World's Largest KCON Featured Dancer From Prince George's County

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Bowie native Drew Allen recently performed a dance piece featuring K-pop music at KCON LA, the world’s largest fan celebration of Korean culture and music. Allen was one of 13 dance students with the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

The performance was the culmination of a new KCON Performance Repertory dance course from Boston Conservatory, which was designed to expose students to the art of K-pop dance and promote K-culture within the United States. In addition to exploring foundational K-pop dance styles and their cultural influences, students developed a performance piece with guest choreographer Jennifer Archibald that debuted in April 2022. Archibald’s piece is titled KCON and features an eclectic mix of K-pop and contemporary dance. The performance showcased eight K-pop songs from the some of the world’s most iconic groups and performers.

The performance marked the first time Boston Conservatory at Berklee was represented at a major K-culture industry event.

Allen began dancing at the age of 5 with Dance Expressions in Upper Marlboro. She told Patch that she'd always dreamed of "being on a big stage performing in front of thousands."

"Being able to attend such a prestigious school such as Boston Conservatory at Berklee, I have been able to get the intense training to get me to the big stage. I am beyond grateful to be able to have gotten this opportunity, work with Jennifer Archibald in this process, to be able to learn more about the K-pop community and industry, and to be able to represent a school of amazing artists," Allen said.