UMA PEOPLE: MINSEO Baek

UMA People is a series of profiles of UMA 'regulars,' though there's nothing regular about them! In UMA People shares stories about how people in our community found dance, found UMA, and what it all means to them. 

We recently caught up with UMA student Minseo Baek who, due to the pandemic, is temporarily based back in Korea. Minseo was glad that our classes were streaming, but the time difference made it impossible for her to take class live. Instead, with her membership, she is accessing our online library of class recordings, so she can keep up with her dancing while the other side of the globe. Minseo has been taking classes at UMA regularly since March of 2018, and we miss her -- much as we miss so many UMA people we can't see in person -- so we took a moment to catch up and hear her UMA story 
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How did you first come to UMA?
​I was felt like I was stuck at that time and I needed some change. Then I ran into Haruki Murakami’s book called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. It sounded appealing but I wanted something more fun (no offense to runners.) So I googled various places and UMA seemed like a real thing. It still took some time to finally make up my mind, but I dropped by one day (it was a Friday breaking dance class) and it was so strange and fun! That’s how I first came to UMA.

What keeps you coming?
Definitely the people, the classes, and the vibe. I’m quite shy when it comes to dancing, so the hurdle was higher for me, but there was something that kept me coming - until I had a back pain (for reasons other than dancing) and had to take time off. 

How are things for you back in Korea right now? 
Things are good, though people are taking extra caution these days due to a recent surge in Covid-19 cases. 

Want to take dance class on your own time? Any time? Sign up for a membership! A membership gives you access our streaming classes, our in person classes, and our library of recorded classes! We have so many styles to choose from: Locking, House, Breaking, Hip Hop, Waacking, Salsa, and more. Or, if you're new to dance, we have great beginner classes like Hip Hop 4 Two Left Feet. As the pandemic continues, and you live near Philly, you can still dance online, at home, or outdoors in a fun, safe, party atmosphere.