Rise of Tecktonik > 영어토론방

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A Korean culture scene is known for its rapid changes in style and trend, not to mention the impact it brings to society as a whole. While some simply come and go, others expand to others aspects such as fashion, entertainment and commercials.

Despite other events including the Olympics, the summer of 2008 has been soaked with "Tecktonik", a groovy dance form that has swept European dance clubs for the past couple of years.

"Tecktonik is a dance, not a fashion or music style. It has been popular in Europe and finally hit Korea last year," singer and DJ Koo (Jun-yup) told The Korea Times. The former member of now disbanded duo Clon, Koo has been spreading Tecktonik here for the past year, with DJ mixes, songs and dance moves.

Although the term Tecktonik is frequently used, few may know that it is actually a trademarked brand registered by Cyril Blanc, the artistic director of the popular club Metropolis in France, and his business partner Alexandre Barouzdin. It is the first dance to be protected by copyright registration.

Thanks to popular Web sites such as YouTube, which currently carries more than 48,000 videos related to Tecktonik, its popularity quickly expanded worldwide.

From there, the 38-year-old DJ started to master the dance, and it didn't take long for him to realize that this was going to be big.

``The important thing about Tecktonik is that it can be improvised. Learn the basic steps and you can change and develop it any way you would like. Other dances require continuous practice and memorizing, but Tecktonik is different. It's like starting an engine: after the basic steps are done, you can go anywhere with it,'' said Koo.

Future of Tecktonik

Unlike many trends that easily fade out after several months, Tecktonik is still enjoying popularity among young fans. Why is Tecktonik different from others?

"One important contributor, of course, was the Internet, with numerous UCCs (User Created Content) and videos,"
 Park Ki-soo, a digital culture and contents professor of Hanyang University told The Korea Times.

``For a trend to become popular these days, there are two important factors. It must be easy to encounter and participate in, and people should have the chance to create their own versions, giving them the space to express themselves. Tecktonik, in this case, includes both. People can easily participate by simply watching video clips on the Internet, and they can also create new moves without the help of a professional dancer,'' the professor added.

Meanwhile, DJ Koo said he himself had a long way to go.

``I want to share Tecktonik with everybody so I started to upload videos of me dancing it on my Web page. The Internet was a door that introduced me to Tecktonik and now I'm sharing my moves with fans. I'm also planning to visit France and share ideas with the locals there,'' Koo said.

The singer also added that he wanted to hold a Tecktonik championship like France, where Tecktonik fans already hold parades and dance competitions.

The rise of Tecktonik is ongoing, and with the possibility to build new styles on the grounds of a rather sturdy dance, fans say there are no limits.

"I've been studying dance all my life and I think Tecktonik is really well made. You don't have to be a professional dancer, and it's important for a dance to enable people to actually enjoy it with no boundaries. That's what makes Tecktonik so special," Koo said.

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

Question
1. After reading article, please choose one question and answer.
   (What makes tecktonik popular around the world? / Is tecktonik protected by copyright registration? )
2. Have you ever danced (or seen) Tecktonik? What did you feel after dancing (or seeing) it?
3. What do you think of the difference between Tecktonik and other dances?
4. How does Tecktonik have an effect on our culture?
   (especially, Fashion or music)
 
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