[CHOA's Shortview 16] "I studied at an Influence academy in Poland~" Clooney Journey, first-gen K-Influence in the making

“There are so many breaks, so much starbego, so what stands out is the moves where you lift the woman with force and move her with force — that's why people feel like it hurts. But it's absolutely done with breath, connecting breath to breath, and that's exactly where we're going to start, with making it not hurt.”

Explaining how the bachata influencer style he learned at the Influence Academy in Poland gets misread in Korea because of powerful moves nobody here had seen — and how it actually works

“Melvin said it over and over. He really wants us to tell people in Korea that influencer isn't about hurting — it's done with breath.”

Passing along what his teacher Melvin Katecha asked of him about how to teach it in Korea

“The next day Katecha said to us, 'I'm a little disappointed in you guys. I wanted you to trade emotions with each other and figure out how to express this music, but all you keep saying is let's do this pattern, let's do that one. This isn't practice. Please, starting today, I want you to take the lead and show me two people trading emotions and having a conversation through dance.'”

What Melvin Katecha told the students when their four-hour daily practice time turned into nothing but pattern drilling

“When I dance, the moments where I feel like I really danced well with someone are the moments where we didn't say a word but our eyes were doing all the talking. That's exactly what bachata influencer was after.”

Explaining what good dancing is, and how connecting with your partner is the heart of influencer style

“When people hear bachata influencer they think it has to be no basics, all flashy moves — and that's just so wrong. You do the same bachata patterns, you just chase a little more of your own style.”

Correcting a common misconception about the bachata influencer style Melvin Katecha emphasized

“Out of the 25 hours of class we took, you know what the first hour was? Breathing. We started with breathing with your partner.”

Introducing how the Influence Academy curriculum in Poland opened with breath and connection work