Choreography

K-Pop Dance: Korea’s Dancing Sensations

by

KPop dance and music are so intimately linked. Together they have skyrocketed over recent years as kpop groups have become a global sensation.

When most people think of KPop (Korean Pop), they’ll associate catchy tunes, energetic dance and intricate choreography, often with perfectly synchronised moves.

In this article we’ll look at the rise of this dance style, how to get started.

So let’s get to it…

kpop dance
picture of a girl k-pop dancing. Image by Egi Mandala Putra from Pixabay

KPop origins & history

K-Pop originates from South Korea, but is influenced by a number of dance styles.

Originally K-Pop dance was influenced by American pop music. Going back to the 1950s, The Kim Sisters, rose to fame during that post-war period. The Kim Sisters are Kim Sook-ja (Sue) and Kim Ai-ja (who are literal sisters), and their cousin Kim Min-ja (Mia). Backed by talented parents, the girls, much like modern kpop, brought an eclectic mix to their performances, with singing, dancing, fashion and playing a selection of instruments.

 

In a 2018 NBC Interview, Sue Kim was asked ‘what makes a successful KPop group’, she said “Discipline. Without discipline, you cannot make it. It looks like whoever goes into K-pop groups, they have to have discipline. Something’s got to give, so they sacrifice their personal life to be good”.

Although they didn’t speak English initially, that didn’t hold The Kim Sisters back from achieving fame across United States and the wider world. Their success undoubtably opened the door for other Korean artists (and other international artists) to break into the international music scene.

The 1990s then were the next major step for K-Pop dance, with an increased popularity of Korean popular culture, also known as the “Hallyu Wave”. With relaxed travel restrictions in Korea, more international dance and musical influences were available. When they first appeared on MBC’s talent show in 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys, changed K-pop forever. Bringing rap and other western musical & dance influences into  K-Pop gave them rapid stardom, awards a millions of albums sold. Here’s the original music video where you can really feel many of those influences from other cultures and genres.

Growth continued throughout  the 2000s and 2010s, where K-Pop dance continued to evolve, ‘absorbing’ aspects of other international dance styles. Ultimately though, this collective of dance, music, fashion and fan participation has become something very special in it’s own right.

In 2012, Psy had a global success with his catchy song and iconic dance ‘Gangnam Style’, whose lyrics refer to a hip area of Seoul and brought a humour that created an instant hit.

 

More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic had a part to play in the rise of K-Pop dance on the global stage. With a push for at home isolation, the kPop ‘Idols’, their fans and content creators went online in unprecedented numbers – accelerating the spread of kpop, particularly across social platforms such as YouTube and Tik-Tok. This has fuelled the rise of ‘cover dances’ and ‘dance challenges’. These are now a key part of k-pop dance, where celebs, fans and content creators cover the moves and choreography of their favourite idols and can challenge others to do the same.

Cover dances are increasingly becoming serious business for young hopefuls looking for KPop success. Dera, part of The  White Family, a cover dance group, said “We are now demanded to look as identical as possible to the idol, whether the costumes, hairstyles, or the looks; become a cosplayer but the K-pop version,” she added.

Popular KPop Groups

All groups bring a powerful combination of dance and music. We recommend you checkout a few of their YouTube accounts to see them in action (and pick up a few moves whilst you’re there).

