Who says hip-hop is for only the young? These midlifers in South Korea say no

Six women in their 50s gathered in a basement studio in Hongdae, Seoul’s youth-filled district, at 8pm on a Tuesday.

Some had just finished work. One left her young children behind. Others had driven more than an hour to get there. They were not there for aerobics or Zumba. Baseball caps and street-style attire, they had come to learn hip-hop dance.

In a society where middle-aged people are often expected to pursue “age-appropriate” hobbies and maintain a certain decorum, a hip-hop dance club aimed at seniors is still an unusual sight.

That evening’s class moved to the rhythm of Seo Taiji, the Korean pop icon from the late ‘90s often credited with introducing hip-hop influences to the country. When the song ended, they carefully watched each other’s performances on video and offered feedback. Their discussion was serious, yet bursts of laughter and girlish excitement kept breaking through.

Why hip-hop?

For Ms Kwon Jae-hee, 58, hip-hop had always been a quiet dream.

“I admired hip-hop when I was young,” she said. “But life was busy. And when I finally had time, there was nowhere that would teach me.”

Wherever she went, classes were filled with much younger people. She would often turn around and leave. Then she came across a post on Instagram recruiting for a senior hip-hop class.

To attend the weekly class, Ms Kwon drives more than an hour from Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, to Hongdae, a trip she has made every week for the past year and a half.

“The teacher is like a saviour,” she said. “I wait for the day of the class every week. I’ve never missed one.”

Now she has a goal.

“Our teacher writes music,” she said. “When she finishes a hip-hop track, our dream is to perform to that song in a dance competition.”

“At our age, people often say there are no more goals,” she added. “But after starting dance, I have something to work toward. Setting a goal and focusing on it makes me so happy.” As she spoke, her voice trembled and tears briefly welled in her eyes.

For Ms Woo Hwa-jung, 48, the class is something else: a space to rediscover herself.

She is a mother of three sons, two in elementary school and one in middle school.

“I loved dancing when I was young,” she said. “But I never had the chance to learn.”

Raising children pushed her even further away from her own hobbies. But after discovering the dance club, she began reclaiming time for herself.

“All the energy that felt stuck inside me finally comes out,” she said.

She had tried Zumba before, but it was not enough. “I wanted to dance something cooler.”

After work, Ms Woo is exhausted and her children ask when she will come home. Still, she refuses to give up the one evening each week that belongs only to her.

For Ms Son Ju-yeon and Ms Kwon Jung-in, both 52, the turning point was watching the hit dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter”. It looked so cool and so stylish, they said

What they did not want was what they called “typical middle-aged dance”. They did not want Zumba or aerobics.

And Ms Kwon sees hip-hop as much more than dance. “It’s exercise, it gives me energy, I listen to music, and it even helps prevent dementia,” she said with a laugh.

Teacher bridging generations

The class is led by Ms Yang Jin-kyung, who runs a.d.p community and started the class aimed at women of a more advanced age in 2023. She had already been teaching basic hip-hop to foreigners interested in K-pop, students in their 20s and 30s and super beginners of all ages.

Over time, she noticed something.

“There was demand from middle-aged people,” she said. “They thought hip-hop looked cool, but they wanted something simple enough to learn.”

Aerobics, she added, often looked “uncool” to them.

Ms Yang already had experience teaching beginners who felt awkward about dancing. And growing up with five aunts helped her feel comfortable around older students.

“I try not to think about their age,” she said. “Of course we show respect, but I see them simply as people who want to enjoy culture together.”

She believes many middle-aged people lack places where they can truly have fun.

“They have children, responsibilities and many things they couldn’t do when they were young,” she said. “But there aren’t many spaces where they can release those desires.”

To address that, Ms Yang occasionally organises dance parties where people from their 20s to their 60s gather — sometimes up to 200 people.

“They played like children,” she said. “Not worrying about how they looked — just enjoying themselves.”

For the participants, the class is about more than learning choreography. They say the teacher also connects them to the culture of younger generations.

“Whenever I meet her, I feel younger,” said Ms Lee Eun-mi, 53.

“Just walking around Hongdae already makes me feel good,” she added. “But when I meet the teacher, I feel even younger.”

Ms Yang often introduces them to things they have never encountered before: music, trends, even practical resources.

When a student said she wanted to study English conversation, Ms Yang recommended websites and foreign instructors popular among younger learners.

“She always suggests something new,” said Ms Lee Ji-won. “Things we had never even heard of.”

Recently, Ms Yang encouraged Ms Lee to try soul dance, another style often associated with hip urban culture. “Through dance, we are discovering entirely new worlds.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK