K-Pop in the Park

October 29, 2022 Jack Siegel

Rarely does Washington Square Park disappoint. More times than not, I encounter a jazz quartet playing on one of the asphalt pathways crisscrossing the park. Always top quality musicianship. Many of the players should be working regularly in the NYC’s jazz clubs, and I suspect some are.

On occasion, I have encountered an old-fashion hootenanny with seven or eight old-timers leading the crowd in raucous renditions of an early Beatles or Young Rascals song. Several years back, I even heard Peter Stampfel, co-founder of the Holy Modal Rounders and once a member of the Fugs, playing at what looked like a convention of folkies from the Sixties.

No musicians? No problem. Once there was a guy taking a bath in the large fountain. Somedays the skate kids take over the center of the park. If they haven’t, some sidewalk chalk artist may be finishing her latest creation. And then there are the jugglers, just plain weirdos, chess players, and protesters. Like Alice’s Restaurant, you can get anything you want in Washington Square Park, including dope, t-shirts, used books, jewelry, and tacos from a food truck parked adjacent to an entrance. Politicos have held rallies here, including Barack Obama back in 2007, where 20,000 joined him.

Today, on my 12-mile journey that took me to TriBecca, Soho, the Bowery, Union Square, Chelsea, and ended on Broadway for a performance of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, I did a stint in Washington Square Park, ending up seated on the pavement in front of Stanford White’s Washington Square Arch, with the Empire State Building bisecting the blue sky framed by the curve opening carved out of the Tuckahoe marble.

Standing in two lines that mimicked the Arch’s columns were some 50 to 75 kids, mostly teenage girls, many in fanciful attire in celebration of Halloween. Rep ties may be making a comeback. A couple of grandpas may be missing theirs.

Front and center was a small portable speaker, with K-Pop music in a steady rotation. I thought mix-tape, but most likely streamed. No song played for more than 45 seconds, and then another boyband replaced the former one. For 35 minutes, I watched as these kids spontaneously jumped into the space in front of the Arch, and began dancing boyband style. Sometimes just two were dancing; other times ten or 15 teens would take the stage, and then it was four. All spontaneous—I never figured out what triggered the reconstitution of the dance line.

Three or four boys joined in the fun. Everybody took turns, with no one attempting to dominate or outshine the others—a collective effort. Incredible energy.

During a short break in the action, I asked two of dancers what this was all about. Quite simple: This is a club that celebrates K-Pop by developing dance routines. Today they went public to celebrate Halloween. My lucky day. I’ll have to steam some BTS when I return home.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It]

First Up: Brush Away Breast Cancer, an Artist Creates a Participatory Event

And then the Dancers: Snap Your Fingers

Stop in the Name of Love

Hands Outstretched

Jumping In

Bend Knees

Kung Fu Style

Lean Back (or Forward)

Squat

Splay Your Fingers

Lean Back

Form a Line

Push Out

Point Downward

Lean Forward

Bend Arms

Clench Jaw

Flip Hair

Raise Arms (I)

Raise Arms (II)

Bend Your Body

Stand on One Leg

Cross Hands

Crack Yourselves Up

Halloween Decorations in Front of Townhouses on the North Side of the Park

Edward Hopper’s Home and Studio at 3 Washington Square North (1913-1967)

Edward Hopper lived and painted from 1913 until his death in 1967 at 3 Washington Square North. He chose the site because he thought Thomas Eakins had painted in the space. Hopper also liked the skylight and the available light from Washington Square Park (a southerly exposure)