  • BTS – BTS, formed in 2010, with Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jamin, V and Jungkook as a hip-hop group and expanded to wider styles. Their first number one hit was “Blood Sweat & Tears”.
  • Twice – Formed in 2015, through the reality competition survival show “Sixteen” featuring Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. Their first single was “Extended Play” with their first number one the following year “Cheer Up”. The “TT” hand gestures are famous among fans.
  • Blackpink – Koreas most famed girl group, with Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They had their first hits in 2016 with “Whistle” and “Boombayah” and went on to smash multiple records and receive even presidential thanks for helping spread KPop world wide.
  • Super Junior – a larger 12 piece boy band, formed in 2005, with Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, Kyuhyun, Han Geng, Kibum and Kangin. Changes in the line-up took place over the next 4 years. Known for synchronized and polished dance moves. They broke a record in the KKBOX album chart, occupying number 1 for 122 weeks!
  • Big Bang – Big Bang, formed in 2006, originally with G-Dragon, Taeyang, Daesung. Seungri and T.O.P. They spread the ‘Korean Wave’ with their iconic dance moves, pulling on hip-hop elements, unique gestures, and high-energy energetic throughout.
  • Momoland – formed in the Mnet show “Finding Momoland” in 2016. The group of Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy where joined by Daisy and Taeha in 2017. Famous for catchy dance moves and an example of how KPop can ‘blow up’ on social media. Check out the video for “Bboom Bboom” with a lively and energetic dance routine. The group disbanded in 2023.
  • Stayc’s – a more recently formed girl group came together in 2020 – originally with Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon, and J, is known for their sharp dance routines. Their hits include “ASAP” and “So Bad”.
  • (G)I-dle –  a girl group, originally formed in 2018 with Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi, Shuhua and Soojin. Their dances to the likes of “Hann” display powerful choreography, as well as elegant movement. 
KPop dance idols
Image of Kpop dance idols Photo by Joel Muniz on Unsplash

What type of dance is K-Pop?

Although celebrated under the banner of Korean Pop, as we can see from the history section in this article, K-Pop draws from a huge pool of influences from across the globe including Africa, America and Asia.

This allows KPop as a genre to feature everything from upbeat dance choreography to slower, emotional ballads, and everything in-between. The great thing about this, beyond the sheer variety under the KPop banner is that by drawing inspiration so widely and leaning so heavily on dance, KPop can really transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. This goes a long way to explain its international success. Some of it’s influences include:

  • Contemporary – Contemporary dance, from the West has brought much to KPop Dance including improvisation, emotional expression and fluid, graceful movements.
  • Hip-Hop – K-pop choreographers have drawn a lot from hip-hop. Bringing powerful, bold moves perfect for the KPop performance style.
  • Jazz – Another African-American influence, this time bringing unique steps, fast footwork, and movements that emphasize body isolation.
  • Rock – Less of a dance style but the presence of rock music can be seen visually in KPop dance through the high-energy jumps and headbanging.
  • Electronic – Dance styles accompanying electronic music such as house, techno, and breakdance, give a fast, futuristic feel to KPop dance choreographies.

Notable K-Pop Choreographers

One of the most powerful aspect that has driven Kpop to fame is the precision of the choreography, a few of the talents behind this include:

Kyle Hanagami – an American choreographer who has heavily in KPop, including groups: Girls’ Generation, Red Velvet, and Blackpink.

Lia Kim –  choreographing dance routines with intricate patterns for the likes of Sunmi and Twice (Including “TT”).

Rie Hata – a Japanese choreographer known for her hip-hop influence and who has choreographed for many KPop boy bands including BTS.

Bada Lee – choreographing for many artists, she was also a backup dancer for Blackpink’s Lisa.

Other great KPop choreographers Include Chunha, Rino Nakasone, Taemin, Leejung, Jay Park and Koharu Sugawara.

Acknowledging K-Pop Choreographers

A slightly contentious subject can be the acknowledgements these choreographers get for their central part in the making of the dances and the groups. Often not identified in the acknowledgements, the role of ethics in copyright are also brought into question. Strictly speaking, Youtube creators for example should also not be able to monetise non-original content (e.g. copied choreography) but this is not the case often.

Alice Myung is a performer and choreographer who studied Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California. Alice has written an interesting piece on movement transmission and representation as a challenging point of view to this approach and the importance of acknowledging the people and culture that influence s.

bus with kpop dance group red velvet
Photo by Hiu Yan Chelsia Choi on Unsplash

How to learn K-Pop Dance as a beginner

At DanceBibles, we know that there’s no better way to truly appreciate a dance than to get involved.

KPop dancing is fun, a great work-out and you can do it alone or with other dancers (or even some friends or family). Because so many of the dances involve complicated choreography, to stand a chance at staying motivated whilst you make progress, we recommend beginners start with easier dances.

What’s the easiest KPop dance to learn?

Songs by Twice, such as “Dance The Night Away” are excellent as they’re iconic, generally simple to follow and execute.

How long does it take to learn a KPop dance?

