Today, we'll see which member owns the concept through their dance styles.
BOOM
BOOM, the song that embarks on a change of concept in NCT Dream, is a percussion and synth-driven chill urban pop song. The minimalist song portrays the members who have reached adulthood. If their previous comebacks were like sweet grape juice, BOOM is a rich, rounded, and smooth wine.
As they embrace a sleeker image, the choreography also has new additional elements added. The dance focuses on maintaining tension and dime stops. BOOM is renowned for its controlled isolation, waves, and smooth glides. The movements were small yet impactful at first because the music began relatively slowly but gradually incorporated bigger motions and leaps as the song progressed.
Having said that, the member I selected is
Haechan
A part of projecting a more mature and sophisticated image is remaining cool, calm, and collected while remaining firm. To achieve this image, one must understand energy expenditure and texture. Haechan is a man who thoroughly grasps efficiency and technique.
Intensity and Conviction
Haechan attacks each movement with intensity and conviction, resulting in unparalleled clarity and efficiency. As a result, technically complex moves seem sophisticated yet are executed with little effort.
To show you what I mean, pay attention to this particular section of the choreography where they are required to place their feet down. To emphasize this movement, the other members unnecessarily distribute their weight on their heels or stomp. Haechan doesn't follow that technique, nor does it look like he placed his feet down lightly. It looks grounded and strong because it is done with enough power and conviction.
Activation
Part of his efficiency also comes from his understanding of how to activate the correct body part. Activation means using one movement to drive the next movement. But what makes Haechan’s so memorable is his understanding of how to create activation with the right blend of logic and fantasy.
It would be easier to describe what I mean with an example. Let’s compare how Chenle and Haechan do in this section. Chenle pops his chest WHILE he stretches out his legs, but what Haechan does differently is he uses the pop from his chest TO stretch out his legs. There is a flow to his movements, in which he continues by lifting his leg instead of dragging it to close the gap, and placing it down only when he has to step to the side.
Weightlessness
In addition, he also has these beautiful, light-footed walks, struts, jumps, and runs that Haechan incorporates constantly. That is because Haechan exudes lightness and weightlessness. The sensation of being free of gravity and having a body with no mass or muscles, is solely pure torque. For example, when doing the jumps, Haechan remains up in the air for a few seconds longer than the rest of the group. This sense of ease exemplifies the song's sleek and flowing nature.
Simply said, the remainder of the members radiate the energy of frat guys and high school kids still attempting to impress. While Haechan moves with the maturity of a man who knows what he wants.
Honorable Mention
Renjun
Renjun's virtuosity is defined by the accuracy of his motions, speed, and pacing. Renjun knows when to stress a movement, and his energy dynamics complement the feel and beat of the song.
Fluidity
However, it should be noted that his fluidity lets him shine in this choreography. There are many instances where Renjun subtly adds waves with his arms or body. This in turn creates an interesting texture that compliments the feel of being graceful and sophisticated. As proof, instead of just raising his arms, Renjun created a wave with his arms that helped emphasize the claps in the instruments of the song.
Lines
Renjun has become the representative of grace and poise in NCT Dream. Renjun’s awareness of lines and shapes plays a part in the charm of his grace, which we have discussed in the breakdown series. This is best illustrated by this section. Renjun deliberately lifts his left elbow while he taps the side of his foot. Then he lowers it to lift his right arm, resulting in a smooth and gorgeous extension of the arm.
RIDIN
Ridin is an urban trap song with heavy synths and a catchy bass line. Ridin's is best described as a coming-of-age story. It retains aspects of recklessness and roughness, but they are layered with maturity and understanding.
The deep, motorcycle revving-like synth and the rapping gave that rough touch to an extent. Creating a noticeable contrast with the instrumentals and vocals, which adds a smooth texture to the music. Ergo, the utilization of both fluid-like movements and hard-hitting moves. This requires them to have some level of swagger and also fluidity.
And the member that best fits that concept is
Jaemin
Jaemin has two lead roles in NCT Dream: lead dancer and lead rapper. These two sides are at opposite ends of the spectrum, one being smooth and the other being rough. But Jaemin knows how to strike a balance.
Fluid with a Flair
Jaemin, the lead dancer, has enough fluidity that complements the smoothness of the song's instrumentals and vocals. This fluidity stems from his ability to isolate or understand where to begin the isolation. Understanding this allows for the movement to look logical and less awkward. For example, pay attention to where his isolation starts in these three clips.
