Choreography is a huge factor in the K-Pop industry and most K-Pop songs with come along with a dance of one kind or another. The long training periods of many K-Pop idols can come to the fore most obviously through their moves and fans are often left dumbstruck and in awe of the dancing abilities of their favourite artists. K-Pop choreography is certainly something to behold, and very little can compare to the sheer amount of creativity and effort that goes into many of the dances.
However, this playlist is not just going to involve the best of the best in terms of dancing skills. We have also included some of the most creative, memorable and downright strange and silly K-Pop dances for your delight!
With such a vast amount to choose from, you will undoubtedly have your own opinions and suggestions, please do leave them in the comment section below this article so we can discuss even more choreographed madness!
1. XIA – ‘Tarentallegra’
JYJ’s XIA combines equal amounts sexy charisma and unbelievable dancing skill for this dark and mysterious MV. He gives out the feeling that dancing really is second nature for him as he executes fast and difficult moves with power and confidence. The word ‘tarentallegra’ is actually a spell from the wizarding world Harry Potter that makes the victim’s legs dance uncontrollably. How could we not include this one?!
2. SHINee – ‘Dream Girl’
SHINee have always had some pretty difficult choreography in their music videos, but it seems that their choreographer sat down one day and wondered how they could make their next piece all the more complex and even slightly dangerous. “Hey guys, lets incorporate microphone stands into the dance!” I imagine they suggested one day (though, probably in Korean and not in English) and thus, this masterpiece was born.
The respective mother of each member must have been gasping in terror as she observed the group swinging and spinning on the stands, flinging them around in the air, and not to mention – scraping them along the wooden/linoleum floor!
All silliness aside though, ‘Dream Girl”s choreography is amazingly creative, and the boys show of their skills as they seamlessly take on the microphone stands as their dancing props. Just be careful, guys – okay?
3. Orange Caramel – ‘Aing’
Really? I can hear some of you huff incredulously. I know…but cute dancing is a highly functional weapon in the K-Pop genre’s arsenal. Yes, it often reinforces negative (depending on your opinion) Eastern stereotypes, but it also offers something so kooky and fun that it is often too hard to resist dancing along. Orange Caramel’s songs also make the perfect male parodies, which just extends their entertainment power. You can’t tell me you haven’t had a little try at aegyo dancing yourself, right?
4. TVXQ – ‘Catch Me’
TVXQ never fail to serve up a real treat with their choreography. They are also one of the only artists to really utilise their backing dancers and use them to their full potential in their work. This choreography is beautifully creative and interesting as it flows from segment to segment effortlessly. From the funny ‘Hulk Dance’ at the start, to the use of backing dancers to alternately hide and reveal each member and work as extension of their arms. Just great!
5. Miss A – ‘Breathe’
This bouncy and happy dance is very infectious, perfectly matching the breathing sounds and beats to the moves. It really is a dance that will make you smile if you try it. Miss A show us that this choreography is actually a bit more difficult that it first appears though, with hand stands included near the end. Why must gymnastics be included?! I thought this one was meant to be fun!
The girls do a great job though, and this dance matches the sweet bubbliness of the song so well.
6. Super Junior – ‘Sorry Sorry’
Any ELF reading this is probably familiar with the fact that, whenever you mention ‘Sorry Sorry’ to another fan, the rubbing together of the hands rapidly ensues. It really is a hook-line in choreographic form. The action of rubbing ones hands together when apologising is actually an old Korean custom. Of course though, it is not exactly something that takes place every single time someone is apologising to another, so don’t worry about doing it if you accidentally step on the foot of a native when in South Korea or something. However, it is certainly a memorable addition to this song’s dance. Rub your hands together and brush each shoe, yeeaahh!
7. B.A.P – ‘One Shot’
Here we have a dance full of masculine gusto! Full of press-up style movements and mimicking the action of shooting a gun. B.A.P can always show that they mean business through their dances and you can tell that all of the members really put their all into what is some quite physically demanding choreography. Personally, I feel that ZELO’s ability to move himself along the floor on his back, complete with scorpion move to get up is a particularly memorable section. Just HOW does he do that?!
8. 2PM – ‘I’ll Be Back’
The signature dance for this song has been referred to in South Korea as the ‘Bunny Hop’, but one could perhaps think of it more as a variation on that classic ‘Running Man’ dance move. When you first watched this music video, you probably laughed at the sight of this rather silly looking dance, but it has now become a quite well-known piece of K-Pop choreography. If there was any doubt that the 2PM members were physically fit, they were certainly disproven after this single was released. It is a serious cardio work out! Thankfully, it is also a lot of fun to do.
9. VIXX – ‘Voodoo’
Part of the greatness of this choreography is the fact that the Voodoo theme is carried right on through it. The use of the giant ‘pin’ to stab and swing like a pendulum is wonderfully artistic. Not to mention the members mimicry of doll and puppet-like behaviour, with Ken lifted through the air by the other members as if he was as light as a rag doll. The theme was really committed to, yet not overdone through this dance as you can still see the talent of the group even throughout the more ‘gimmicky’ sections.
10. Girls’ Generation – ‘Genie/Tell Me Your Wish’
A classic and, perhaps, one of the ‘leggiest’ dances in K-Pop now, which has also been immortalised through many a male parody. All the moves show an incredibly confident and sassy sense of femininity as the girls strut around and perform that signature leg flick move. Be sure to be wearing well-fitting shoes if you attempt it yourself though, you could have someone’s eye out otherwise!
[N.B. Obviously, the video below is the Japanese version of the song, but it showcases the choreography very well!]
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