It really depends! Even if it’s an easy KPop dance, it depends on you skill level as a dancer, experience with KPop, the song speed, number of dancers to name but a few considerations. Rest assured, like the idols, when you have more practice behind you, learning each move and choreography piece will suddenly come a lot faster.

A pro tip is to ‘not eat the elephant whole’. Pick some of the basic moves and techniques, break the song down into manageable sections. By doing this and mastering smaller sections, you can eventually build the sections together to achieve a dance for the whole song. Doing this for an easier choreography is a good stepping stone when repeating these steps and gradually building up to moderate and eventually more complicated, advance choreography.

With social media, YouTube, online courses and classes in virtually every city – learning KPop at home or with coaching can happen in your own time frame and in a way that suits you best. Why not learn with a few friends and see what choreography you can master together?

Happy dancing!

Here’s some other articles about interesting dance styles from round the world:

Spanish dancers performing

10 Classical Spanish Dances

Spanish Dances article by Tanya, a dancer who lives in Spain. The warm, cheerful, and picturesque streets of Spain contain many wonders for anyone who ...
Majorette dancing band

Majorette Dance: Moves, Dancing Styles and 200+ year History

Majorette Dance: In this article, we twist and twirl through everything majorette. Things like what makes a great majorette dance, core moves, how to get ...
kpop dance

K-Pop Dance: Korea’s Dancing Sensations

KPop dance and music are so intimately linked. Together they have skyrocketed over recent years as kpop groups have become a global sensation. When most ...
Circle dance article. image of “Hora haiducilor” depicts traditional Moldavian folk circle dance Hora originating in the Balkans Sculptor Nicolae Vieru

Circle Dancing: Joy and Connection Through Dance

Circle dancing, sees dancers connecting, often through hand holding, in a circle, semicircle, or curved line. They move to the rhythm of singing or instruments ...
Wild horses. Symbolising the energy of Quebradita dancing - photo by Gene-Devine- on Unsplash

Quebradita: Unleashing the Energy of This Dynamic Dance

Quebradita dancing is known for its complex flips, daring lifts, and synchronized legwork, this exhilarating dance makes a powerful statement on any stage or dance ...
pasito duranguense - image of mexican flag

Pasito Duranguense: Dance to the Rhythm of Mexico

Pasito Duranguense is a vibrant dance and music genre inspired by its namesake Durango, Mexico. Emerging during the 1970s, it blends traditional Mexican music, such ...

William Forsythe: a Revolutionary Look at Classical Dance

by
Improvisation and choreography are equal partners in a dance. Improvisation is the most important direction of choreographic thinking, it organizes the form of dance and the specificity of dance performance. One of those who made a serious contribution to the art of improvisation as a method of searching for choreographic vocabulary and a tool for developing creative thinking is William Forsythe.
William Forsythe on a stage, talking to dance students
Photo by Marlon Barrios Solano on Flikrr (edited to adjust sizing).

Researchers of modern dance rank Forsythe’s improvisation as postmodern improvisation, or the art of dance performance. Forsythe system has been shaped and honed for 15 years. And in 1994, it was designed in a specialized video manual “Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye”, which is still used for training new dancers of Forsythe’s troupe and is also a part of training professional dancers of modern dance in Europe and the USA.

About William Forsythe’s work and his influence on modern dance – read below.

Life and Career

William Forsythe is a ballet master, a specialist in the field
of modern dance, a researcher of the specifics of human body movement and improvisation. He was born in New York in 1949. He got his choreographic education in Florida. He got at the first dance class at the age of 17 with his roommate by accident, having absolutely no idea what the lesson will be.

In 1971 he joined the Joffrey Ballet (a company famous for the works of contemporary choreographers). It was there that Forsythe first saw Balanchine’s ballets on the stage of the New York City State Theater, which undoubtedly contributed to his development as a researcher of dance and choreography.

Since 1973 W. Forsythe has been working in Germany as a performer in the Stuttgart Ballet. Already in 1976, he was appointed ballet master of the company. For this company, he created his first neoclassical miniature – “Urlicht” – a duet to music by Gustav Mahler.

