K-Pop Choreographers Reveal The Hardest Part Of Choreographing A Performance

In a new AYO “Comment Defenders” video on YouTube, two veteran K-Pop choreographers revealed the hardest part of their job.

Lee Dabin and Lee Junwoo are both chief choreographers at LOOK, a dance team known for working with EXO, SHINee, SEVENTEEN, and more. Over the years, the pair have certainly built up a lot of choreography skill. However, one part of choreographing still gives them a difficult time to this day.

What’s the most difficult thing for idol choreographers? Making clear dance formation? Or making each dance moves for each member?

— AYO commenter

According to Lee Junwoo, without a doubt, creating dance formations is the most difficult part of choreographing K-Pop songs. Formations are the arrangements members transition between as they perform the song, and in many dance-focused groups, they can be particularly complex.

Of course, even when the formations themselves are simple, the transitions can still be a challenge. Lee Junwoo explained that often, the member who is singing a particular line will be positioned at one end of the stage, while the member who sings the next line is positioned on the opposite side. Unsurprisingly, planning a formation that transitions seamlessly between the two and looks good on camera isn’t easy.

You need to consider the aesthetic part.

—Lee Junwoo

On top of formations, Lee Junwoo added that the LOOK dance team has to focus heavily on creating the “point dance”—the most iconic, memorable move in the choreography. Point moves are often a big part of what propels a song to success, so it’s important that choreographers do their best.

In the song “Just Do It” by BSS, for example, Lee Dabin and Lee Junwoo created a hair-tousling point move that no one could forget.

A point dance for sure.

— Lee Dabin