At 10 a.m. on the 11th at a dance academy in Gangnam District, Seoul. As upbeat music flowed, the sound of sneakers brushing the practice room floor kept time with the rhythm. When the instructor called out, "One, two, three, four," six women in their 50s repeated the Charleston step, a basic move of shuffle dance.
The class that day reviewed the "running man step" learned in the previous session, then proceeded by smoothly linking the Charleston and T-step. Their feet sometimes tangled on the unfamiliar moves, but when the music started again, the students moved right away.
The instructor checked each student's posture one by one, praising what went well and pointing out what to correct. After repeating the moves a few times, the students wiped the sweat from their foreheads, caught their breath, and returned to their spots. Even as they alternated between resting and practicing, laughter never left the practice room.
◇"Stepping even while doing the dishes"… shuffle dance becomes a new hobby for middle-aged and older adults
The academy offers a range of classes from beginner shuffle dance to elementary and intermediate levels, and even instructor training. Most students are in their 50s.
Kang Ji-yun, 52, who said she switched from learning ballet to shuffle dance, said, "The biggest advantage is that you can practice easily in daily life," adding, "I naturally find myself stepping even while doing the dishes in the kitchen. It's good exercise and it's fun."
Another shuffle dance student in her 50s, identified as A, said, "If I play music on YouTube and dance to the rhythm, my stress melts away," adding, "As word spread that it's fun, two friends I used to play golf with also started learning."
Recently, shuffle dance has gained popularity as a new hobby and as everyday sport, especially among people in their 50s and 60s. Shuffle dance is a street dance that connects various steps that drag or slide the feet to fast music.
In Korea, it became known to the public in the early 2010s through choreography by idol groups such as T-ara. Interest waned for a while, but it has recently become popular again among middle-aged and older adults through YouTube and short-form content.
The secret to its popularity is its workout benefits and accessibility. Keeping the feet and legs moving to a fast beat provides an aerobic workout, and it's easy to practice at home without special equipment or a large space. On social media, videos of people in their 50s and 60s enjoying shuffle dance are being posted one after another, drawing in new students.
◇"Applicants tripled from a year ago"… the shuffle certification market is also expanding
Rising interest is also extending to instructor certification programs for shuffle dance. According to the Private Qualification Information Service, there are currently 32 registered private certifications related to shuffle dance. Of these, 26 have been newly registered since last year.
Applicants for the instructor course run by the Korea Shuffle Dance Association, founded in 2023, have increased to about three times the number a year ago. Last year, 147 people obtained shuffle dance instructor and senior instructor certifications from the association.
Jung Eun-hee, head of the Korea Shuffle Dance Association, said, "Shuffle dance, which became known in Korea in the early 2010s, began drawing attention again around 2018 through short-form content," adding, "Since the second half of last year, inquiries about dance academy classes and instructor courses have noticeably increased."
She added, "Recently, some people have even come up from the provinces, including Jeju Island, to Seoul to learn," and noted, "Not a few middle-aged and older adults start for hobby and exercise, then, as their skills improve, go on to prepare for instructor certifications."
Jung held a large flash mob event late last year with the participation of about 500 shuffle dance club members nationwide. She is also preparing an event at the end of this year with 400 to 500 shufflers nationwide.