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Tecktonik: New Cultural Phenomenon

What is "tecktonik"?

The word "tecktonik" is a combination of the words "techno" and "electronic". It refers to a music and dance genre featuring unique hand moves. Tecktonik blends the elements of electronic music, a powerful repetitive beat and disco music. The unique dance moves are the main draw of this genre. The dance is performed by repeating hand movements to a simple rhythm. The hands and feet usually move separately, making the dance look comical at first glance. Tecktonik originated from a nightclub in Paris in 2000, and has gained worldwide popularity since last year. User-created videos on YouTube showing tecktonik moves have been topping the Internet news recently.

Tecktonik fashion

The popularity of tecktonik has soared to the extent that the word now refers not only to a music genre but also to a fashion style and even a young cultural trend. Tecktonik fashion is represented by colorful T-shirts, tight skinny jeans and high-top shoes. The point of the tecktonik style is in slim lines and extravagance. It emphasizes freedom of movement because the tecktonik dance is performed by moving the arms and legs freely. Extravagant accessories like big bangle bracelets, necklaces and wrist bands are also essential tecktonik items, because they underscore the ostentatious tecktonik dance moves.

Tecktonik makeup

Tecktonik makeup is indispensable in tecktonik fashion. One-point color makeup, which draws the attention to a particular part of the face, is the key point. Too much color should be avoided because tecktonik apparel comes in bright primary colors. Tecktonik makeup emphasizes the eyes to add charm to the tecktonik dance. Many young people apply tecktonik makeup not only for clubbing but also for outdoor parties. The eyes are emphasized by carefully drawing the inside of eyelashes using an eyeliner and making the outer corners of the eyes look longer using eye shadow and an eye pencil. When it comes to tecktonik hairstyle, "exaggerated" hair fixed with a hair spray, mousse or gel helps draw attention to the upper body.

The fashion and beauty industries have recently launched "tecktonik marketing" to lure young customers. One sports brand has been organizing tecktonik parties in famous night clubs in Seoul. At the parties, dancers perform the enrapturing tecktonik dance wearing tecktonik-style shoes to publicize tecktonik-style products. Cosmetics firms, for their part, have been producing video clips featuring the elements of the tecktonik dance to promote their products. Internet portals are abuzz these days with tecktonik-related commercials showing celebrities. A person from the fashion industry says a dance is an ideal means to reach out to young consumers, because they express themselves and their areas of interest through dance.

Tecktonik fervor

Tecktonik has emerged as a popular genre not only on TV shows but also in clubs. Young people say they like tecktonik because it is easy to learn and has a unique charm. Singer Ku Jun-yeop, who was among the first to promote tecktonik in Korea, attributes the popularity of tecktonik to its sophisticated and free moves. Ku says that the dance has struck the chord with many popular stars, who are very sensitive to the latest cultural trends.

The popularity of user-created videos showing tecktonik has soared. Internet users keep posting videos showing themselves performing the dance in places like shopping malls, subway stations and college auditoriums. The so-called "subway tecktonik parody" has become the latest rage among Internet users. If someone posts a video showing himself or herself doing the tecktonik dance on the subway, it is soon followed by videos showing groups of people doing the same.

Many popular songs and movies have quickly been remade into the tecktonik style. A video combining the song "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", the theme song of the latest hit movie "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", with music from Papico commercials has gained enormous popularity on the Internet. Tecktonik-style parodies have flooded the World Wide Web recently because electronic music is easy to create using a computer and can easily be blended with other videos.

To enjoy tecktonik to the fullest, it is important to learn the tecktonik dance first. Diverse videos teaching the dance are available on the Internet. Users can use any video they want to learn the dance easily because there are no restrictions on the dance's moves.

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