In 1984 William Forsythe became the head of the legendary Frankfurt Ballet and continued to be so until its closure in 2004. At Frankfurt Ballet, the choreographer worked on productions such as Artefact (1984), Steptext (1985), In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (1987, Paris Opera), Impressing the Czar (1988), Limb’s Theorem (1990), Loss of Small Detail (1991), ALIE/NA(C)TION (1992), Eidos:Telos (1995), Endless House (1999), KAMMER/KAMMER (2000), and Decreation (2003).

His productions are part of the repertoire of the world’s major theatres, including the New York City Ballet, London’s Royal Ballet, Paris Opera, National Ballet of Canada and the Netherlands Dance Theatre.

This period of the ballet master’s work is characterized by a special radicalism: he puts on performances that are completely different from classical ballet, transforms the aesthetics of classical dance, proclaims freedom in dance from any canons and narratives.

In 1994, the program “Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye” was developed and released.

After 20 years at the Frankfurt Ballet, William Forsythe founded his Forsythe Company troupe in 2004. In addition to appearances at the main venues in Dresden and Frankfurt, the artists were active on tour. Forsythe has staged such ballets for the new company:

  • Three Atmospheric Studies (2005);
  • You made me a monster (2005);
  • Human Writes (2005);
  • Heterotopia (2006);
  • The Defenders (2007);
  • Yes we can’t (2008/2010);
  • I don’t believe in outer space (2008);
  • The Returns (2009);
  • “Sider” (2011).

He worked as a director and ballet master until 2015 in the troupe. As the reason for Forsythe’s resignation, the need to reduce workloads due to health reasons was reported. However, Forsythe has remained a consultant for the company, a guest lecturer and teacher, one of the co-directors and teachers of the European Dance Students’ Network program. The directorship of the Forsythe Company was taken over by Jacopo Godani under a new name The Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company”.

Forsythe produces and participates in the creation of a large number of architectural and performance installations. The installations have been exhibited at the Louvre, the Venice Biennale, and other important venues. His short film “Solo” was presented in 1997 at the Whitney Biennale.

The choreographer has also received special recognition in the field of fine arts, organizing amazing installations, whose viewers themselves become participants in the action.

Today Forsythe regularly holds lectures and seminars at various universities and creative organizations. He lives and works in Vermont.

Exhibitions

Special attention we should pay to Forsythe’s work in the fine arts. The project “Choreographic Objects” includes various installations, including interactive ones. Over the past few years, they have been shown in many museums.


Some of its current* interactive installations:

  • The Fact of Matter (Brisbane, Australia) – December 7., 2019 – April 26., 2020;
  • Acquisition/Körperschaft (Hasselt, Germany) – March 14. – May 10., 2020;
  • Aufand, Doing and Undergoing (Besançon, France) – until April 26, 2020;
  • City of Abstracts, Human Writes Drawings, Backwords (Essen, Germany).

* Expositions are temporarily closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

“City of Abstracts” is scheduled to be shown in Essen at Art Basel on September 17-20, 2020.

Forsythe’s Technologies of improvisation

In 1994 the computer program “Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye” was presented. Until now, it is actively used in the process of training dancers of different levels. This work deserves detailed consideration because its importance for the dance world is immeasurably great.

Improvisation technologies basically use the geometrical approach, working with lines, arcs, corners which form a body of the dancer. It was important for Forsythe to use what his dancers already knew. Since they were graduates of ballet schools, they were used to working with lines in body and space. This approach allowed the dancers to forget “how to move” and focus on the inner part of the movement, to overcome “numbness” in improvisation.

The choreographer shows simple movements and techniques in the program. The main purpose of his training is to teach the mind of a dancer to analyze movement in geometrical categories, corresponding parts of his body in space.

It’s useful!

Check out the program, even not only for ballet dancers. You will definitely learn a lot about your body.

For example, here are a few techniques from Forsythe’s technology. In his video lessons, the choreographer shows how to work with lines. For example, you can create an imaginary line with body parts and “move” that line in space, or you can create the same line with one of your body parts. You can also create a line by “pulling” it out of a point, or you can stretch not just a point but an entire line and create an imaginary plane.