However, he has one trait that balances out his smoothness. Jaemin, the lead rapper, exudes a swagger that says, "I don't care what you think because I dominate the stage." This is evident in his gestures and stylistic choice to mumble rap. This side of him exemplifies the heavy bass line and the urban trap aspect of the song.
He frequently integrates both sides or changes between them.
Arms
Jaemin has benefited from the fact that the point choreography emphasizes arm movements more than any other body component. One of Jaemin's best skills is his ability to swiftly create images and pictures with his hands. Although he does not focus on lines, he focuses on speed and creating the perfect circular motion.
To give you an idea, during the chorus, the movement requires the arms to be extended diagonally. Not only does Jaemin extend his arms fully, but notice how he releases his fingertips to further extend the twirl. Furthermore, his controlled pace of twisting his arm is also part of the detail that he paid close attention to.
Honorable Mention
Haechan
Haechan’s understanding of technique influences the way he uses his energy and how he presents it. Like Jaemin, he has two sides to him that match the strong synths and the smooth vocals.
Implosive Energy but Light
As mentioned, his boneless and weightless body can bring out the smoothness in any song due to his fluid-like look. But when combined with his energy type, it creates a beautiful blend of being hard-hitting and fluid. Haechan's energy is implosive, meaning it stays inside the body. This creates a popping effect that highlights the 808s and the kicks of the song.
‘Lazy’ but clean
Although there are various ways to interpret movement in Ridin's attempt to depict its members as out-of-control bikers, being "lazy" or "nonchalant" suits it well. Haechan’s moves may come off as effortless or even "lazy," while in actuality, they're efficient due to his mastery of technique.
This is counterbalanced by his clean and precise stops. Stops allow the viewers to see each picture clearly and let them know when an idea or movement is finished, as shown in the following example. So, while being clean and mature, Haechan still projects a reckless and rough image.
HOT SAUCE
Hot Sauce provides listeners with an addictive fusion of synth-heavy sounds and hip-hop beats with Afrobeat influences. This intense beat is enhanced by NCT Dream's more recently noticed asset, their deep and raspy vocals.
The choreography tries to match their concept and the song, involving moves derived from Latin dances such as salsa and tango. Being light on your feet, having a dramatic flair, and sensuality are the main components of Latin dance. But the dance is very dynamic, incorporating popping and isolations, making it look hard-hitting and frisky yet smooth and relaxed.
Considering all of those, the best-fitting member is
Jaemin
Although the Latin dances call for lightness in the performers' movements, the choreography consists of more hard-hitting and popping elements. Therefore, one has to be familiar with energy expenditure dynamics to perform this dance well.
Dynamics
Dynamics are different types of execution of movement. It depends on how much and how fast the energy is distributed. Jaemin is perfectly aware of when to add power and when to minimize it. To illustrate, during the chorus, which solely focuses on open style, Jaemin moves slowly and loosely yet remains groovy. But as they enter the post-chorus, notice that his energy increases and he carries that momentum into the second verse.
But as the second pre-chorus arrives, Jaemin pulls back his energy to focus on the fluid-like motions. This is evident in his artistic choice to do chest waves or isolations. This can be seen again on the bridge, where he relaxes and moves lightly. When he slows down, it seems as if he’s letting his partner keep up with him, allowing them to connect their movements.
Posture
His posture, however, is what gives the impression that he is not dancing solo. Observe how he held his arms straight up high, his chest open, and maintained a straight neck, precisely as when dancing with a partner. This is done to make the lead, in this example, Jaemin, appears clear and unambiguous. Not hunched over his companion like a vulture over its prey.
Second, observe how his feet never extend past his body and only move a few feet to where his body is. This is because he leads his movements with his core. This technique is used in many Latin dances, such as salsa and tango.
Light Steps
As previously mentioned, dancers in Latin dances should be light on their feet to make the moves look relaxed and leisurely. This is yet another crucial element that contributed to his suitability for this choreography. Let's watch the partner dance sequence once more as evidence.
Observe how he shifts his weight with each stride rather than gliding, popping, or placing weight on them like the others. He uses less force to move, yet each movement is intentional, much like walking. In contrast to the others, he moves more slowly and takes smaller steps, which gives the impression that he is light on his feet.
While preserving NCT Dream's colors, Jaemin pays tribute to both the quick and lively styles of Latin dance, such as Mambo, and the slow and sensual ones, like Rumba.
