This is the moment. The moment senior Christine Ngo and her group have been practicing for day and night, for long hours on end. As she walks onto the dance floor, the bright lights shine in her face. She takes a deep breath and feels the adrenaline rush up her body. The music starts, and she becomes one with the beat. The school arena suddenly becomes a K-pop concert, and the dancers have become their idols.

Ngo has had a growing passion for K-pop since she was in eighth grade. It all began when a friend introduced her to the group BTS. BTS was a stem to the world of K-pop for Ngo. She later discovered groups including Twice, NCT, Red Velvet and Blackpink. She fell in love with the music and dances, so she wanted to learn herself. Ngo has always loved dancing in cheer, but K-pop club opened up an entirely new genre of movement.

The beauty she saw in K-pop was what truly drew her to the genre itself. From the different eras and themes, Ngo enjoys the overall aesthetic. It gives her a sense of joy and excitement watching her favorite idols perform, and even offstage their personalities are always authentic.

“I really enjoy all the talent and hard work the artists put into their performances and music videos,” Ngo said. “It’s really pleasing to see the specific themes for each one. The artists themselves interact persistently with their fans, so we get to see them as real people, not just idols.”

The in-person experience is what makes her feel connected to her idols. The combination of cheering fans, flashing lights and music blasting creates the fantasy scene Ngo lives for. Seeing artists like BTS and Blackpink on stage is a once-in-a-lifetime experience she will never forget.

“My favorite thing about K-pop would have to be the concerts because seeing your idols in real life is so surreal, and with all the people around you that are just as excited as you are, the experience feels more exhilarating,” Ngo said. “It’s fun to bring a light stick from that group because most of the time your lightstick will connect with the music. From a faraway glance, the arena is just one wave of color or multiple depending on what concert.”

The school’s K-pop club gave her the opportunity to bond over the music genre with other fans and show off the dances she learned. What began as a fun pastime became one of Ngo’s greatest passions.

“I really enjoy performing dance covers at our school,” Ngo said. “I like how we have the opportunity to show off K-pop since it’s not really known within our school. It’s fun to put together a group and dance to the same songs we love and become our idols.”

In addition to performing at school events, Ngo and the K-pop club perform in festivals outside of school too. With the continuous growth and popularity of the club, Ngo decided to run for club president. 

“I felt like I had the leadership ability to lead the club, as well as the dance groups,” Ngo said. “I believed I could improve K-pop club in many ways and with the help of the rest of the officers, this goal was achievable.”

K-pop club secretary senior Catherine Par views Ngo as an incredibly friendly person who always has a smile on her face. She is believed to be hardworking and goal-oriented. Par expresses when Ngo knows what she wants, she goes for it.

“Christine has great, solid ideas, and she truly wants to make every member of the club enjoy their time to the fullest,” Par said. “Her inclusiveness is what makes her the best candidate for president.”

She has been pushing the overlooked club persistently to be noticed in the media. A new feature of K-pop club is the use of social media as its main source of communication. They keep the members updated through Instagram and Twitter.

“K-pop club has always been so mediocre at Lewisville,” Ngo said. “[The rest of the officers and I] have plans to make K-pop club more known throughout the school by building a social media platform, and then eventually expanding our in-person club activities and performances. During this time, we have taken the initiative to mainly focus on social media this year.”

Ngo enjoys teamwork. In order to expand the club, she chose to include the entire group to work inclusively toward the same goal. She believes a leader is nothing without her team. Ngo encourages the group and actively takes input from others.

“She’s very active and enthusiastic about the club, and she collaborates with the club members,” K-pop club sponsor Veronica Zamora said. “Actually, she decided to have the other girls with her as officers. She told me she didn’t want to do it by herself. She wanted to do it together, which is something good. I knew she would be a good president.”

Being in K-pop club overall has given Ngo a purpose. As a top 10% student, Ngo often becomes stressed, and dancing gives her an escape from reality. 

“The feeling on stage isn’t like any other,” Ngo said. “Whether it’s cheer or K-Pop, you get that rush of adrenaline before you perform and once you’re actually on stage, all you see are the bright lights. You’re still nervous at this point, but that’s what makes it exciting. Once everything is over you just want to do it all over again. It’s always a relief when you hear the crowd cheering at the end.”