The Unappreciated

When we think of Asian media, we often forget some of the most important people in the industry, the dancers. In Asian pop, dancing is much more an integral part of the music than in the United States, where the celebrities themselves don't bust moves too often. However, in Asia, live performances are often rigidly choreographed.

Also, the larger-than-life celebrities performing on stage and in music videos need background dancers, not to mention the the choreographer. If the choreographer of the song is lucky, the dance will be so iconic and distinctive that the moves will soon be recognizable by anybody that keeps up with pop culture. Iconic dance moves include: the horse dance from Gangnam Style, the hand rub from Super Junior's Sorry Sorry, and the crab dance from SNSD's Gee, to name a few. For a more in depth analysis of Kpop choreography and more examples, I direct your attention here.

One Kpop choreographer who I've found is Ellen Kim. Based in San Francisco, she is a member of a dance company named Movement Lifestyle. She also co-owns a dance company called the Lost Kids with Kyle Hanagami, another notable Kpop choreographer. She has choreographed for big Kpop names, and has danced for big American names such as Beyonce and Snoop Dogg. Below is one of her dance covers, where she dances to I am the Best by 2NE1 with yet another notable Kpop choreographer, Aimee Lee Lucas, and a few others from the Movement Lifestyle Studio.

If you care to explore more, here are links to other choreographers and Ellen Kim's Youtube channel:

• Ellen Kim
• Rino Nakasone: website and Youtube
• Kyle Hanagami
• Aimee Lee Lucas

-Julia