Honorable Mentions
Chenle
It took me some time to completely comprehend why Chenle seems like he’s in his element in this choreography. At first, I assumed it was the chest or hip isolations. But the fundamental reason was that his movements were genuine and relaxed.
Relaxed.
Chenle's movements are loose, yet they all seem intentional. He didn’t have to force anything or make it seem like he was trying to exert any energy. Yet he is in control of his momentum, balance, and weight. Similar to Jaemin, he is incredibly light on his feet. He takes lighter and smaller steps, as seen here. And on top of that, he is on beat.
Transitional Movements.
Another reason why Chenle’s moves seem relaxed and loose is that they don’t feel stiff or clean-cut; instead, they are very flowy when he doesn’t require them to be. However, he does this without missing any key details. The reason being, his transitions between each movement are clear, quick, and precise. For instance, take note of his hand waves; they are clean and distinct.
HELLO FUTURE
"Hello Future" finds that middle ground between the very youthful tracks they began their careers with and the more mature sound they have opted for in their more recent releases.
“Hello Future” takes the audience back to their younger days by combining two of their youthful tracks, "We Young" and "We Go Up." We Young’s influence can be seen in most of the choreography by their picture-based and fluid-like nature. While We Go Up can be seen near the end, the pace picks up and the boy's movements drastically change into wider, more intense, and groove-based movements. For those reasons, the member selected is
Renjun
The dance involves smooth motions; think of clouds moving across the sky on a windy day. That is precisely how Renjun moves. Renjun phrases his dance so that one detail flows into another, appearing cool and detached like water. And that is how he makes the audience feel at peace despite the upbeat song.
Fluidity.
Renjun’s fluidity is part of his charm that made him stand out in this choreography. Fluidity is the quality of being graceful or flowing. Renjun's movement energy is free to flow between his body's regions, much like a wave in a fluid. He seamlessly connects his movements into a fluid picture, with no jutting limbs or awkward angles.
And the main reason he appears fluid is because he uses waves in his movements. Making the illusion of a wave rippling through your body is what waving is all about. Several waves are more fluid and create the illusion of bonelessness, while others are more mechanical, like an energy wave passing through. o
Pathway
On top of that, his pathway is clear. Pathways are the in-between movements and refer to the path or pattern made by a body part through space, on the ground, or in the air. However, Renjun focuses on pathways that go through his body. The best example can be seen in the chorus.
It's easy to see the pictures a dancer is hitting, but it's harder to see the movement in between. That is precisely what distinguished Renjun. Watch how distinct he made his body look when his knees went from right to left. The direction of his hands is also very detailed. His palms fall flat and go down his body, but soon followed by his right arm, forming a perpendicular that is connected to his knees. Which then goes inwards, following the motion of the knees. The pictures are crisp and clean, as if they were screenshotted one by one. However, if you watch that clip again, you'll notice that his understanding of lines is what truly helps each pathway appear clear.
Lines
The silhouette of a dancer's body during a performance is how the line is defined. It indicates the entire appearance, from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head. The lines don’t have to be straight, but they must be artistic and add to the overall picture.
Understanding and creating angles and lines is one of the keys to using your body to create an image. Renjun puts that in the back of his mind. Renjun creates such beautiful lines that anyone who takes a picture at any given moment will capture a stunning image as if he posed for it on purpose.
Using the chorus once again as our primary example, notice how his limbs constantly form an angle. Furthermore, Renjun’s gaze, head direction, and even his fingertips all point in the same direction as his body.
Honorable Mentions
Haechan
The last three comebacks from NCT represent the seasons of the year, Beatbox represents summer, Glitch Mode represents winter, and Hello Future represents spring. Spring signifies joy, fulfillment, refreshing breezes, walks in the parks, and growth. These are all similar adjectives one would use to describe Haechan’s movements.
Extensions
Extensions resemble growth as they are synonyms for lengthening one’s limbs. The purpose of this is to visually elongate your limbs as far as possible. Haechan masters the art of creating extensions, and this is shown in the following clips. It can be as simple as putting his chin up and shoulders down. Haechan keeps his chest open wide, creating an elongated look that helps create better and wider pictures in comparison to the rest.
Weightlessness
His weightlessness enforces the fluid and refreshing side of Hello Future. What helps create this appearance is how he relies on gravity as a source of creating power. This understanding is part of his efficiency, as instead of using his muscles to move his limbs, he allows gravity to do so. If any of you are interested, I have discussed how to use various sources of power in my Stray Kids' Lee Know Breakdown series.
