Time for my second year-end list! And this was undoubtedly the hardest one to put together. Hell, I was literally making changes to it AS I WAS TYPING THIS ARTICLE. But it's done; I've found an order than I'm happy with. So let's talk about them!
The same rule applies, by the way - no more than one dance/song by any artist. 😊
10. K/DA (MADISON BEER, JAIRA BURNS, (G)I-DLE'S SOYEON & MIYEON) - POP/STARS
But damn, Riot certainly hired the right people for the choreography here. Ellen Kim's routine is sharp, tight and effortless in all the right ways, and suits "POP/STARS" perfectly. Not to mention that Ahri's part here is covered by one of my absolute favourite dancers, Bailey Sok! (Seriously, follow her on Instagram if you like her performance here - the girl's only 14 and she's fucking phenomenal.) But that's not to leave out Stevie Doré and Eileen Harman, as they're both fantastic here too. All four girls pull off this routine excellently, and they make it look gorgeous.
K/DA certainly blew up a lot more than anyone expected, and even though the video was great, I feel like the choreography really made it what it is. It gave it a very distinct feel that you only get with K-Pop, if you ask me. So yeah, this is excellent, and I certainly hope that K/DA aren't just a one-time thing - bring these girls back and make them a staple!
9. TIFFANY YOUNG - OVER MY SKIN
I follow a lot of different choreographers and dancers on YouTube - Kyle Hanagami, Tim Milgram, Jojo Gomez, Jake Kodish, Haley Fitzgerald, and so on. But Yanis Marshall is not somebody I'd ever heard of before he choreographed "Over My Skin". But I've certainly started paying more attention to him after this! This routine is fiery, sassy, and confident in every way. Plus, it benefits Tiffany greatly as a performer - even though her dancing isn't the best here, it lets her be effortlessly sexy while the backup dancers do the heavy lifting. And it works! It makes the entire thing look really smooth, without feeling jarring or lacking in effort.
It certainly wasn't what I was expecting from this song, both in terms of the dance and the song itself. And yet it ended up being a lovely surprise! I'm just really sad Tiffany didn't stick to this style as she continues to release music - I liked this more than any of her solo efforts so far. I don't know if I like the dance quite as much as "I Just Wanna Dance", but it's a very close second for sure. Good job Tiff!
8. KARD (카드) - KNOCKIN' ON MY HEAVEN'S DOOR
I FINALLY GET TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOP OF A SONG AGAIN. YAY. 🎉🎊🎉
Let me make it clear - I still don't like the raindrops and distorted chipmunk vocals in the choruses. But goddamn, this song is still great regardless. And the best part is, KARD decided to bless us with a beautiful routine to match it!
A lot of Hidden KARDs mentioned that this is very much a return to KARD's "old" style. And being honest, I never really got what they meant - until I saw this routine. It's got the fantastic chemistry they showed in their early/debut days, the sharp and controlled movements, the popular dance moves that they somehow manage to pull of without looking cheesy or forced, and the bucketloads of confidence to go along with it all. THIS is the kinda dance KARD were meant to do. They're so in sync with one another; this is clearly where they're in their comfort zone, and I'm living for it.
The dance itself is honestly really damn solid! It manages to hit a lot of the song's little beats, and it's constantly interesting and engaging to watch. (Well, when you're not watching Jiwoo's hat disappear and reappear throughout the video, that is.) If KARD decide to go with a song like this for their next comeback, I'm pretty sure nobody would be upset - I especially wouldn't if it means we get another choreo like this! This just cements KARD's status for me as one of my favourite groups choroegraphy-wise, and yeah, "Ride on the Wind" was great too, but I feel like this just beats it for me. 😁
7. (G)I-DLE ((여자)아이들) - LATATA (라타타)
I think we can mark (G)I-DLE down for having one of the best debut years yet for a rookie group. Both of their releases this year were absolutely fantastic, and while "LATATA" ends up here, we'll be seeing their other single very soon as well. 😉
I really didn't expect much from this routine when I started watching it for the first time, but I think that just ended up making it an even nicer surprise! These girls know their way around a clean choreo, because they all absolutely nail it here. The formations are excellent, and each one of them has a very distinct style that makes it hard to pick someone to focus on. "LATATA"'s dance is very elegant in some parts, and yet it's powerful and confident in others. It's got this really mysterious look to it, too, and I think that's because there's so many little hand movements that make it so much more charming.
This was just another tentpole in (G)I-DLE's remarkably strong debut year, if I'm being honest; if they keep showing this much potential in the future, we might have another one of the BIG girl groups on our hands. And from CUBE, nonetheless! That's just... weird, considering how shitty they can be. But let's hope they don't fuck it up here too, because these girls have too much raw talent to go to waste.
So uh yeah remember in my mid-year lists when I said Weki Meki were probably going to have my favourite dance of the year?
Oh, how the times have changed...
I really didn't expect much from this routine when I started watching it for the first time, but I think that just ended up making it an even nicer surprise! These girls know their way around a clean choreo, because they all absolutely nail it here. The formations are excellent, and each one of them has a very distinct style that makes it hard to pick someone to focus on. "LATATA"'s dance is very elegant in some parts, and yet it's powerful and confident in others. It's got this really mysterious look to it, too, and I think that's because there's so many little hand movements that make it so much more charming.
This was just another tentpole in (G)I-DLE's remarkably strong debut year, if I'm being honest; if they keep showing this much potential in the future, we might have another one of the BIG girl groups on our hands. And from CUBE, nonetheless! That's just... weird, considering how shitty they can be. But let's hope they don't fuck it up here too, because these girls have too much raw talent to go to waste.
6. APINK (에이핑크) - I'M SO SICK
Speaking of surprises, I was absolutely delighted with Apink's comeback this year. They FINALLY decided to go with a more mature style, which I've been wanting them to try for literal years at this point. And being completely honest, I did have my reservations going into this comeback - I was scared the song wouldn't be what I was expecting, and that it wouldn't live up to my hype.
But nope! We got a fantastic song, a great concept change and some killer choreography to match. While I do feel it loses its initial momentum as it reaches its conclusion, the dance to "I'm So Sick" is still phenomenal. It's incredibly graceful, yet strong and distinctive at the same time (as well as being surprisingly sexy for Apink), and the girls pull it off quite well! I wasn't sure about how they'd transition between concepts, but at the end of the day, they're a veteran group at this point - they pull it off effortlessly.
Both the routine and the general styling of this comeback have me so damn excited for "Percent" to release soon. I hope its choreography is as good as this, because if it is? Apink might end up on my year-end list next year too! These girls deserve concepts that show off their strengths, and this was certainly one of them. 😊
So uh yeah remember in my mid-year lists when I said Weki Meki were probably going to have my favourite dance of the year?
Oh, how the times have changed...
5. WEKI MEKI (위키미키) - LA LA LA
That's not to say this dance isn't still absolutely fantastic - it is! It wouldn't be on this list if it wasn't. It just turns out that there were THAT many good dances this year. Who could've known?
I've gotta admit, we're starting to get to the point on this list where the dances just made my jaw hit the floor. Which, "La La La"'s dance STILL does that for me. The floor section in the second verse AND the sharp turns in the choruses are still phenomenal, and the girls' synchronisation is some of the best in the industry. There's so many tiny little aspects to this dance that just make it so much better as a whole. As well as this, it's actually a fantastic example of a lackluster song being boosted by its dance - "La La La" as a song kinda disappointed me when I first heard it, since it wasn't as in-your-face as I was expecting. But the minute I saw the dance for the first time, I immediately loved the song so much more!
I'll readily admit that "Crush" had a great routine too, but it still didn't manage to beat this for me. Regardless of its place on this list, it's a choreography that made a huge impact on me, and it's absolutely one of my favourites!
...you know I love a dance when we don't even have the full routine and I put it on a year-end list anyway.
Yeah. This dance blew me away THAT much.
...you know I love a dance when we don't even have the full routine and I put it on a year-end list anyway.
Yeah. This dance blew me away THAT much.
4. GIRLS' GENERATION OH!GG (소녀시대 OH!GG) - LIL' TOUCH (몰랐니)
I tried. I tried SO HARD to find another dance that I could put in this position, because I initially felt bad about putting it here. Like I said, we haven't seen the full routine; we only have the small little snippets from the MV. But I legitimately couldn't find anything else I liked as much as this without breaking my "one song per artist" rule. And y'know what? Fuck it. It's my blog, after all! (As egotistical as that sounds... 😂)
I said it in my review of this song and I'll say it again here - it is a CRIME that we don't have the full dance practice for "Lil' Touch". Because the snippets that we do have are some of the best things I've seen all year - this dance has got such a sense of power to it that I adore. It's just as powerful as the lyrics and overall vibe of the song itself! As well as this, all five girls make it look effortless and stunning - they've got such confidence that it's hard to look away.
There were rumours going around a while back about a performance of "Lil' Touch" allegedly happening at year-end music shows - that didn't happen, unfortunately. 😕 But I wish it did. Because dAMMIT I WANT THIS FULL DANCE, SM. GIMME.
3. DREAMCATCHER (드림캐쳐) - WHAT
...do I even have to say anything about this song and dance at this point? It's the best thing Dreamcatcher have EVER released, hands-down. And originally, I was going to put "You & I" on this list for the pure surprise involved with that routine, but... goddammit, "What"'s choreo is just too damn good to ignore.
