Read on Twitter
An Analysis of Taehyung's Dance in Dynamite
An idol by day, a disco king by night. In Dynamite, Kim Taehyung shows that he owns the dancefloor.
#뷔 #BTSV #Taehyung #방탄소년단뷔 #태형
An idol by day, a disco king by night. In Dynamite, Kim Taehyung shows that he owns the dancefloor.
#뷔 #BTSV #Taehyung #방탄소년단뷔 #태형
I often read and heard that back in the days of the disco, it was in the discotheque where anyone was allowed to be free and be who they are, even just for a night. What does this truly mean though? A few words will not be able to give justice to its history and origins. +
So, I will encourage everyone to read this article. There are other, more depth texts but this would the easiest to read and most concise to grasp, without taking away crucial points of an easily overlooked history that continues to shape pop music. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180403-why-disco-should-be-taken-seriously
While set choreographies do exist within the genre, to become one and in spirit with the core of disco is to also have a developed sense of identity. In dancing, this is projected through freeform and improvisation. Personal style. +
BTS and their choreographer knew this when they worked on Dynamite. Michael Jackson, highly influenced by disco funk and other genres (especially when he released Off the Wall - yes, that reference is intentional!), pioneered many of the dance moves today+ https://twitter.com/kjngofpops/status/1296771512129802240?s=20
And he was a perfect and fitting figure to reference from especially for this concept.
You will notice that Dynamite's choreography hardly includes sharp athletic movements. This is because in classic disco it's more about keeping the flow going - disco songs often have +
You will notice that Dynamite's choreography hardly includes sharp athletic movements. This is because in classic disco it's more about keeping the flow going - disco songs often have +
ascending vocals with a consistent beat; this is to make people keep dancing! - with a certain pattern of freestyling. Some common movements we will see in disco are sidesteps, front &backsteps, revolving hands, raised arms, turns, pelvic thrusts, shoulder shrugs. +
It's on dance breaks where people would 'show off', though this isn't always needed. It's very easy to underestimate this choreo because of the lack of sharp athleticism here compared in ON, but if you want to look good in this choreo, the criteria of looking fly and effortless+
s already subtext the requirements from the dancer. Of being in control and being able to temper your energy.
To understand this better in our analysis, watch this clip of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, the film that made disco mainstream. +
To understand this better in our analysis, watch this clip of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, the film that made disco mainstream. +
Pay attention to the combination of big and small movements and transitions of his steps. And how he just keeps -~goingoingoingoing~. It has to look smooth (flow) and also in-character with the music (groove). Take note that the song has a faster bpm compared to Dynamite!
For anyone who's already read some of our dance threads, you might already know where this is going and how Taehyung perfectly embodied this concept.
For those who need the validation... here's what Taj, MJ's nephew, has to say about Tae: https://twitter.com/BTSV_UNION/status/1299807838852861952?s=20
For those who need the validation... here's what Taj, MJ's nephew, has to say about Tae: https://twitter.com/BTSV_UNION/status/1299807838852861952?s=20
Let's start with this high kick that creates a very smooth, curved trajectory to transition the part from JK's verse to the RM's rap. From a sharp accent, Taehyung creates a smooth pattern with his shoulder shrugs - he drags and eases out his shoulders - in and out - +
before creating another sharp accent with his right arm to mark another transition on the choreography. He does this just when the stray vocable (the "woo-hoo" you hear before the four members turn left) plays. Texture texture texture!
Another is how he uses dynamics to give texture to his transitions. Taehyung's movements in dance are according to the phrasing of the music, +
like the rhythm here in his verse. Taehyung's shoulder movements and sidesteps here, for e.g, use sustained energy but w/ percussive accents (look at his hips and shoulders moving fluidly until he "locks" briefly with hips jutted&shoulders leaned), matching the clapping beat.
It's already known that Taehyung has a foundation he builds on from years of being a performer and a continuous learner. But in my opinion, the best thing about his dance is his groove (Taehyung staying on the beat, the pace, the vibe and character of the song) and musicality. +
Though clean and still smooth, look at how he uses his shoulder to sharpen out his movements - that alone moving like a percussion instrument. This is why it's a bit tricky to sort Taehyung between a sharp and fluid dancer exclusively since he uses these for dynamics.
