Drop the Beat: How to prepare for a class at 1 Million Dance Studio

A five, six, seven, eight. Are you ready for your class at 1 Million’s Dance Studio?

Before coming to Korea, I was already obsessed with 1 Million Dance Studio’s YouTube channel (check it out here). The cool swagger of the dancers and the innovative choreography hypnotised me, and I knew that attending a class was a must on my bucket list while in Korea. Can you believe it took me over a year and a half to make it to a class though? I was nervous that the lesson would be filled with professional dancers, all free-styling and picking up the dance in the blink of an eye. Therefore, I roped in a friend and we headed up to Seoul to try our hand (or foot) at a hip-hop-style lesson. And after experiencing a wonderful ninety-minute class, I’m desperate to go back. If you’re still curious about what a lesson at the studio looks like, read ahead. 

1. Types of classes
2. Booking
3. Atmosphere
4. What you’ll cover

1. Types of classes

I’ll admit, I’m not a total beginner when it comes to dance. However, my knowledge lies more in the genres of ballet and tap, and not the trendy street dance that’s so popular at the studio. Before the class, I hadn’t formally danced in over a year so I was feeling a little rusty. Therefore, me and my friend chose to sign up for a Step By 1M lesson, designed for total beginners with next to no dance experience. On reflection, I probably should have pushed myself to do the next level up – a Learner Class – as I felt like I picked up the routine a little too quickly.

Nevertheless, I still had a great time and it was fun to rediscover my dance style in a guided environment. If you’re looking to push yourself even more, you can also attend a Master or Pop-Up class, although there’s no harm in jumping into a Learner Class if you’re still trying to find your level at the studio. 

2. Booking

To book, you simply need to head to 1 Million Dance Studio’s website and make an account. The booking process was a little frustrating as the website wouldn’t accept the photo I attached at first. Leaving my WiFi and using my data instead seemed to help and eventually, I had an account all set up. I then used the Schedule section to find a Step By 1M class on my desired date and used KakaoPay to quickly pay the ₩28,000 lesson fee. I didn’t get any email confirmation that this booking had worked but I noticed that there was a QR code available to me on my page.

On the day, I used this code to enter the room. Between booking and attending the class, I spent the remaining time to agonise over how difficult the class would be and what to wear (I opted for jogging bottoms and a sporty top, and I saw many other people wearing similar outfits). I even went so far as to start learning dances on YouTube tutorials to prepare for the lesson. But before long, the day came and no amount of preparation could save me…just kidding!

3. Atmosphere

When we arrived, a team of lovely people greeted us in the reception area. They indicated that we should line up outside one of the studios ten minutes before the start of the class and that we could stow our bags in one of their free lockers. The whole building was exquisite, in a cool, industrial way. Peering into the studio, I saw the room that I’d watched on countless YouTube videos and a new bout of nerves hit me. My fear lessened when the choreographer arrived and made sure to greet us all personally while we waited in line. This friendliness immediately set the tone for the rest of the class – we were there to have fun and support each other. 

Small group dances

During the class, the teacher encouraged us to cheer for each other – clapping, whooping and calling out were all welcome. You’d think that being made to dance in smaller groups for each other (more on this below) would be a traumatic experience. However, everyone was very supportive and the choreographer knew exactly when to step in to help when we were struggling. The teacher also told us that we could record ourselves in these small group routines. With this, we would have a lasting memento of what we’d learnt.

After class

At the end of the class, we took a big group photo, making us feel like a cohesive team. And even after leaving the studio, the choreographer was very approachable. She happily took photos with us and even remembered certain details about each dancer that she’d made the effort to find out during the break in the class. I expected to walk into a 1 Million Dance Studio class and the atmosphere be similar to an audition with everyone trying to out-dance each other. It was nothing like that. The atmosphere was supportive and encouraging. I would love to go back and see if the other levels available feel the same.

4. What you’ll cover

This teacher broke the class down into three parts:

1. Warm-up

Like every good dance class, we started with some stretches. This will be a simple sequence of moves designed to get your body used to moving. We did everything from neck rolls to deep lunges. Then the choreographer moved effortlessly from this warm-up to teaching us some important moves. We’d put these steps to use later in a routine. She always explained key points fully. On the most part, I didn’t understand these explanations due to my lack of Korean language skills (read about my language struggles here). Luckily there were plenty of mirrors to watch closely and follow along, so I didn’t feel particularly disadvantaged. After covering these basics, it was time to crack on with the routine. 

Learning a routine

We started with one song. Yet, I noticed that the choreographer didn’t hesitate to change to a different song after assessing our ability. I appreciated how she modified the class for our strengths and weaknesses. These changes ensured we could have the greatest amount of fun. The teacher played us ‘Fine China’ by Chris Brown and taught four counts of eight. We learnt some moves and practised slowly without music at first. We then added the song. Once we’d mastered that, we tried to amalgamate all the parts of the choreo that we’d learnt throughout the lesson.

By the end of this learning process, we were all feeling confident dancing to the beat. Some people were even adding some style to their choreography, with a sharp head turn here and a bit of bounce there. And after seeing how well we’d picked it up, the choreographer gave us a short break to grab some water and relax (much appreciated during this ninety-minute dance stint). Before this pause was over, people were already back in the centre of the room trying to ingrain the choreo into their minds. I liked the fact that everyone seemed to help each other in these moments, naturally tagging on to someone else’s counts. We began again and it was finally time to dance in smaller groups. 

Smaller group dancing

I’d naturally assumed it was only the advanced dancers seen on the studio’s YouTube channel who did these small group dances. Jeez was I wrong? The teacher split our class of over thirty people into three groups. This seemed like a good number as it gave us more space to dance and show off. Yet, there were enough people to hide behind. Everyone gave it their absolute best. We got the opportunity to cycle through the choreo a couple of times. This meant if our first attempt wasn’t the best, there was another shot at making it a good one. This was my favourite part of the lesson! I enjoyed seeing everyone put their own spin on the dance and truly letting loose with the hip-hop style. 

Don’t worry if you have no dance experience. No sweat about showing your moves to others. The lesson is broken down logically so that it is easy to follow. You’ll end up feeling like you could be in an advert by the end.

Start stretching…

Since attending the class, me and my friend have pulled out the choreography in the street, in our apartments and, most importantly, at the club. The moves are so ingrained in our bodies at this point that we could probably do them in our sleep. That just goes to show how much we enjoyed learning the dance. I wouldn’t hesitate to attend another 1 Million Dance Studio class, and I’d bring along even more friends. I’d also be interested to see if their Daejeon facilities are as nice as their flagship studio in Seoul. If you want to pick up a new hobby, get back into a forgotten passion or improve on your current dance skills, 1 Million Dance Studio is the place to go. Don’t be intimidated by their stylish YouTube page – everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I’m now itching to go back home and give this experience a comparison to Pineapple Studios in London.