Thread by @JiminUncut, [Black Swan Jimin Dance Analysis Thread]Black Swan is a hauntingly beautiful piece [...]

[Black Swan Jimin Dance Analysis Thread]

Black Swan is a hauntingly beautiful piece about the fear of losing one’s passion for something one used to love. The choreography is a beautiful complement to the song’s message and the group pulls it off wonderfully.
#JIMIN @BTS_twt

Black Swan is an incredible ensemble piece that relies on absolute synchronicity between the group members. Even small moves become 10x more impactful when done at the exact same time. @BTS_twt

Consider the illusion of tracing. When Jimin uses one hand to follow/trace the movements of his body, it gives an powerful impression that his hand is controlling the rest of his body. #JIMIN @BTS_twt

Now consider when Jungkook moves his hand and the WHOLE GROUP follows the movement. The individual moves are so subtle, but together the illusion is on such a large scale and gives such an amazing visual picture that it can’t be achieved with one person alone. @BTS_twt

One of the greatest examples of group synchronicity in dancing is Riverdance. These dancers pour countless hours into perfecting their timing and still rehearse for an hour before each show.

For dancers, it’s common to want to add your own interpretation to the choreography and give individual moves artistic flair. But synchronicity requires unity, humbleness & absolute teamwork. You have to match your movements perfectly to your neighbour and it is no easy feat.

Another thing that the group achieves together is fantastic imagery. Coming in at the end of Yoongi’s verse, the group evokes images of swans, flying up and down in a pack. @BTS_twt

And all their arm movements throughout the piece are beautiful and elongated, emulating wings. @BTS_twt

Many of their movements also reflect specific song lyrics, adding more meaning to the piece. At the line “seems like time has stopped,” Jungkook comes to a sudden halt mid-step, frozen until Yoongi reaches out to him. @BTS_twt

The lyrics “my wandering feet held in a rut” are accompanied by constrained movements, their arms being bound and them trying to break free of restraints. It is almost reminiscent of someone struggling in a straight jacket. @BTS_twt

They revisit this line at the end of Jimin’s solo bit and you can see how his left foot actually looks like it’s being held back, like it’s chained and he is fighting against it. #JIMIN @BTS_twt

Jimin pulls off this sequence brilliantly, almost looking like he is skating across the water as he grasps after his escaping passion. He pulls up short, grasping his throat as he sings “Killing me now.” #JIMIN @BTS_twt

Now, the musicality in this piece is crucial. And it’s always something Jimin has excelled at. He has incredible control and can switch between fast and slow, sharp and smooth at a moment’s notice. You can see it all play out in his little solo bit. #JIMIN @BTS_twt

Notice this part where #JIMIN draws a slow arm up before entering a quick sequence towards the floor. And then he comes back up on one foot, as if suspended in the air. The quick moves towards the ground and delicate moves towards the sky gives him the illusion of weightlessness.

Here’s another example of the quick-then-slow timing. Especially the fast hand sequence followed by the slow raise of the arms. The choreo follows the beat of the music, and even more than that, the lyrics. Up until that arm raise, there is a new movement for each syllable.

As we know, Jimin uses every last second of every count of music, never wasting a moment when moving. Notice how he completes his arm movement fully before putting his hands to his chest for the end of “now.” #JIMIN @BTS_twt

It’s interesting because no one else follows through on that final arm except Tae, which makes me think he and Jimin might have practiced together. Everyone else has their own style for completing the move. @BTS_twt

Now there are certain moves in the piece that make #JIMIN shine. This move is called a chaîné in ballet. Chaînés are turns that move across the floor by making half turns on relevé with each step. They are a wonderful way to travel across the floor while still dancing.

Chaînés look easy but take a lot of practice to get looking clean. To fight off dizziness, it’s essential to perfect your spotting technique so you can stay on balance and keep going in a straight line.

We always have time to appreciate a beautiful body roll, don’t we? Notice how Jimin rolls his shoulders and chest for a bigger effect. And since the move is 3 dimensional, it’s a body roll, not a wave.

#JIMIN @BTS_twt

Here’s a slow body wave(!) leading into one of the most impactful moves in the piece. #JIMIN has so much control over his torso and it really shows here. The chest hits in and out are powerful and perfectly on beat. And then he pulls away, lingering on the last note of music.

#JIMIN really uses his relevés very cleverly throughout the whole piece. This is of course the advantage to dancing barefoot or in soft shoes - to show off your feet and use every part of them. Notice how he sneaks his foot up here, giving him a beautiful body line. @BTS_twt

This is another great instance. Jimin goes on relevé as his arm comes down, giving the move that much more dimension. His knees are bent so he’s not exactly achieving more height, but it makes the move bigger and he’s able to milk the movement downwards with more control.

And we can’t talk about Jimin’s relevés without mentioning his opening and closing poses. The relevé of his left foot changes the slope of his body line, letting him lean forward and create the beautiful image of a swan ready to take flight. #JIMIN @BTS_twt

Black Swan is ultimately a beautiful and powerful piece made stronger by the individual boys who dance it, as well as their groupwork all together. They are 7.