Meet Madison Rhee of Los Angeles / OC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Rhee.

Hi Madison, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I haven’t been here to witness all of our story, as I joined the team about two years ago and SS was founded in 2014. I do know that it would not have been possible to get where we are today without the work of countless individuals before us who built a foundation of traditions, such as our Big/Little family trees, our long-standing audition process, the collaboration opportunities we have with other organizations on campus, and so much more. From the very beginning, SS805 set out to spread our love for K-pop music and dance through both live and recorded dance covers, which is something we’ve continued to do over the years while allowing our platform to evolve over time alongside the ever-changing social media scene.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road to get here has been a fun one! As I said, I’ve been here for a relatively short time compared to our team’s full history, but one thing I know has been an ongoing challenge is working around the busy schedules of our hardworking members. We are a college-based team, so many of us are full time students who often have jobs, internships, or other commitments that can make scheduling our rehearsals difficult. At the end of the day, though, we always find a way to make it work. The skills that come from learning to balance work and school with dance and friends are ones that our members will hopefully carry with them into their next chapters, wherever that may lead them.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We’re a K-pop dance team! We upload K-pop dance covers to our YouTube, and we perform both within our campus and in the larger local community, as well as taking on non-local opportunities to perform and compete when we have the privilege. All our dance covers are produced entirely by SS members, from planning and directing to filming, editing, and creating graphics.

I think one thing that sets us apart is this team’s incredible ability to be adaptive and deal with whatever unpredictable circumstances come our way. I’ve seen our members come together in a matter of weeks or even days to put on performances, change formations and choreography, and generally problem-solve in a way that makes me so proud to call these people my friends and teammates.

What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is making sure the team always stays a inclusive space for people of all backgrounds and experience levels in dance, as well as a place for people to build a community that will last beyond their time on the team. Whether someone is a member for one year or five, I want everyone to know they have a home with SS and that they’ll always be welcomed back if they choose to dance with us again. This is the way I found the team environment when I first joined in my freshman year, so it’s extremely important to me to make sure it stays that way, and that everyone who comes after me is given the same experience.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ss805ucsb?stkn=MWZ1b3Zrc2xudTA5bg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ss805ucsb?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ss805ucsb?si=2SaLZnnTFXk6Lo8I
• Other: https://ss805ucsb.carrd.co/

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Jeff Liang

Others:
Ariel Lee
Kaylee Ou