Anze Skrube, ATEEZ’s Choreographer, Directly Addresses Allegations Of Dancer Vata Plagiarizing “Say My Name” Choreography
ATEEZ‘s Wooyoung has been at the center of a debate over plagiarism recently and has been praised for showcasing a strong stance in the most iconic way.
The topic gained attention began when dancer Vata from the WDBZ dance crew on Street Man Fighter was alleged to have plagiarized the famous “driving” move from ATEEZ’s “Say My Name” choreography.
The choreography was created by Josh Smith, Johnny Erasme, and Anze Skrube and showcased to the world when the song was released in 2019.
Amidst the controversy, ATEEZ recently performed “Say My Name” during an overseas event. When Wooyoung’s center part came up, he was seen doing the “biting” sign that dancers often use to signal that a move was copied.
Alongside ATINY and netizens praising him, Wooyoung’s refusal to ignore the issue is being supported by Anze Skrube, one of the choreographers of “Say My Name” himself!
Anze took to Instagram to join the conversation about the “driving” dance move plagiarism.
Yet, after all the reposts about the issue, Anze Skrube recently went on Instagram to directly address the allegations and clear up any misconceptions.
In the video, Anze started off by explaining the reasoning behind the video, adding, “I want to be very quick regarding the allegations of somebody copying our moves.” Yet, Anze also explained that the video was also to spread positivity rather than add fuel to the fire.
And first of all, let me just say this, I’m really just here to spread positivity. So, guys please stop with like harassing each other and fighting about it.
— Anze
The term “biting” is something that has been used often in the discussion. In his video, Anze explained that it could appear in different forms. Yet, when it came to VATA, Anze revealed that rather than just being influenced by a move, it was a whole sequence.
But to clarify, from my experience, there is a difference between ‘biting’ a move or being inspired by a move or ‘biting’ a whole sequence of moves. And this is what happened here in this case.
— Anze
He then directly addressed that it was choreography that had been created by choreographer John Smith and came out at the start of 2019. Although he didn’t directly reference ATEEZ, “Say My Name” was released in January 2019 and was what he was probably referring too.
This particular sequence was choreographed by Josh Smith at the end of 2018, and it came out at the beginning of 2019.
— Anze
Anze ended by explaining that he didn’t want to dwell on it too much but added that he said it because it’s something that is common in the dance industry. Despite this, it isn’t right, and if someone is influenced by a move, they should be given credit.
I’m only saying this because stuff like this happens a lot in the dance industry and that’s not okay. Let’s not do that. If you get inspired by something, the least you can do is credit the creators. And yeah, I’m really going to leave it at that.
— Anze
Although Anze seemed to be addressing the issue in a way that wasn’t negative, the choreographer seemingly confirmed that the whole sequence was used and his stance on the fact it was done without acknowledgment.
There has still not been a response from Vata or Street Man Fighter regarding the plagiarism accusations at this time.
You can read more about the whole story below.
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