Watch This Choreographer Give A 101 On K-pop Dance
Choreographer and dancer Jiayi Ng hits the dance floor to show us why K-Pop dance is such a phenomenon.
You don't have to be a cultural connoisseur to know that K-pop has become more than just a craze. Case in point: the hallyu wave has hit the worlds of fashion and beauty. But for avid enthusiasts including this dance instructor, its star appeal lies in its vivid and expressive choreography that's integral to the genre.
Meet Jiayi Ng, a Singapore dancer who's been practising for a total of 13 years and now carves a professional career as an instructor at Legacy Dance Co.
To date, the 25-year-old has dabbled in choreography for Malaysian artiste Sora Ma, performed with Ngee Ann Polytechnic's NRA dance crew and took part in local dance competitions like Super 24 2015 (Open Category) and Blackout 2014 where her crew was a finalist and champion respectively.
Tell us about yourself.
“My name is Jiayi and I am a K-pop dance instructor here in Singapore. I have been dancing for 13 years now dabbling in dance styles like Girls Style and Hip Hop. But ultimately, I dance K-pop!”
How would you describe K-pop dance to the man on the street?
“K-pop dance is basically anything that dances to Korean pop music. Though what I feel really defines the genre is its power to captivate and mesmerise its audience through any screen size with its synergy, choreography and beautiful yet strong showmanship.”
What are some signature moves specific to this genre that makes it unique?
“I feel one of the amazing things about K-pop dance is its focus on showmanship and ability to communicate with the audience through their performances. There's a lot of focus on posture, lines and angles (using the jawline and neckline for instance) that highlights the charm of the dancer.
Also, there are the fiery eye contact, the winks and plenty of facial expressions.”
How do you add your own flavour to the genre?
“I've often heard people telling me I've got this thing called hair choreography, which incorporates hair movements as part of the choreography to enhance the performance. Ever since I've dyed blonde, I think the emphasis on my hair choreography has become bolder.”
How did you gain interest in K-pop dance?
“I started dancing in secondary school, and if you’re from my generation, you would definitely know Gee by SNSD – which I believe was when K-pop started blowing up in Southeast Asia. K-pop's upbeat music, synchronised dance moves and all these pretty and good-looking idols definitely became an addiction and a stress reliever.
My friends and I would even be learning all these different songs and dance for fun. I probably had a teeny tiny dream of being a K-pop star too... I even attended a JYP audition back then!”
Who inspires your work?
“Many people. My peers, my students, and also, a lot of K-pop artists. These days, K-pop choreographies are really stepping up their game in terms of creativity and concept.
As a choreographer myself, after learning and studying K-pop dance, I'm inspired to create pieces that can allow the dancer to feel confident performing and at the same time learn how to captivate their audience's attention.
To be honest, a trick for me when I choreograph is to envision myself dancing in a music video or on a concert stage, performing!
Why is this genre of dance empowering to you?
“Over the years of training in dance and exploring different styles, like Hip Hop, Urban, Locking, Waacking — comparing it all, the K-pop dance genre really helped me develop one of the most important elements of dance, which is confidence. The focus and training on showmanship, character, and dance posture for K-pop choreography really helped me as a dancer.
In my ability to execute the dance piece better and also build my confidence when dancing in a room full of people. There is an evident difference when a confident person is performing as compared to someone just dancing a piece.”
Dance is a niche career choice in Singapore. What kept you going into pursuing this passion for dance into a career?
“Dance has always been a joyful thing for me and for a good few years back, I was afraid of making it a profession as I didn't want this joyful hobby of mine to become a form of stress.
But four years ago, after taking a break from dance, I reconnected with one of my poly dance seniors and he offered me the opportunity to share my craft and teach at his studio, a place that I will always be thankful for.
He's now become my boss and I am currently still teaching at the dance studio, Legacy Dance Co. After years of teaching, the fulfilment in seeing other dancers grow and enjoy the dance sessions with me are really the heartwarming moments that keeps my passion burning for this career.
In addition to this, I just wanted to continue to share the love for K-pop and let others know that aside from the fandom community aspect of this genre, it's also a form of performing art!”
In the span of your career, what’s been your favourite project to work on?
“One of my favourite projects is actually organising the HallyuPopFest 2019 Artist Reveal Flashmob event. It was a medley flashmob performance held along Orchard road, with the objective of revealing the artist line-up for the K-pop festival, called HallyuPopFest.
There were about 40 to 50 dancers and I had to mix the songs, piece the performance, teach and rehearse more than 10 different choreographies. I was also in charge of formations, rehearsals and liaising with the organisers which happened across four to six weeks.
Though it was one of the busiest times of my dance career, it's definitely one of the most fruitful projects after seeing the number of people gathered to watch and applaud the performance. I made lots of new dance friends from that event too.”
What have been some of your favourite songs to dance to for this genre and why?
“It's too difficult to choose a song, every time there's a new release, it becomes my new favourite song to dance to!
Personally, I enjoy more hard-hitting songs, because it makes me feel like I'm at a concert – something like BTS' On, with lots of adrenaline and power. But I also enjoy songs like Itzy's Mafia In The Morning too which exudes girl crush vibes and lots of characterisation I can play around with.”
What would be the dream achievement you’d like to pursue in your career?
“Probably being a backup dancer for Blackpink or BTS. One can only dream, right?
I think it would really be the peak of my dance career if I was ever given the opportunity to perform at a K-pop concert. Let me manifest for an opportunity to be a backup dancer for a Singapore tour stop first, and slowly work my way up to having a chance to join the whole tour.”
What advice would you give to aspiring dancers?
“If you’re very new to dance and you're willing to move, please believe you will definitely improve.
Do not ever compare with others, everyone has their own style and their own pace. You’re dancing for yourself, so all you need is to feel your own energy. As long as you love and enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t matter what other people say because your happiness has literally nothing to do with them.
You're the star of your own world, so just keep dancing!”
Videography Vee Chin, assisted by Phyllicia Wang Art Direction & Styling Imran Jalal, assisted by Danessa Tong Video Editing Danessa Tong Hair Junz Loke Makeup Sha Shamsi Outfits & Accessories Gucci, Fendi & Charles & Keith