AC Bonifacio on Her First KCON Experience
Everyone remembers the bubbling excitement of attending their first ever KCON. The world’s biggest K-Pop event attracts thousands of K-Pop fans every year—from seasoned veterans to eager rookies. AC Bonifacio fits into the latter category, but there’s nothing rookie about the career she’s built for herself.
From afar, Andree AC Bonifacio seems like any other 16-year-old: on her phone, keeping to herself. But her fiery energy is sparked when I approached her, and it becomes clear she possesses a cool confidence both on and off camera. The Filipina-Canadian dancer has amassed millions of views on her YouTube channel, particularly for her dance covers. Her dance background is concentrated in hip-hop and she frequently collaborates with huge dancers including Matt Stefanina, Bailey Sok, and fellow K-Pop dancer Susie Meoww. She’s even performed on The Ellen Degeneres Show and has performed on-stage with Ariana Grande. Most recently she was appointed as a member of Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards Social Squad, thanks to her ever-growing career (ABS-CBN). Not only are her precise moves attractive to her large following, but she also embodies a relatable charm that connects her to her audience.
Although she spends most of her time flying in and out of the Philippines, she squeezed in some time to hold a meet-and-greet and perform on the KCON stage in Los Angeles. For KCON-ers who’ve just discovered the dancer, she’s covered a number of K-Pop artists on her channel: BTS, BLACKPINK, ITZY, EXO—you name it. After checking those out, it’s a given to watch her equally good hip-hop dances as well. She’s even launched her singing career with two singles that clearly showcase K-Pop’s influence on her style, from the dance breakdown in the bridge of “Sumayaw, Sumaya” to the bright color palette of her latest “Slide Into My DM.” AC solidifies her “triple threat” status with her acting skills, having dipped her toes into the Filipino entertainment industry.
After sharing the stage with Susie Meoww, Nicole Laeno, and Jing Huang for a high-energy cover of BLACKPINK’s “Kill This Love,” AC chatted with us about her career and aspirations and unleashed her K-Pop fangirl.
Q: We know that you’re a very popular dancer. When did you start dancing and why?
A: I started dancing when I was three because my mom put me in a bunch of hobbies. So I was doing dance, I was doing singing, I was doing piano, guitar, sports—I was doing all of it! My mom was really smart. She put me in all of it, and then I fell in love with dancing, so that’s where we kept continuing.
Q: And particularly hip-hop dance, right?
A: Yes, hip-hop dancing!
Q: Are there any other dance styles or eras or choreographers that influenced you?
A: Well, styles—I actually started off doing Filipino cultural dances. I did tinikling and cariñosa. And then I moved on to hip-hop in 2010-ish when I was nine. That’s when I really fell in love with hip-hop and I started doing stuff to like Biggie and Tupac, the really OG hip-hop people. I don’t know, I just fell in love with it. Choreographers? A lot of choreographers have influenced me. It’s not just people who are older than me; there are people my age, like dancers, here in L.A.: Julian DeGuzman, Bailey Sok, Nicole [Laeno]. They’re amazing and they inspire me so much to do better.
Q: What are your other interests besides dancing?
A: In the Philippines I sing and act, too, and I also host. I’m doing all of that, but at the same time, I love playing piano and guitar. My mom put me in it, so I kinda fell in love with all of it! I still keep up with all of them. I’m not really a professional like [with] dancing, but I can play somewhat. And of course sports, because my brother is a soccer player, so I like to do sports with my family.
Q: I know you’ve recently released your own music. Can you tell us about that?
A: I recently started really singing and recording and releasing my own stuff. My first song was called “Sumayaw, Sumaya,” which was [released] last year. The translation is just “Dance, Happy”! It was a really fun song to do. It wasn’t too serious or anything; we just did it and it was something fun. And then this recent one is called “Slide Into My DM.” It was written by one of my very, very close friends in Canada. It’s about our generation nowadays where people just slide into their DMs instead of actually talking!
Q: You’re a big fan of K-Pop. What artists have you been listening to lately and what songs have been on repeat?
A: Okay, me and my K-Pop brain! My two groups are obviously BTS and BLACKPINK. I love those [groups]. I’ve been listening to ITZY a lot recently. “Dalla Dalla,” I really love that one. But then, I’m going back to 2NE1 and BIGBANG also, especially Taeyang. I’ve been listening to “Eyes, Nose, Lips,” which makes me cry all the time. So that’s on repeat right now. Also, “Born Singer” by BTS. Really, really old but it makes me cry all the time.
Q: If you could collaborate or dance with any K-Pop artist, who would it be and why?
A: Oh, Lisa! Lalisa Manoban! I love her!
Q: I know your “Kill This Love” cover went viral! Do you know if they saw it?
A: Oh, no. I don’t expect them to see it! But I love them so, so much. I went to their concert in the Philippines.
Q: How was that?
A: It was really fun! Jennie went really, really close to us. If I’d want to collaborate with anyone, it’d be Lisa just because she dances [too]. And her rapping, ugh!
Q: What are your thoughts about KCON? What is it like to be attending a convention dedicated to Korean culture? This is your first time, right?
A: Yeah, this is my first KCON, which is absolutely crazy! I actually didn’t know we had something like this because I’m from the Philippines. But it’s really cool having people who understand you, because in the Philippines I’ll be like, “Oh, BTS! BLACKPINK!” and they’re like, “Who?” Like, come on! [There are] people who understand you, and in detail too! It’s not just the group, but they really know the background of the group members and everything, which is really cool. We all just relate. It’s like a big K-Pop family here.
Q: And you just performed, right? How was that?
A: Yes, I did with Wengie! We backup danced for Wengie. It was really fun! It’s the first time I got to dance with Wengie, and I was also dancing with Nicole, Suzie [Meoww], and Jing [Huang], and they are also my friends, so it was fun!
Q: Were you nervous at all?
A: We were okay, and then we saw that there were a lot of people outside and we were like, “Shoot!” and then we started practicing because we got scared. But we pushed through so it was really fun.
Q: What are some tips that you would give to an aspiring dancer or performer who would want to pursue dancing as a career?
A: Well, I say this all the time in literally every single interview and every single dance class, but the quote, “Don’t give up,” is a huge, HUGE motto in [my] life. People say it a lot of times; when I was a kid, people would say it to me all the time and I’m like, “Ah, everyone just says that. You can’t think of a quote, that’s why.” That’s what I always thought, and then I went through the phase where I had to literally tell myself, “Don’t give up, AC. You worked so hard for this.” Once you’re in that moment, you really realize that’s the biggest thing in life because it works with every single situation. So, yeah, don’t give up! This is not just for dance, but in life in general. Just keep going.
Q: Do you feel you achieved success and how does it feel to be so young doing what you do?
A: I feel like I’m reaching, I’m close to where I want to be. I’m not exactly where I want to be, of course. I have this bigger goal that’s always gonna be there. But I’m slowly getting there. I know everything is going to take time, so I’m just waiting. I have the patience to go through each step, so I’m just going through that. Being really young also helps because I have a lot of time to keep doing what I want to do. I’m 16, I’m still discovering what I want in life. I’m still going through school. At the moment, I’m in love with just performing and inspiring other people, so that’s what I’m going to keep doing.
[The Kraze: I like your optimism!]
A: Thank you!
Q: Lastly, what are some plans that your fans can expect from you in the future?
A: At the moment I’ve been travelling like crazy, so I don’t know, either! My body can’t keep up either. Yeah, I’ve been around the world but I go back to the Philippines all the time. I always do ASAP. I always do my normal, regular shows, and of course, my dance videos. My YouTube videos are always on there, Andree Bonifacio.
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