The K-pop world is known for its amazing and swift dance routines as much as it’s known for its vocals and music composition. Follow up on this list to get acquainted with some of the most legendary and iconic choreographies in the K-pop industry.
1. Taemin - Move
Released in 2017, the iconic song ‘Move’ was a part of Taemin’s second studio album of the same title. The song was famous for its smooth yet strong body roll choreography. Many idols covered this song’s choreography both in Korea and abroad. Today, it is still included in the list of the most iconic choreographies in the K-pop industry. Sugawara Koharu, a Japanese singer-dancer, is the choreographer of this song.
2. Chungha - Gotta Go
Chungha’s ‘Gotta Go’ is one of her most successful singles to date. It scored the first position on the Billboard K-pop Hot 100, second on the Gaon Digital Charts, and sixth on the World Digital Song Sales chart. In South Korea, it was the eighth-most streamed, second-most downloaded, and the eighth-best performing song of the year 2019. This song’s choreography was so iconic that many idols posted videos of themselves trying it out on various social media sites. Gotta Go was choreographed by Rian.
3. Sunmi - Gashina
Sunmi’s ‘Sunmi Special Edition - Gashina’ or ‘Gashina’ was her first single album after she departed from the JYP sensational group Wonder Girls. It was released in 2017, and the song was later included in her second mini-album, ‘Warning’. The hand-gun dance routine of this song is so popular that you can still find many people trying it out today. Lia Kim of the 1 Million Dance Studio is the official choreographer of Gashina, but Sunmi had put in her thoughts and ideas as well.
4. Seventeen - Left And Right
Part of SEVENTEEN’s seventh mini-album, ‘Heng: garae’ ‘Left & Right’ is the second song on the album list and the title track. The song was released in 2020. The song was a huge hit winning SEVENTEEN various awards on Korean music shows such as Show Champion and Music Bank. Its easy and plain dance routine quickly became a viral TikTok trend soon after its release. And had many influencers trying it out too.The choreography of this song was done by SEVENTEEN’s member Hoshi, in collaboration with Team Same.
5. NCT 127 - Kick It
NCT 127’s ‘Kick It’ was released as the title track of their album Neo-Zone. It was NCT 127’s fastest song to reach 100 million views on YouTube. The song was a commercial hit and was ranked 3rd on the US World Digital Song. ‘Kick It’ is NCT 127’s most remarkable success over time. They have been active in the industry. The choreography during the chorus began a huge TikTok trend. And so did the song as audio. Jung Koosung was the choreographer of this great bop, with several inputs from NCT 127’s leader, Lee Taeyong.
6. BLACKPINK - Kill This Love
Released as the first title track on BLACKPINK’s second mini-album, ‘Kill This Love’. The song Kill This Love was a crucial milestone in the girls’ musical career. Approximately 4 hours and 10 minutes later, it broke the record for the fastest K-pop MV to reach 10 million views. Because of this song, BLACKPINK became the first-ever girl group to place No.1 on the iTunes Top Songs Chart. The song’s upbeat and catchy tune and funky choreography quickly became a big trend on social media sites, with many celebrities and influencers trying it out too. Kim Yeji of the 1 Million Dance Studio was the choreographer of Kill This Love.
7. PSY - Gangnam Style
One of K-pop’s biggest hits, PSY’s Gangnam Style, was significant not only in the actor’s career but also for the entire K-pop industry as a whole. Gangnam Style was the first-ever video to hit one billion views on YouTube. The choreography was so popular that even famous political leaders such as the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and the British Prime Minister David Cameron also attempted it. Still a great hit after almost ten years of its release. Lee Ju-Sun was the choreographer of PSY’s Gangnam Style.
8. ITZY - Wannabe
Highlighting the importance of self-love, ITZY’s ‘Wannabe’ was released as the title track to their second mini-album ‘It’z Me’. The song was a huge hit winning the girls eight music trophies from various music-related shows on Korean music shows. Ryujin’s iconic shoulder dance was so well-known that it became a trend on the internet and had everyone making attempts to succeed at it. Choreographed by Lee Lee Jung of YGX.
9. EXO - Growl
Growl was a breakthrough in the career of the legendary K-pop boy group, EXO. In 2013, the song was made available in both Korean and Chinese languages. Billboard had described the song as “the crown jewel in EXO’s fantastic 2013” while picking Growl as the ‘Best K-pop Song (2013)’. EXO had performed this song during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics (2018) along with their song ‘Power’. The choreography of this song was famous when the song had initially released. To date, it is one of the most followed-up choreographies. It is also used on various shows to test idols dancing skills. Nick Bass was the choreographer of this iconic song.
10. EXID - Up & Down
Initially unsuccessful at its release, EXID’s ‘Up & Down’ was the group’s third digital single. Up & Down was later included in EXID’s second mini-album ‘Ah Yeah’. It wasn’t until a fancam (videos of idols shot by fans in the audience) of Hani performing this song went viral that Up & Down began seeing great success. The song’s chorus followed a simple hip-thrust movement and is today considered one of the most popular dance moves by any girl group in the K-pop industry.A veteran K-pop choreographer Bae Yoon Jung was the choreographer of Up & Down.