I think my favourite is Taehyung's footwork. He looks like he's gliding and sliding instead of 'stepping'. The worst thing one can do here is to look like you're 'stomping' in this choreo. With the balls of his feet planted on the floor, he makes clean and graceful movements+
no matter the speed of the steps. This is also why I was very particular in his pants 
The fabric was flimsy enough that any extra energy with his legs and feet will whip out the ends of his pants, and this could look very distracting. But here, you can see how clean his steps+
The fabric was flimsy enough that any extra energy with his legs and feet will whip out the ends of his pants, and this could look very distracting. But here, you can see how clean his steps+
were. It may not look like it, but these steps from him were very controlled. In this sequence specifically - his feet are in sweeping motion instead of the usual tapping/stepping. Taehyung's footwork is very light and agile while looking effortless. +
That's why Center Taehyung:
His sense of flow is more obvious in the choruses. Particularly this one. Taehyung strides to the center but look at how he uses the gesture of rolling his sleeves up to transition the segment of this choreo smoothly, before doing the hair slick. +
Everyone else is on static to highlight this portion. The gesture, along with Taehyung's attitude, overtakes this part that we barely notice anything else. +
Remember when I said earlier that the point in disco is to never stop dancing? Taehyung barely does! Just check this out and see how he's just feeling and grooving along with it. I thought this was a nice detail. +
Keep in mind that they're doing a set choreo and not entirely improvising, but you can still witness how Taehyung takes it to heart especially in the MV shoot. +
In one of our threads, we mentioned that Taehyung uses his clothes as an extension for himself. MJ and JT were also known for their mindfulness of their clothing and accessories, using them as flourishes and embellishments to the choreography. +
While Taehyung himself has always been mindful too, he was extra considerate with this for Dynamite - tugs on his tie, rolls, and tugs on the sleeves, throwing his cap, etc. There's interaction with the accessories. Tae gives them meaning aside from making him look sodamncool 
I mentioned this also too: it is true that when we think about MJ we don't often think about his hand movements, even though they were integral in his iconic body outlines, silhouettes. They add narrative, uniqueness, & art. And our subconscious read that. Beautiful subtleties. +
Now, look at how Taehyung also uses his hands. Tae has his own hand movements, poses, and gestures too (I was right that I'll spot more of these in the VMAs
). Nothing surprising since he's been doing it before, but his mindfulness of details is worth recognising. Please also +
). Nothing surprising since he's been doing it before, but his mindfulness of details is worth recognising. Please also +
pay attention to how Taehyung interacts with his clothes here - even RM's. His interactions with the performance space and objects truly make him a sight to watch 
+
+
And of course, we can't forget about his expressions and stature. Going back to what we mentioned earlier, in disco, you should look confident, free - therefore effortless, natural. +
The discotheque goer wears their fanciest clothes and brings their A-game on. The best&most sophisticated self. Taehyung knows he owns the dancefloor with his chest out, charming smile and intense, confident stares and cheeky brow quirks. His fluency with body language truly is
At some point, disco culture was also being made about love and togetherness, and the dancefloor was shared and communal. BTS made sure this element was seen in the MV as they "improvise" steps. These were nice, heartwarming additions +
that need to be also mentioned. Taehyung also came up with the choreography for most of these scenes. Again, showing that he took the effort and time to learn about the concept and intended narrative. https://twitter.com/Taehyungimpact/status/1298583754336739329?s=20
There's a reason why I kept bringing up Michael Jackson and John Travolta in Taehyung's dance and BTS' choreo - they are obvious iconic references that need to be acknowledged and credited. They are both individualistic and have their own styles. + https://twitter.com/taefolio/status/1298736197997477890
If you watch enough of their dances, you can also see some similarities with MJ's and JT's movements, yet both have a sense of ownership with the step/s. + https://twitter.com/taefolio/status/1298829890708312064
It must be said, if you cannot acknowledge the legacy and inspiration that these artists have done, I'm afraid you won't be able to appreciate art itself. Undermining their legacy, also undermines the respect and credit that Taehyung gives to them. This goes vice versa.+
Because the most wonderful thing about this connection is this sense of individualism is also present in Taehyung. Great artists learn from each other, and Dynamite opened an opportunity for him to add elements into his gesture book. +
And because of this, he truly understood the story he wants us to tell - captivated AND re-captivated the hearts of his fans and locals. +
Taehyung is known as a groovy, textural dancer. One might say it's "easy" and effortless for him to pull off the concept. In a way, yes, but he didn't dance with thoughtlessness. +
I think Dynamite’s choreography was one of the most self-actualizing and liberating for him as a dancer, where amongst all the characters that Taehyung has played and acted on in other performances, this felt the most 'him'.
For more of Taehyung's effective storytelling in dance, check out this thread! https://twitter.com/taefolio/status/1274165600185507841?s=20
Don't forget to stream Dynamite and Taehyung's music! Here are a few of our playlists:
retro galore with dynamite: https://open.spotify.com/user/a8lc32r1v1bydo1yv103irsei/playlist/6HKqWXQwC42AkZhMSWZVUv?si=P1xtgkNeQwCAhk_njr846A
tae x origins: https://open.spotify.com/user/a8lc32r1v1bydo1yv103irsei/playlist/6lFpCUt5UWQVT7UTO6gPOo?si=ScuG4AsATyKPTIyIh0_2ZQ
retro galore with dynamite: https://open.spotify.com/user/a8lc32r1v1bydo1yv103irsei/playlist/6HKqWXQwC42AkZhMSWZVUv?si=P1xtgkNeQwCAhk_njr846A
tae x origins: https://open.spotify.com/user/a8lc32r1v1bydo1yv103irsei/playlist/6lFpCUt5UWQVT7UTO6gPOo?si=ScuG4AsATyKPTIyIh0_2ZQ
The Internet agrees that Kim Taehyung owns the floor 
https://twitter.com/thetaesource/status/1301550899970691072?s=21 https://twitter.com/thetaesource/status/1301550899970691072
https://twitter.com/thetaesource/status/1301550899970691072?s=21 https://twitter.com/thetaesource/status/1301550899970691072
