An electrifying atmosphere took over the stage as all 17 members of KATALYST took part in their opening number, “Bouncy (K-Hot Chili Peppers)” by boy group ATEEZ. Even for those who weren’t devoted K-pop fans, KATALYST K-Pop was able to capture the audience’s attention with their lively production and eye-catching performances.

On April 12, KATALYST K-Pop set out their showcase, “OUR WORLD EP. 2: BANDIT,” in Emerson Suites, featuring 19 vibrant dance numbers. Joined by IC’s Tap Club, Pulse Hip-Hop, Ground Up Crew and Cornell’s Azero, there were 23 performances for the audience to enjoy. Just like any other K-pop concert, the crowd was given blue light sticks to express their excitement. Interactive mini-games from the MC’s and free Korean snacks were provided to highlight the experience.

KATALYST K-Pop was founded in Fall 2018 as the first and only K-pop performance group at Ithaca College. They learn, practice and teach challenging choreography from their favorite artists. The group also holds workshops for anyone interested in learning the intense, energetic choreography. 

The atmosphere of a K-pop performance is like no other, especially with a mixture of different K-pop groups in one showcase. With songs and choreography from famous groups like LE SSERAFIM, BTS, TWICE and TXT, there was a wide range of styles within the genre for people to enjoy that each brought their own message to the stage. Their set list order was well crafted, from some hip-hop pieces joined with more lyrical numbers, it flowed throughout the show. 

President and senior Cal Pavelle said they have been a part of KATALYST since Fall 2019. This is their first showcase with KATALYST because of COVID-19, taking a gap year and studying abroad; they were finally able to end their time in KATALYST with a bang. It can be difficult to construct a showcase, but the end result showed their teamwork and collaboration paid off.

“The planning was asking a lot of the other members who have done it before, advice on what they did last year,” Pavelle said. “Overall, the process has gone pretty well. It’s not gonna be without stress, that’s impossible. I think, overall, we handled it very nicely as a team and I’m really proud of how far we’ve come.”

As for the theme last year of “OUR_WORLD” by boy group SEVENTEEN, for this year’s showcase, KATALYST brought the same title back, but to a whole new level. Pavelle said that while they may share the same name, this year brought an entirely new aesthetic.

“We wanted to have the theme be centered around the group number; last year our theme was kind of more cutesy and fun,” Pavelle said. “We kind of wanted to switch it up. Since a lot of people in the group really like ATEEZ, it would be a really fun, hype opening number for our theme.”

It takes another level of dedication to perform these intense K-pop choreographies, especially back to back during the showcase. First-year student Salem Szalay said the commitment is rooted in the team’s group effort.

“A lot of K-pop in particular functions in the group being able to trust each other,” Szalay says. “It takes that level of trust and community to keep the team going and I think that has been my favorite part of the experience.” 

KATALYST is heavily supported by their alumni, five of whom came back to join their showcase and even helped with planning. They were also given the opportunity to teach and perform their own number, and this year’s was “Perfect Night” by LE SSERAFIM. 

Alumni and former e-board member, Gaby Shapiro ‘23, said that with her knowledge from past experiences with the group, she was able to guide the current e-board.

“With my time on the e-board, it was the first one with a proper budget, so we had the opportunity to go out all with that,” Shapiro said. “This year, that was utilized a lot more based on what we learned, what to do and what not to do.”

Shapiro was not only working toward planning, but advocating for expressing interests and crushing the K-pop stigma. 

“When you’re in a certain fandom space, whether you’re crazy about it or not, people still judge you for it,” Shapiro said. “It meant a lot to me to be surrounded by people who share the same taste and they’re all just genuinely really great people, they are kind of like a family to me.”

First-year student Gabby Patino said she came to the show because her friend was a K-pop fanatic and was unsure of what the show had in store for her. 

“As someone who doesn’t really know anything about K-pop outside of the mainstream, I thought it was really cool seeing the intricacy of the dances and how dedicated all the members were,” Patino said. “I could tell they were all really passionate about it and it’s cool that there’s a group on campus where they can bond over their shared interest.”

Sophomore Elizabeth David said she joined KATALYST her first year after she developed an interest for K-pop in high school, which drove her to audition for KATALYST. 

“At first it was a way to continue to dance in college, but I’ve come to love this community; they are so much fun to be around. There is no one else I’d rather gush to K-pop about – I love them,” David said.