'Dancing Conductor' Baek Yoon-hak brings passion, playfulness to classical music

Set to "Overture" from Jacques Offenbach’s opera “Orpheus in the Underworld,” a conductor turns from the podium to signal the audience to quiet down. Facing the orchestra again, he hops lightly with arms spread wide, his legs moving as if waltzing to the rhythm, in a YouTube video that went viral. As the piece builds toward its finale, the pounding drums grow louder and his movements more intense. His arms shake vigorously, almost as if he were a shaman attempting to connect with the spirit world. The Korean conductor is Baek Yoon-hak of the Seoul Festa Philharmonic Orchestra. Many of his videos have went went viral, with one short-form surpassing 10 million views. The unexpected fame turned him into a social media sensation, earning him an invitation to the popular talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” hosted by Yoo Jae-suk. Many viewers were drawn to his unconventional conducting style, dubbing him the “dancing conductor.” Comments also praised the way he brought visual excitement to classical music. But is he really dancing? It is one of the questions Baek hears most often.