Is that your kei or my K? Bodily performance of fandom in visual kei and K-pop dance parties in Santiago, Chile

Visual kei, a Japanese rock subgenre, and K-pop have been the two most visible East Asian music fandoms in Chile since the 2000s and a critical element of the expansion of East Asian popular culture in the country. This article examines how fans of both genres have come to perform their fandom through bodily strategies within the setting of visual kei and K-pop dance parties held in Santiago, Chile. We understand identity as a performance and the dance floor as a prime site to display fandom adherence and build identities via in-person interactions. Through literature review and direct observation conducted over twelve months, this article establishes that Chilean visual kei fans perform fandom through sartorial choices. However, K-pop fans perform their fandom through imitation and repetition of dance moves. We argue that the differences in fandom strategies arise from the availability of identification models within Chilean society and the expectations set by visual kei and K-pop as genres.