Dance Unity
Dance Unity
While the choreography is often a crucial part of the official music video, the dance versions and practice dance videos keep the focus on dance by stripping down, often eliminating distractions such as props and dynamic lighting. Super Junior’s “Devil” and APeace’s “Loverboy” are shot against stark, white backgrounds. Nine Muses’ “Doll” and Girls’ Generation’s “The Boys” are both practice videos that eschew the costuming of the music video for street wear. This is particularly significant for the choreography for female groups, for music videos often feature the members performing choreography in heels, while the dance practice video shows them in more casual wear. In all cases, the lack of styling allows the viewer to focus on the entirely of the dance and highlights the details of the choreography itself.
Large group choreography makes use of a group’s many members by underscoring a sense of unity through styling in dance versions. Many of Girls’ Generation dance videos, such as “Paparazzi,” “Oh!” “Flower Power” and “Hoot” feature the members wearing identical outfits. APeace’s “Loverboy” shows how styling and large numbers combine effectively. Styling the members in identical outfits (black pants, white jackets with a black insignia, black ties and white shirts) and placing them against a plain white backdrop highlights uniformity in the group and contributes to the impact of their large numbers. The video begins with just five members performing the core choreography, but as it progresses, the other 16 members of the group march in, and the first five members seamlessly fall into line. The two lines of members converge in a 'V' formation at the center of the frame. Here, they engage in very precise, almost militaristic movements. Their number and position give the illusion of a special effect that multiplies one member, when in fact it is the actual 21 members of the group. Unlike other K-pop choreography, this dance routine does not use dance to isolate the lead vocalist: the emphasis is on the group.
Click on image to see dance videos.