Hundreds of young K-pop fans gather for dance event in Kuopio

A spontaneous K-pop dance event organised by two local teenagers has grown into a major gathering in Kuopio, eastern Finland, attracting 300 young fans of South Korean music and dance, reports Yle.

On a Tuesday evening, hundreds of young people filled Kuopio City Theatre to participate in a Random Play Dance (RPD) event, where participants identify songs and perform the corresponding choreography. The atmosphere was electric as fans danced to tracks like Hearts2Hearts’ “Rude!”—singing along to lyrics they had memorised.

The event was the brainchild of two local RPD dancers, 15-year-old Neela Salminen and 12-year-old Veera Haarus, who wanted to bring the phenomenon to their hometown. “Helsinki has lots of these events, but we thought it would be great to have one closer to home,” Salminen said. “Fans could come from northern Finland, like Oulu, without such a long trip.”

### A supportive community for young dancers
For Haarus, RPD events offer a welcoming space where fans encourage each other without fear of judgment. “It’s great to be around people who love the same music and culture. You don’t have to worry about making mistakes or being bullied,” she said. She has also made new friends through K-pop and joined the nine-member dance group CY8PER, which performed at the event.

Haarus learns choreography by watching videos, often practising with her older sister or alone. “You can memorise a dance in half an hour, or sometimes it takes days,” she explained.

Neela Salminen, who dances with the group Polarose, described how her team selects songs together, matching their nine members to the choreography of K-pop groups of the same size. The group is coached by 25-year-old Eveliina Leppäharju, a long-time K-pop fan who curated the event’s playlist.

### A carefully crafted playlist for all fans
Leppäharju gathered song requests via Instagram, receiving 300 suggestions. She aimed for variety, including both popular and lesser-known tracks. “I tried to include something for everyone—new, old, trending, and rare songs,” she said. Highlights like Illit’s “Not Cute Anymore” and Le Sserafim’s “Spaghetti” got nearly all attendees dancing.

Leppäharju, who has followed K-pop for a decade, was drawn to its infectious choreography. “The dances were so catchy, I’d find myself doing them at home without thinking,” she recalled.

The event’s success surprised even the organisers’ parents, Jatta Salminen and Katja Haarus, who supported their daughters’ initiative. “The most important thing is that this all came from their own passion,” Haarus said.