To demonstrate what I mean, compare how Haechan moves from motion to motion to the others. His limbs fall almost instantly, yet in a free-flowing matter, like leaves falling from a tree. While the other members can be seen powering their way to each movement.
GLITCH MODE
Glitch Mode is an elasticized hip-hop laced with punchy raps and ethereal vocal lines. The heavy 808 bass and sample of Ohio Players' Funky Worm stick out in Glitch Mode, creating a 90's hip-hop sound while simultaneously making the song appear futuristic.
The dance embodies the title to a tee, with its swooping waves, cartoonish tics, and freezes. Claiming inspiration from film animations with its use of dramatic poses and jerky, freeze-frame dynamics, the dance adds robotics, ticks, and glides. But with an NCT Dream twist, with its grooves. You guys could’ve already guessed which member I will choose.
Jisung
Surprise surprise! From the title itself, we all could’ve predicted it. Jisung’s moves always look animated, be it like a robot, a bobblehead, or a cartoon. This is mainly because of his special style.
Popping
As previously stated, the choreography includes many robot-like movements, which are some of the core components of popping. It mainly derives from being able to hit on the beat. Jisung, with his imploding strength, simulates an animated character moving frame-by-frame. This is due to his technique, which involves tensing the muscles abruptly to create a stop-motion illusion.
Jisung's imploding abilities transfer to other mediums as well. Rather than simply stopping, he adds a pop to his stops, a subtle detail that he thought through. He embodies the music by managing his energy levels according to the audio levels. The louder the sound, the harder he hits. The softer the sound, the softer he hits. Flexing his muscles, for example, creates a visual that matches louder musical elements, such as the bass or lead guitar. It is clearly visible in the bridge, where Jisung places extra energy in certain parts.
Musicality
His musicality also shines in this choreography. Musicality is how a dancer hears the music they are dancing to and interprets it in their moves. Musicality can be interpreted in different ways that are specific to the dancer.
He demonstrates musicality by selecting the sounds to which they dance within a song, how he interprets these sounds, and how their dance reflects the overall meaning of the song. And by utilizing his implosive energy, he is able to create textures similar to the vibration or the heaviness of the instrument. His ears are specifically sensitive to the hits and the high hats that are present in the music.
As illustrated by the next few clips. Instead of just moving his hand to the side, Jisung was popping or vibrating to be precise, like an actual glitching robot. When the lyrics say code, his hand gesture looks like he's typing on a keyboard. Observe how he uses strobing, which is when you move and stop your body rapidly in steady intervals with dime stops to simulate movement within a strobe light, to push his hand down instead of letting it just slide.
Texture
Jisung's ability to look like different variations of an animated creation (bobblehead, cartoon, or robot) is a result of creating different textures. But what is texture? In dancing, it refers to how the movement feels on your body when you do it or how the movement feels on the eyes when you watch it. And nobody explains texture better than Jisung in NCT Dream.
Take note of the difference between how he strikes the cymbal and kicks and only the kicks. He looks more like a robot activating some of its limbs than a person dancing. How is this even possible? It's because he didn't let down his hands after the first hit; instead, he held them up and only released them on the second hit. Jisung made it appear unconnected rather than smooth like the other members do by lowering and then raising their arms again.
Jisung also simulates robotic movement by using restricted movements. For example, notice how his head moves like it is on a pivot, exactly how robots and miniature dolls move.
When I say this choreography was made for Jisung, I am dead serious.
Honorable Mentions
Mark
Mark is known for his bubbly spirit and abundant energy, and this translates to his dancing. The way he attacks a move is a sharp, percussive attack, and his energy may change in an instant. This translates well in this dance because it becomes cartoonish.
Cartoonish
Exaggeration is a distinguishing feature of a cartoon. Exaggeration refers to how an idea is presented on-screen to portray a specific emotion and emphasize the essence of that emotion through design and action.
Mark plays with bodily expressions and exaggerates emotions to the extreme. That way, he heightens the dramatic effect.
Exaggeration in animation can make any action look more appealing and entertaining to the audience. By exaggerating the movements, Mark essentially adds more life and meaning to his dance. For example, the timing, how much his limbs are stretched, how a pose is shaped and executed, and so on, are all dependent on exaggeration.
But Mark remains true to reality and just presents it in a wilder, more extreme form. It is a crucial aspect of animation because a perfect display of reality can be hard to portray and execute on screen.