You can extend the line by unbending a joint, for example, an elbow. You can work in the parterre by building movements along imaginary lines on the floor. The technique of getting into the line is to find a way that you can “get” into the imaginary line by a part of your body.

William Forsythe’s New Ballets

After leaving Forsythe Company in 2015, the choreographer has staged several ballets:

  • «Blake Works 1» for the Paris Opera Ballet;
  • «Playlist [Track 1, 2]»;
  • «A Quiet Evening of Dance»;
  • «Playlist (EP)» – the work for Boston ballet company;
  • «Artifact Suite».

Influence on modern dance

With the death of George Balanchine, the era of great discoveries in ballet was coming to an end, and few people believed in the possibility of a new revolution in dance. Nevertheless, the postmodern era has made its mark and proclaimed in dance freedom from any canons.

The improvisation and value of the moment “here and now”, the study of the movement and limits of the human body, the importance of the process rather than the final product of art – all this became the basis of contemporary dance. It was William Forsythe who brought ballet into the realm of marginal art, making it speak about contemporary ballet.

The avant-garde Forsythe has pushed back the boundaries of what is generally accepted: while in classical dance the position of arms and legs is fixed, Forsythe gives freedom to both arms and legs, and head. This also applies to his methods of working with dancers.

Improvisation – the main method of working with dancers – requires not only freedom to own their own body in space, but also freedom of thought. In this case, the intellectuality can be called one of the most precise characteristics of the specificity of W. Forsythe’s works.

Opinion!

Forsythe is a new turn. It’s basically a classic, but as if turned from a different angle… It’s as if you look at it through some special optics – and you get Forsythe.

At the same time, despite this release of thought and body, William Forsythe’s approach to choreography is surprisingly algorithmic. Through systematic exploration of the boundaries of space and time, the potential of the body and the mechanics of movement, the choreographer has developed his own author’s method of dance geometry and thus gives rise to a characteristic Forsythe’s style of movement.

The imagery and abstractedness of Forsythe’s ballets deserve special attention. After all, not every spectator is ready for a Forsythe’s form of interpretation, hence the complexity of perception. We can state the mechanical or geometrical style of dance plastics, but certainly not the lack of content.

Forsythe is simply not interested in stories and characters that are important in classical ballet. What is more important in these works is the emotional dynamics of the performers, the way the change in body movement determines the changes in a person’s emotional state. An abstract stage reality is formed on stage, within which a multivariate narrative of philosophical content is performed.

Dance critic Roslin Sulkas highlights the following features in the work of William Forsythe:

  • the presence of so-called “flickering movement” (based on elusive points of presence), performed by dancers with classical training, that is professionally developed in the aspect of ballet plasticity;
  • the use of the principle of inclusiveness – the possibility of including elements of absolutely any kind in the dance, both on the technical and conceptual sides;
  • approach to the realization of a complete work on the basis of the concept of “one theatrical universe”, where each element is a significant part of the multidimensional structure of the dance;
  • the development of a plastic language based on personal ideas of movement, where each element is endowed with volume.

We can’t help but mention the improvisational inserts in Forsythe’s ballets. Certain parts of the composition are performed by dancers in accordance with the concept of dance at their own discretion based on their own vision. Thanks to this, each display of a dance piece becomes unique and each broadcast gives a new reading to the work.

By its nature, modern dance is “dance of the head”, i.e. choreography that stimulates thinking tone not only of the dancer but also of the viewer in the process of perception of dance. Such mutual work of the ballet master and the viewer gives the necessary body and emotional contact. Then the viewer leaves with a huge plume of emotions and thoughts after the performance.

William Forsythe does not like to repeat himself, he always speaks to the viewer through his work in different ways. And no one knows what this choreographer will present to the public next time…

Conclusions

Doesn’t matter whether we call Forsythe by The New Balanchine or The Classic of the Ballet Avant-Garde, many today consider him one of the most important choreographers working today. Having traversed in his life from a dictatorship of ballet to a free of contemporary, William Forsythe has struck the ballet world with radicalism and experimentation. He has transformed and continues to transform the aesthetics of classical dance, has led to a rethinking of the importance of dance improvisation and has made an invaluable contribution to the training of dancers around the world.

Sources: