Top 10 Iconic K-Pop Dances
#10: “Coming-of-Age Ceremony” (2000)
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Park Ji Yoon For our first entry, it’s only appropriate for us to mention a definitive dance moment in K-pop history. When Park Ji-yoon came out on the Show! Music Core stage in her sleek red outfit and performed “Coming-of-Age Ceremony” for the first time live, she set the scene for future female K-pop artists to take on more provocative choreography. The suggestive lyrics, coupled with the racier dance concept JYP promoted for their young new starlet, shocked many fans when it first came out. Now it’s considered a standard as not only girl groups have done countless covers of this song but also the occasional boy band.
#9: "Nobody" (2008)
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Wonder Girls While it wasn’t as fun and colorful as their previous single “Tell Me”, “Nobody” is the hit that skyrocketed the Wonder Girls’ careers. The fun Motown inspired concept was reflected in their gold glittery style, and in the simple yet eye-catching dance moves behind their large retro mic stands.The song quickly became a sensation all over Asia - even leading to their entertainment company, JYP, taking action against groups who covered it without permission. It was also recorded and released in four languages, allowing Wonder Girls to take their act abroad. Thanks to the catchy tune and the viral choreography, “Nobody” became so popular that it even ranked high on American charts!
#8: "Mister" (2010)
Kara Can you even call yourself a K-pop group if you haven’t covered Kara’s “Mister”? The dance took on a life of its own in South Korea as everyone and their mother swung their hips to this upbeat song. It then quickly spread to Japan where it was parodied in shows like “Doraemon” and the Naruto spin-off “Rock Lee and his Ninja Pals”. It was also featured in the Japanese release of the Nintendo Wii game “Just Dance”. Based on all of these covers and adaptations, one thing can be said for sure; the move most commonly referred to as the “butt-dance” works best with the signature loose cargo pants and suspenders.
#7. “I Am the Best” (2011)
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2NE1 2NE1, along with the rest of their YG labelmates, have a reputation for producing edgier concepts with an electronic hip hop sound. Case in point: the style and choreography of “I Am the Best.” After the initial release of the song, and the positive reception in South Korea, 2NE1 posted a video in English to announce a dance cover contest to promote their new track. Since the competition was open to fans from abroad, the dance became a craze all over the world. While the song itself didn’t do too well in the Asian charts, the dance was widespread, and a variation of it was even featured on the 10th season of “So You Think You Can Dance”.
#6: "Mirotic" (2008)
TVXQ Before the messy and very public disbandment, TVXQ was the early 2000s Korean boy band to look out for. Although they had some notable successes in the start of their career, it wasn’t until they released “Mirotic” that they truly peaked. With this album - and the title single - TVXQ won trophies, topped the Asian music charts and has gone down as one of Asia’s best-selling digital releases EVER. The song was groundbreaking, but the dance left a mark as well. The smooth, hip-hop inspired movements are still relevant to this day, as popular groups such as EXO and MONSTA X cover it for onstage specials.
#5: "Ring Ding Dong" (2009)
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SHINee With songs like “Replay”, Shinee started out as SM Entertainment’s cutest new boy band. When they returned for their EP “2009, Year of Us”, their image changed drastically. With the help of Misha Gabriel who has worked with everyone from Michael Jackson to Beyoncé, Shinee’s bouncy upbeat dances were suddenly replaced with intense routines. While “Lucifer” is the song that got nominations for its outstanding choreography, it’s “Ring Ding Dong” that got the masses moving.The song was so catchy, it got banned in some South Korean schools because it was distracting students from their exams.
#4: "Gangnam Style" (2012)
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PSY The success of “Gangnam Style”, much like the music video, was completely and utterly unpredictable. In hindsight, however, the over-the-top theatrics, complete with horses, explosions, crazy dance moves and a funky elevator scene, made the perfect recipe for a viral video. Whether it was talk shows, cartoons, or flash mobs, “Gangnam Style” was everywhere. At the time of the song’s release, it seemed that Psy came out of nowhere, but he had already made a name for himself in South Korea despite not fitting into the traditional K-pop look. Now with the first YouTube video to hit a billion views, Psy and his dance moves won’t be forgotten any time soon.
#3: "Abracadabra" (2009)
Brown Eyed Girls The Brown Eyed Girls established themselves in 2006 and returned three years later with a revamped look, as they felt that the cute approach was overdone. Introducing their signature ‘arrogant dance’, “Abracadabra” was the song that brought the Brown Eyed Girls into the spotlight; but it didn’t come without its controversies. The teaser for the music video involved an implied kiss between two of the members, causing quite an uproar amongst the general public who felt the image the girls were portraying was too suggestive.The change of style was worth the backlash, however, since the dance is now considered one of the most iconic moves in the industry. It’s even been used in Psy’s “Gentleman” video!
#2: "Sorry, Sorry" (2009)
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Super Junior The fact that 9 of the previous 13 members of Super Junior are still active as a boy band speaks volumes on how they’ve managed to stay maintain relevant over the years. They may have had other hits like “Mr. Simple” and “Bonamana,” but it was “Sorry, Sorry” remains their biggest single to date. The dance was choreographed by Nick Bass and Trent Dickens; two well established choreographers that have worked with prominent artists such as Justin Timberlake and Usher. The song became popular across Asia, especially in Taiwan and the Philippines. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: "Touch My Body" (2014) Sistar "Electric Shock" (2012) f(x) “Growl” (2013) EXO “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” (2018) BLACKPINK "Up & Down" (2014) EXID
#1: "Gee" (2009)
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Girls' Generation [aka SNSD] Released in 2009, “Gee” was the first music video by a girl group to reach over a hundred million views on YouTube.With the colourful skinny jeans, hyper cute style, and super synchronized routine, it truly defined an era in K-pop and the genre known as “bubblegum pop”. The song was an instant hit, even got parodied by members of 2pm, 2am, Shinee, and Super Junior, who came together as Boys’ Generation. Immensely popular amongst fans, the exaggerated shuffle dance has been replicated again and again by K-pop enthusiasts and popular artists alike. Novel for its time, “Gee” in all its shuffling glory is now considered a K-pop classic.
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