Spotlight Performances
At the same time, large group choreography also works to highlight individual dancers and smaller groups. Against choreography featuring constant movement, featured vocalists often move to the front when their parts are featured in the song In EXO’s “Love Me Right.” At these times, featured vocals employ different dance moves from the larger group. Such performances make them stand out in the long shot employed in order to capture choreography that takes advantage of the large physical space.
Members also wear different outfits to distinguish individual members, as in Super Junior’s “Opera”, underscoring the performance of smaller groups within the large group dance. Super Junior’s “It’s You” and Nine Muses’ “Wild” demonstrate how both groups showcase three to five members together, then bring them back into the larger group, thereby punctuating dancing and with more individualized performances. Synchronized dancing often begins when the beat drops. The choreography is fluid in that the dancing by the large group easily transitions into choreography by the smaller groups. The smaller groups themselves constantly enact different configurations. Sometimes, they are divided in three groups from left to right; other times they are divided in several groups from front to back. Synchronized dancing punctuates the chorus of the song, while more varied dancing by multiple groups occurs during the verses.
Female choreography differs from male choreography in dance videos. Male groups often have more dynamic choreography, while female choreography, such as those featured in Girls’ Generation’s “Oh!” and Nine Muses’ “Hurt Locker” have an emphasis on leg movements and graceful arm movements. However, their choreography can also be equally dynamic, especially in the use of precise hand and arm movements, such as in Girls’ Generations’ “The Boys” and the use of floor space in Nine Muses’ “Drama.”
Large group choreography can also deviate from even these norms. EXO’s “Growl” features choreography in the round rather than facing a fixed audience. The constantly changing point of view allows different groups to showcase parts of the dance and allows for different configurations of the large group.
K-pop groups with many members utilize choreography that combines precise, synchronized moves and large numbers for maximum effect.
Click on images to view dance videos.