfits and expressions, and the vibes we give off, are really important.
The attitude of feeling like an idol that you display on stage is impressive.
Mona Actually, it’s hard to portray the feeling of cuteness so I did a lot of expression research. Now I have my own expression for acting cute, and the others mimic me and joke about it.
Hyejin Even in one idol group, each member has their own silhouette and style when they dance. I watch a close-up fancam video of the member whose dance I’m learning and try to follow their style as closely as possible.
Yejun Whenever there’s a performance soon, I go on a diet (laughs)..
Are you different when you’re dancing from when you’re not?
Mona I’ve been told that if you only see me when I’m on the stage, I look like a party person, but in reality I like lying around at home.
Chanhyung I’m normally easygoing and friendly, but when I practice, I become more like a honed blade without even realizing it. That just means I’m focused on delivering a good performance.
Does the urge to dance ever strike during your daily life?
Yejun When we’re performing soon, sometimes it gets tiring, but even so, when I’m not dancing, I always want to dance. If there’s a cool dance challenge going around, I want to dance even if it’s during an exam period. Yesterday, I sent a message to Chanhyung saying, ‘Let’s do this.
Is there somewhere you’d like to perform?
Hyejin We’re always doing street performances in Sinchon for the Koyon Games, but I would love to do a street performance or outdoor performance at Korea University.
Chanhyung During last year’s Ipsilenti, we participated as performing “players”, not as the audience and I really enjoyed that. I want to be on the stage at important events this year too.
I heard you also do collaborations with the dance clubs at Yonsei University and Seoul National University?
Mona When we’re doing street performances with other schools’ clubs, we usually divide the parts for the first verse and the second verse between each team and dance together for the third verse. When practicing the third verse, it’s kind of awkward meeting new people, but the process of dancing together and becoming friends makes for good memories. It’s meaningful because it’s a friendly rivalry.
If you could pick any song to best express yourself, what would it be?
Hyejin Cool With You by New Jeans. I did ballet when I was little, so I’m confident I can perform it with a similar silhouette.
Mona Tell Me Now by Queen is Me. It’s a catlike performance and everyone says it suits me. (Is your personality catlike?) Not really, but I do have a pet cat.
Chanhyung Candy by Baekhyun. I like gentler dances than ones that need a lot of strength.
Yejun Kick It by NCT 127. I’m someone who likes being playful on stage, and I like that my part for this song has a lot of jumping into the foreground and spinning around.
What does WILD EYES mean to you?
Mona Almost the entirety of my college life. I really devote so much time to it.
Chanhyung It’s like a dream. I was in high school before shows like Street Man Fighter were airing so it was so rare to see male students who liked dancing. It’s thanks to WILD EYES that I could experience various guest performances and street performances.
Hyejin It’s like school. It’s a place I can go to every day and learn so many new things.
Mona
It’s a memory I’ll never forget. Not long ago, during the April Fool’s custom of eating jjajangmyeon at the central plaza, we held a concert in front of the fountain. We were able to interact with so many other students then and it meant a lot to me.