What does it take to be a K-pop superstar?
Aspiring performers in the UAE will soon have the chance to find out, as the Korean Cultural Centre in the UAE teams up with the Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts (Dima) for a three-day workshop in Abu Dhabi later this month.
Running from August 20 to 22 at Dee Studio on Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad street, the K-pop Academy X Dima Dream School is part of the KCC’s wider K-pop Academy initiative. It also marks Dima’s first official visit to the capital. Known for training some of the biggest names in K-pop, including Zerobaseone’s Sung Han-bin, Hoshi of Seventeen and former IZ*ONE member Kwon Eun-bi, Dima will bring in both professors and student artists to lead the sessions.
The programme is designed to give participants of all ages a hands-on introduction to the K-pop industry, with focused sessions in dance, vocals and even video production. Each day is dedicated to a different group: youth (ages 10-18) on August 20, adults (over 18) on August 21, and children (ages 7-10) on August 22 (see full programme below).
Popular tracks from the Netflix animated series KPop Demon Hunters – including Takedown and Golden by Huntr/X and Soda Pop by Saja Boys – are part of the curriculum, along with fan-favourites such as I Need You by BTS, Blackpink’s Jump and Super Shy by NewJeans, selected based on a survey by the centre.
Beyond the music and the moves, the workshop also aims to lay the groundwork for a longer-term cultural and educational collaboration between Dima and UAE-based institutions.
“This, the first-ever professional K-pop education programme in Abu Dhabi, is a valuable opportunity for participants to learn directly from South Korea’s top instructors and experience the energy of K-pop,” said Lee Yong-hee, cultural attache of the South Korean Embassy.
Yu Mi-ran, Dima’s dean of international and admissions affairs and a professor in the department of K-pop, added: “We view Abu Dhabi as a key hub for expanding K-culture in new and creative directions. With our hands-on curriculum and experience in training global K-pop professionals, we hope to inspire and connect cultures through education.”
The workshop is free but requires prior registration.
Full programme
Wednesday, August 20 (Youth)
Dance: 1pm-3pm – Huntr/X and BTS
Vocal: 3pm-4.30pm – Huntr/X and BTS
Thursday, August 21 (Adults)
Dance: 1pm-3pm – Blackpink
Vocal: 3pm-4.30pm – BTS
Friday, August 22 (Children)
Dance: 1pm-3pm: Saja Boys and NewJeans
3pm-4.30pm: Video production
For more, visit korean-culture.org
