SM Entertainment Holds Auditions in Chicago: Chicago Really Knows How to "Dream High!"

The Korean Cultural Center of Chicago in Wheeling, IL

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Talents came from near and far for their shot at idol stardom. On Feb. 20, 2012, young people of all ethnicities gathered at the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago in Wheeling, IL to audition for SM Entertainment. The South Korean entertainment agency was in the city to discover the next singer, dancer, actress, model and composer who could become the next star of Asia.

Eleven o' clock AM was the original call time, but the doors didn't open until twelve thirty. I joined the sea of talent to audition as a lyricist. After registering for the event in November of 2011, the actual day seemed surreal. A registration desk contained a laptop computer and many forms to be filled out by each participant. The man and woman who greeted us at the door handed everyone a form and instructed all audtioners to be seated. Posters of SM Entertainment top stars, Super Junior, BoA, Girls' Generation, SHINee and f(x) adorned the walls of the waiting room. Chairs lined the room as EXO video teasers and idol music videos filled the air.

After a short wait, the young auditioners lined-up in groups of ten. Each person showcased the talent of their choice whether it was dancing, singing, acting or modeling. The company filmed their performances and told them the results would be emailed.

Chicago had their day in the K-pop sun and the fun has just begun.

As SM Entertainment continues their worldwide audition tour in California, Canada and Japan until March 24th, this city will be planning for the future. This summer, a second flashmob is planned and Chicago resident Sara made the following statement on behalf of the "Bring SMTown To Chicago" group:

"What we plan to accomplish in this flashmob is to let S.M. Entertainment know that Midwestern fans would love to see a SMTown concert in Chicago. Los Angeles and New York have been fortunate, through their hard work and efforts, to garner the attention of SMEntertainment and bring their current artists out for this concert. We are now coming to the forefront and letting S.M. Entertainment know that we desire to see this concert held in Chicago. We believe that people that live in the Midwest (Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, etc) were not fortunate enough to go to last year's concert and still weren't able to make SMTown New York on October 23rd, 2011.

The Hallyu wave in North America is just starting and by creating a SMTown based in Chicago, the popularity of not only S.M. Entertainment, but K-pop music itself will gain more international fans. As international fans of K-pop, the SM fans of the Midwest believe that we should not be neglected the opportunity to see them live and to have them come out to Chicago. In order to give other K-Pop fans the experience of a lifetime, our focus is to bring SM Town to Chicago by 2012. Not only are there many fans in the Midwest who love and listen to artists signed under S.M., but Chicago is a great city in general and definitely a city that has so much to offer, from our excellent taste in food to our architecturally extravagant buildings and even our aesthetically pleasing sculptures.

For our upcoming flashmob, we want to promote the name S.M. Entertainment as much as possible and hopefully garner the attention of SM Entertainment. After doing our first flashmob, we have a few new suggestions for organizing this upcoming one. There will be one person doing the tutorials for each dance. In this sense, we're hoping that everyone will be on the same page as well to have someone explain how to do each dance move. This time around, we will make it more fun for those in the group by having a picnic/hangout following the flashmob to celebrate those artists under the SM label. Also, we'll have a dancing contest, a singing contest, trivia contests and prizes for each event".

She concluded her statement by disclosing her favorite idol from SM and giving the auditioners a word of encouragement.

"Personally, it's so hard to pick a favorite from SM. SHINee has been the group to got me heavily into k-pop, but I've been listening to a lot of Super Junior, DBSK and f(x). Onew is one of my favorites in SM Entertainment. Also, I'm looking forward to EXO's debut. I really like their 'What is Love' song, but I'm personally a sucker for ballads. I didn't audition on February 20th, however, I wish those in the group, as well as, anyone in the Midwest the best of wishes! I hope that you go far and show SM all that you've got!"

By Kristy M
Chicago Correspondent