Korean performers bring ‘b-boying’ to Jordanian audience

AMMAN — The Korean embassy on Tuesday held its third K-Pop festival in Amman, featuring b-boy dancing from the award-winning JinJo Crew. 

The festival, held at Al Hussein Cultural Centre, aims to engage Jordanians in Korean culture with a pop music fiesta and dance shows.  

B-boying, a street dance style that combines break-dancing and beat-boxing, was created by Puerto Rican and African American teenagers, and first introduced to South Korea by American soldiers in the 1980s.

The JinJo Crew, who won the Battle of the Year in Korea in 2010, features around 20 dancers and beat-boxers. 

Founded in 2001, the band started out as a group of dancers who were passionate about dancing and beat-boxing, band member Jikwang Jang (B-boy Vero) said. 

“B-boying used to be among the most popular dances in the world. Nowadays, it lost its wide popularity… We aim to place the b-boy on the international dance map; this is the most challenging responsibility,” he told The Jordan Times.

Korea considers b-boying one of the vital elements of Korean culture, the performer said, adding that b-boy as a dance genre started before hip-hop and rap music.

The band member said the main aim of performing in Jordan is to “promote cultural relations between both countries” and “encourage youths to show their talents”, as well as showing Jordanians parts of Korean culture. 

“The most important ingredient to succeeding in b-boy is maintaining a positive attitude. You have to be passionate about it. Generally, when you love what you do, you will excel in it. 

“I believe the dancer should put his heart into his work, so the audience would be influenced by his passion, and if the dancer knows people who are more skilled, he should always learn.”

South Korean Ambassador to Jordan Lee Bom-yon said the event is one of a series of cultural events representing Korea in Jordan.

“I believe that the series of cultural events will enhance cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the people of Jordan and Korea,” he added.

Abeer Ramahi, who is studying the Korean language, said she finds Korean culture, dance performances and traditions interesting and different.

“I watched the b-boy dance performance for the first time on TV, and then I knew about the K-Pop festival here in Amman and started attending it every year,” Ramahi said.

“It’s impressive to see people in your country learning and speaking Korean fluently; many people who attend such events speak the language confidently,” she told The Jordan Times.

Korean culture is becoming more popular in Jordan, especially after the K-Pop festival started in Amman, Ramahi said, adding that it had encouraged more Jordanians to learn Korean at universities.

Myoung Soo-ha, a Korean living in Jordan, said the event is an opportunity for Jordanians to be introduced to Korean culture. 

“It’s a show where Koreans and Jordanians can spend time together to get to know each other more,” he told The Jordan Times.

The expatriate said the element that attracts audiences to similar dance shows is the performers’ enthusiasm and passion.