Legs
Mark has a lot of power, speed, and flexibility in his legs, which allows him to create incredible imagery with them. This is often what makes him look animated. To illustrate, his speed and power allow him to create strobing and ticking movements with his legs. His exaggerated kicks and steps leave a greater impact on the audience than one without it.
BEATBOX
“Beatbox” is an old-school hip-hop dance song that optimistically and positively expresses NCT DREAM’s message of showcasing music that only their group can. Being a hip-hop dance song, it incorporates the sounds of real beat-boxing in its rhythmic and retro-like melody, reminiscent of the ’90s groove.
In addition, this song features a hip-hop performance that matches the upbeat atmosphere of the music. The free energy of NCT DREAM was expressed using hand-motion choreography reminiscent of a beatbox. Their choreographies show their reinterpreted versions of the '80s and 90's old-school style with the hip sensibility of NCT DREAM, the Generation Z unit of NCT, with a trendy and lively touch. And for that, the member selected is
Mark
Beatbox was the song we were waiting for Mark. For those who watched Mark’s breakdown dance analysis, remember when I said... Or this? This is what I mean. The song is fitting for Mark, as its main characteristics are its hip-hop elements and the endless amount of footwork.
Hip hop
Hip-hop is the polar opposite of traditional dance forms taught in dance studios, such as ballet, jazz, and tap. They focus on the aesthetics of being structured, elegant, graceful, and overall proper. Hip-hop, on the other hand, is highly energetic, expressive, improvisational, social, and sometimes seen as unstructured and messy. The following clip will show you the difference between dancers with hip-hop and ballet roots.
Hip-hop culture is deeply engraved in Mark’s heart. Along with his hip-hop-influenced dancing technique, his passion for rapping plays a crucial role in his movements. It's evident from his gestures and the way he carries himself on stage. While the other members did a great job performing the dance, Mark embodies the music. He can match his body to the music so precisely that he emphasizes and enhances each note. And that is due to his,
Coordination
His coordination is exceptional, especially when moving body parts opposite to each other. He can isolate his neck from his chest and his arms from his legs. And he can combine them all at once to create amazing illusions.
Mark excels in isolating his knees in the midst of other intricate motions to produce a wobble-like effect; they appear detached and loose, creating the illusion that they are independent of the rest of his body. He can move swiftly in all routines because he does not sit back in the heels, which prevents the muscles from activating and allows them to move quickly. The rotation and flow of his feet all aid in adapting to any tempo, which helps boost his,
Speed
The ideas of bounce, speed, articulation, and counter-rhythms are all embedded in his mind. The outcome tends to be a light, fast, articulate hybridity. To be fast and efficient, some dancers might want to cut corners. But this limits the dancer’s reach and, as a result, makes them seem like their movement is too small. When dancers try to anticipate the next step, they might end up rushing the music or tripping over the choreography.
Being able to move fast without losing articulation or artistry is part of the reason he is nailing this choreography. Mark moves as big as he can be, even when the tempo gets faster. And you can still see every detail of his movements.
On top of the groove and charisma, Mark infuses his dancing with a sense of excitement. He looks to be having fun with this performance, as seen by his lack of restraint in his head gestures. He let them follow the same direction as his body. which is just a cherry on top.
Honorable Mentions
Jeno
Beatbox, being an optimistic and positive hip-hop song, perfectly aligns with Jeno’s energy. When he performs, Jeno embodies this golden retriever energy. He is joyful, high energy, a bit silly yet adorable, and he comes off with this non-threatening and floppy look. It is as if his default mood is positive, and that is why his boyish nature fits the energy of the song.
High Energy
What gives this floppy, boyish look is how he executes most of the movement by creating wide pictures with his limbs. It provides a non-restraining appearance that makes his movements appear improper but in a way that makes him appear to be freestyling them. One simple example is how his head follows his body and the adlibs, such as his lips following his mouth pop. Even his stance, which is always standing shoulder-width apart, contributes to this floppy vibe.
Controlled
Even with the joyful yet floppy vibe, he moves with such control. He understands the limits between being in control and going overboard with his grooves. This is clearly seen by how he practically stretches his limbs to form the picture or lines, but his movements are clearly defined. For instance, take a close look at this clip. Similar to Jisung, Jeno is an imploder, and you can even feel his energy through the screen. Watch how he hits the 808s, his steps or, stomps to best describe it, feels very weighted exactly how loud an 808 sounds.
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