#dino dances like a lion cub

[afunkypopsong]

How Seventeen’s Performance Unit Dances

Hoshi dances with his whole body, something that might seem obvious but really requires constant tension in almost all the muscles in one’s body. Because of this, his centre of gravity tends to be not as stable, resulting in occasional loss of balance after jumps and the like, and he leads with his shoulders when travelling across the stage or into formation. However, he has one of the best musicalities I’ve seen in kpop; every one of his gestures matches accents in the music, and his expressions and alignment correspond to each and every flow and nuance in the accompaniment, which is why he seems so at home onstage. A black belt in taekwondo, he utilises his history in martial arts to make his movements sharp and deliberate, reminiscent of the patterns/choreographies in taekwondo. He pays a lot of attention to details like gestures, and his stage presence is incredibly natural; he utilises his focus very effectively, meaning that his gaze and facings are choreographed down to the nanometer. (see what I did there) Hoshi also has a very youthful, boisterous energy about him, an energy which lends itself to the cheerful, energetic choreographies Seventeen is known for.

Jun dances more subtly than Hoshi; leading with his pelvis almost instinctively. This is characteristic of someone with confidence, or someone with an intention to put across to the audience. His stage aura is very sensual because of this, even in light-hearted performances – he knows what kind of gaze to direct at the camera, and knows when and where to find the camera. He also tends to exaggerate his facial expressions, probably at least in part because of Jessi’s advice to him in 17 Debut Project, and partially because of his background in acting. Jun’s hand and finger movements are very elegant, somewhat uncharacteristic of a martial artist, though his other movements correspond to his history of martial arts; his movements are very crisp and deliberate. He uses his core (ahem, abs) muscles a lot in his movements too – again, very typical of a martial artist, especially one trained in wushu, and his movements are very fluid. I very much want to see him dance a contemporary piece. He also has a very stable base, and seems to know his limits as a dancer very intimately; in other words, he knows his own body very well and dances as one confident with their own body and its capabilities.

The8 dances like a b-boy would dance – that is to say, with an explosively simmering energy in his muscles, and he uses his arms instinctively for balance while doing footwork. Because of this, his gestures are very natural, and have an inherently effortless, confident aura. For some reason, he also has a habit of playing with his jackets or outer clothing, and if he has a hat or cap on, he’ll fiddle with that too at least once during the performance. His build suits tumbling and b-boying; he’s very light on his feet, nimble in his footwork, and even though that’s the case, he also has a very solid base. His hand movements are very typical of someone with a background in b-boying, and he pays a lot of attention to his lower body in dances; his foot movements are very crisp and precise, very aesthetically pleasing. His dancing style is very masculine because of the way he looks so comfortable onstage, and the explosive yet subtly contained energy of his movements – the best example of this is Boom Boom era stages, and Shining Diamond stages.

Dino dances like he’s been dancing his whole life, or like he was born to dance. He moves like it comes naturally, yet with that practiced quality that only comes with hours and hours of rehearsal – he probably pulls all-nighters practicing the movements. He pays a lot of attention to expressions, something all Carats will recognise, and is able to switch expressions in a millisecond – but the most incredible thing about it is that his expressions constantly correspond minutely to the feelings of the song, which makes him look like he’s having a lot of fun when he dances. A lot of idols and dancers fall prey to the “blank-slate smoulder” – that is to say, during intense/sexy songs, they keep the same half-lidded, somewhat dazed-looking expression throughout the performance, but Dino is known for being able to smirk or grin somewhat evilly/menacingly even during such songs. Like Hoshi, he also has a youthful energy to his dancing that shows best through light-hearted, cheerful songs, and he’s a dancer who looks genuinely at home onstage. He also dances with his entire body, and is a dancer who is comfortable with his own body, which contributes to the natural quality of his movements.