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Read the full interview about our K-pop project in De Stentor magazine
Julia Vrublevskaia (35) jumps energetically around her studio in Apeldoorn, where she teaches K-pop dance classes. The entire Veluwe seems to be dancing along: her YouTube videos have already been viewed 25,000 times.
At eight years old, Julia was already in the dance studio in Russia, where she was born. Surrounded by mirrors and with her hands on the wooden bar, she spent hours perfecting her extended posture, various foot positions, and pirouettes on her pointe shoes.
But that's all in the past now. For the past month, she's been teaching K-pop dance classes at Gigant. Energetic classes full of rhythmic bounces , emotion, and room for improvisation.
K-pop is Korean pop music but doesn't have a specific dance style, she says. "It's a combination of hip-hop, jazz-funk, modern dance, and street dance . But clothing and expression are also important."
She herself is wearing a flowing kimono:
Photo by: Maarten Sprangh
A year ago, she took private lessons to transition from ballet to other dance styles. "It's completely different, not like having a metal rod in your body anymore."
The dance hall where she now teaches resembles the one she once taught in; a black floor, wooden bar and mirrors.
"But I approach teaching completely differently. Sure, there are some rules, and it's important to be disciplined and train your body. But I also want to have fun. It has to be a fun way to express yourself." Her classes are therefore called Dance Your Way .
Korean Wave
In the first month, dozens of registrations poured in for the new dance class, and many interested people took a trial lesson. Her YouTube videos have been viewed over 25,000 times.
According to Vrublevskaia, this is not surprising.
In recent years, global interest in South Korean culture has grown enormously. There's even a name for it: the Korean Wave . This cultural wave is now clearly visible in its growing popularity, including in the Netherlands.
She spends a month each year in Korea and Japan. Here's a photo from her last trip to Japan:
She can't get enough of it. "I missed a community of people with similar interests in Apeldoorn. That's why I'm now working on setting up a Japanese-Korean club at Gigant, where we can discuss books, series, and music together."
Article written by: Vera de Vries
November 20, 2025