The synchronicity Dreamcatcher have here is insane. This is by no means an easy dance, neither is it one that's short on energy. And yet these girls make it look like they could do this in their sleep! It's exactly the sort of power and hard-hitting choreos that Dreamcatcher are known for at this point. They've finally gotten to a point where they know their concept inside and out; they're the masters of it. NOBODY can do a horror/nightmare concept better than they can. But even though their dances are all powerful, and they're all hard... no two ever feel the same. They're all so distinct from one another. And "What" continues that trend with pure and utter style.
Mark my words: this won't be the last time you see this song on my year-end lists this year. I'm not done praising it quite yet.
2. TWICE (트와이스) - YES OR YES
...talk about a turnaround from the start of this year, jeez.
I hated "What is Love?" as a song, but loved the dance. "Dance The Night Away" was, in my opinion, completely forgettable. The song was annoying, and the dance was good, but not as amazing as everyone made it out to be. But "Yes or Yes" is LITERALLY THE SONG I'VE WANTED TWICE TO DO SINCE FOR FOREVER. It's a confident love song instead of an overly-cutesy one. And that concept of confidence is cemented even further in what is - essentially - a perfect routine in my eyes.
Like. GODDAMN. This routine just looks exhausting. I don't know how they sing while doing this. Between the little individual hand movements, the changes in formation and positioning, the staggered movements and wave effects... this is top-tier stuff. I don't know who TWICE's choreographer is at this point, or how they're coming up with this stuff, but they really deserve so much more credit for creating a routine like this. The members themselves do, too! They all perform this excellently, let alone with the energy and vigor the song itself demands. It's upbeat and cheery, and the girls certainly carry that in their performances.
This was a comeback that really surprised me overall, and I can't wait to talk about it in the winter comeback review. But at least know you know what I think of the dance - it's superb, and one of the best things TWICE has done!
But if it's not my #1... what is?
I know I talked about (G)I-DLE blowing me away when it comes to debuts this year, but... they never quite reached the level that these girls did. Just... hoo boi, excuse me while I rant about this dance again for a hot minute.
I hated "What is Love?" as a song, but loved the dance. "Dance The Night Away" was, in my opinion, completely forgettable. The song was annoying, and the dance was good, but not as amazing as everyone made it out to be. But "Yes or Yes" is LITERALLY THE SONG I'VE WANTED TWICE TO DO SINCE FOR FOREVER. It's a confident love song instead of an overly-cutesy one. And that concept of confidence is cemented even further in what is - essentially - a perfect routine in my eyes.
Like. GODDAMN. This routine just looks exhausting. I don't know how they sing while doing this. Between the little individual hand movements, the changes in formation and positioning, the staggered movements and wave effects... this is top-tier stuff. I don't know who TWICE's choreographer is at this point, or how they're coming up with this stuff, but they really deserve so much more credit for creating a routine like this. The members themselves do, too! They all perform this excellently, let alone with the energy and vigor the song itself demands. It's upbeat and cheery, and the girls certainly carry that in their performances.
This was a comeback that really surprised me overall, and I can't wait to talk about it in the winter comeback review. But at least know you know what I think of the dance - it's superb, and one of the best things TWICE has done!
But if it's not my #1... what is?
I know I talked about (G)I-DLE blowing me away when it comes to debuts this year, but... they never quite reached the level that these girls did. Just... hoo boi, excuse me while I rant about this dance again for a hot minute.
1. IZ*ONE (아이즈원) - LA VIE EN ROSE (라비앙로즈)
There have been K-Pop songs that made me cry before. But there has never been a dance that made me cry when I saw it for the first time.
BUT THEN IZ*ONE DEBUTED AND DECIDED TO CHANGE THAT.
Yeah, I'm not joking. I shed literal tears when I saw this dance for the first time. That's how excellent it is. TWICE were top-tier, but THIS. This is god-tier.
This is one of those dances that's so stunning and detailed that I never quite know how to talk about it. You just... HAVE to watch it for yourself to get the full effect. Some of these moves are so damn hard that I don't know how the girls even manage to pull them off. They confuse me by just watching them. But it's a beautiful sense of confusion - I'm always just so damn perplexed whilst watching this routine, because comprehending its intricacy is something I have a hard time doing.
Basically, in non-flowery and incredibly basic language:
THIS DANCE IS FUCKING INCREDIBLE.
It's... honestly one of my favourite dances, not just of this year, but in K-Pop in general. I've gotta say, this year provided some real highs for me in terms of music and choreography. And this was one of those absolute crowning moments - you'll see another one in my final year-end list! 😉 I cannot fucking wait to see what IZ*ONE do next. Yes, I know it's probably not going to be as mind-blowing as this, but goddammit I can hope!
•••••
Only one more list to go now! And I'm hoping to have it up relatively soon, I'm really in the mood to talk about it haha. It's exciting! I love doing these, they're a hell of a lot of fun. 😄
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