The Korean Dance Association, better known as KoDA, is Tufts’ very own student-run K-pop dance group. KoDA members collaborate on K-pop covers in weekly rehearsals, club bonding events, semester showcases and videos of their performances — which they post to their YouTube channel. A relatively new club that emerged right before the onset of the pandemic, KoDA has only grown in numbers and notability over the past few years.
The club is run by co-captains Tracy Lu and Mary Wilson, both graduating seniors. In interviews with the Daily, Lu and Wilson reflected on the past several years on KoDA.
Wilson joined the club as a freshman, serving as the underclassmen representative, social chair and finally, co-captain her senior year. Despite KoDA’s growth in membership, the club has remained a close-knit community due in large part to the members’ efforts to foster an inclusive environment.
“At the beginning of the first practice for every song, everyone will sit in a circle, and we’ll introduce themselves … and that does a lot to help break the ice,” Wilson said.
With a growing community, KoDA’s board members have striven to keep the club accessible and connected. The club has been a hub of connections and friendships for all members.
“I have met some of my closest friends through KoDA,” Lu wrote in an email to the Daily.
KoDA has also given something significant back to its members: a set of skills necessary for the post-graduation world. Seniors Julia Andrews and Blane Zhu also reflected on their experiences with project management, leadership and personal growth.
Andrews, who joined KoDA during her sophomore year before becoming the club’s co-graphics chair, highlighted the skills she gained as a leader in the club.
“I really got so much more confident by … needing to be assertive,” Andrews said.
As the club’s senior members, this quartet has had to learn how to resolve tensions and problems that pop up in the club. Zhu, who has also served on KoDA’s board, reflected on the process of coordinating projects.
“I learned a lot about all [the] different aspects of how to really coordinate a project and how to bounce things back between e-board members,” Zhu said.
The leadership and communication skills the four seniors have learned in KoDA have become new tools for them to add to their belts as they head into the post-graduate world. The club also values its accessibility to new dancers, as they always are encouraging people from all backgrounds and experience levels to join. Zhu reflected on his initial decision to join.
“I can’t say I’ve been super dedicated to K-pop. I’m more of a casual listener than anything, … but I feel like [KoDA] was more accessible than other dance groups.” Zhu said.
KoDA, unlike many other Tufts performance groups, is an open club, free of auditions. Their group performances require an audition and selection process, but anyone is welcome to join the club and attend social gatherings. This balance of accessibility and performance selection has allowed the members to freely join in on rehearsals and practices while also learning valuable life skills.
Several of KoDA’s graduating seniors also shared that dance will still be a part of their lives after graduation.
“I will definitely continue to have dance in my life,” Zhu said.
KoDA, which began as an offshoot of the Tufts Korean Students Association, now puts on several live performances throughout the year and uploads videos on their YouTube channel. While their semesterly showcases can be a time of stress, it is also a time of joy for the club’s members.
“There’s also the huge triumphant feeling when we’ve finished an entire [choreography] and finished the formations,” Wilson said.
For many, KoDA is a place for students to express themselves through dance or delve deeper into the art. For others, it’s a place to bond over K-pop and a shared musical interest. Regardless of why they came, KoDA has proven to be a community of love and joy for every member.
“I hope that the club can continue to foster the passion of its members,” Lu wrote.
As the current seniors move on from Tufts, they continue to hold fond memories of the close bonds they’ve created within the club.
“They all call me ‘mother.’ Tracy [and I] are the ‘mothers’ in KoDA. … I have really strong feelings of wanting to protect [the club] and cultivate everyone’s experience,” Wilson said.
It is clear that even as Wilson, Lu, Zhu and Andrews graduate, KoDA will continue to hold true to their love for their community.
“The more you get involved with it, the more it feels like a family,” Zhu said.
