Today we will discuss the talent we know as BTS.
I will break down why you love them, why the world loves them and share practical tips you can apply to your own dance training.
BTS is an international performance group comprised of seven talented members.
We love BTS because of their catchy tunes and smooth moves, but the question is how do they do it?
Let’s examine their A.A.T their
Artistry
Athleticism
and Technique
to learn how to dance like BTS.
1. Legs up
If you watch BTS you will notice they have high jumps and kicks.
I watched a few fan-made dance covers and I noticed a lot of the fans struggled to jump as high as the BTS dancers.
If you want to jump as high as BTS members you need to lift your knees up higher when you dance jump and kick, especially if it’s a jump-kick combo move.
Get those knees up.
When you put your attention into getting your knees high and then put your focus on performing a big kick
your moves will look more dynamic like the moves you see in a BTS dance video.
2. Embrace 3d
BTS dancers are dynamic and multi-dimensional.
If you want your dancing to have power and electricity like what you see in a BTS video then I challenge you to perceive your dancing as a 3d experience versus a 2d experience.
There are many ways to do this but one thing you can try the next time you dance is
imagining that you are standing in a sphere
interact with the entire sphere around you when you move and dance.
A lot of dancers have low energy and low charisma when they dance because they only put effort into the parts of their body and moves the audience will see.
To break this habit I challenge you to be like BTS and dance as if you were on a rotating stage with people watching you on all sides that way all your body demands energy and full out dancing.
3. Joint dancing
BTS dancers are clean.
Crisp, sparkling, clean.
But do you ever feel sloppy when you learn a new BTS dance?
A trick to make sure your dancing body matches what you see on screen is to match your elbow and knee placement with the elbow and knee placement of the BTS dancers.
Watch the angles of these body parts watch the symmetry and linear placement of these body parts.
In general, the elbow and knee joints are crucial for moving the arms and legs, and for this reason, these body parts make great visual indicators of your movement accuracy.
4. Hands are everything
BTS dances are accented with powerful hand gestures.
To dance like BTS you must position and place your hands with purpose throughout the dance.
BTS choreographers don’t want cookie-cutter dance team hands.
Simply having clean uniform hand placement won’t suffice.
BTS dances demand expressive hands that tell a story, so play with hand dynamics.
I was over the moon when I found a video of Mr. Son teaching “Permission to Dance” to a dancer.
The way he directed the dancer validated my theory that hands are super important in his BTS choreography.
Mr.Son spoke passionately about hands while directing, so add detail to your hands when you dance and preserve that aesthetic when you remake your favorite BTS dance video
5. Stay light on your feet
BTS members are always light on their feet, they glide and fly around the dance floor.
A technique you can try to stay light on your feet is shifting your bodyweight off your heels and more towards the balls of your feet.
This will help you have faster footwork cleaner footwork and more efficient gliding
6. Be like Mike…Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson is revered as the king of pop for a reason and his influence will be forever felt on the pop entertainment industry.
Observing different BTS dance videos I noticed a large chunk of the BTS choreography is inspired by Michael Jackson’s stylings.
If you want to learn how to dance like BTS it will do you well to study the work of Michael Jackson.
7. Learn Hip-hop
BTS is a k-pop group with hip-hop dancers.
Many commercial dancers learn hip-hop dance as hip-hop dance techniques are crucial for commercial dancing.
All things considered, hip-hop dance is a branch of artistic expression that is and should be observed as a developed and multi-faceted style of dance and an element of the all-encompassing culture known as “hip-hop culture.”
Because of the commercialization of hip-hop dance styles, much of the historical and cultural elements of hip-hop dancing have been overlooked.
With that being said, if you desire mastery dance skills like that of BTS members, take the time to learn true-to-the-source hip-hop dance techniques in addition to learning modernized hybrid hip-hop dance techniques.
If you take on this challenge you will study old techniques and new methodologies to develop a well-versed movement vocabulary.
Earlier I stated BTS is a k-pop group with hip-hop dancers
because
the small attention to detail and elements of the BTS choreography stem from original hip-hop dance techniques, subtleties, and aesthetics with their stylized choices.
8. Create your own world
Great entertainers have the ability to take their audience on a journey, otherwise known as the ability to “move the audience.”
BTS is no exception.
When you watch BTS, you are transported to the world of BTS. How is this possible?
It’s possible via the magic of storytelling.
When BTS members dance they aren’t merely going through the motions of choreography but telling a passionate story with every step.
Telling a story through song and dance is best known as a
“musical.:
Every BTS music dance video is a mini-musical sequence full of theatrical pizzazz, dedicated acting, and a storyline you can follow from the beginning, middle, to end.
If you want to move your audience the way BTS moves their audience, you should experiment with borrowing musical theater practices.
The next few points in this video will be examples of musical theater practices and techniques BTS uses that you can add to your performances.
9. Break the fourth wall
Breaking the fourth wall is a theatrical technique that refers to a moment in a performance when performers break the imaginary wall that separates the audience from the story.
I will argue that watching a BTS dance video feels like the fourth wall is shattered.
The members of BTS are constantly performing for their audience.
They are watching you, watch them, watch you. but in a non-intrusive way.
The show is always “on” with BTS and the audience is a part of the performance.
BTS wants the audience to feel like BTS is performing just for them.
As someone who is watching BTS videos for the first time, I get the sense this group is very passionate about their fans and audience, every second that the eyes are on them they do not want to disappoint their viewers.
At this moment I can’t think of another relevant popular group of this level of fame that brings this level of passion.
So often you hear famous individuals talk about their fans as if there’s some accessory to their life they say “I love my fans” and “I’m thankful for my fans” so often with mere words
but
BTS shows their love for their fans and their love for their craft through their raw energy and delivery.
Their consistent display of passionate energy is something that can be challenging to deliver even for trained professionals.
Now I may be under the BTS spell, I did just finish watching their dance videos for hours in preparation for this script, but, honestly as someone who is watching this group for the first time, and I’ve seen a lot of performers in my lifetime, I’ve studied a lot of performers, and this group of artists does not drop the ball when it comes to showmanship and it’s truly inspiring.
To backtrack BTS breaks the fourth wall in their dance videos, they do this by always having a conversation with the audience.
From start to finish the audience is the center of attention in a subtle way.
Your takeaway is that you should try creating work with your audience in mind, set aside vanity and self-indulgence, and try to imagine what your audience experiences and feels when they interact with your art
10. Mind your placement
In musical theater cast members are almost never on stage without purpose and reason.
An amateur mistake for new performers is that they don’t know how to be present on stage while seemingly doing nothing.
It’s the performing artist’s job to figure out why they’re on stage at any given moment and know how they can wholeheartedly contribute to the show even when they aren’t the focal point of attention.
This is something BTS members do very well.
BTS members will have plenty of moments when they are off to the side of the stage or their back is to the audience but they still are fully invested in the storyline.
they know that they must commit to every moment of the show even when it’s not their spotlight moment because they understand that when you uplift the other members you are uplifting yourself and you should treat people the way you want to be treated.
the group victory is your victory and your victory is the group’s
11. Embrace your inner actor
BTS members are actors they have the dedication and energy of an acting troop and they are in character all the time, even if the character is themselves.
I believe a group of musical theater students could recreate a BTS music video better than a group of dance students because the musical theater students would capture the characterization of the BTS members.
characterization drives the narrative the storyline of the musical, your character will set you apart from others.
Embrace your inner actor to get in relations with your true character and true being.
Something else that trained musical theater performers have that many untrained performers struggle with is the ability to command a room.
The ability to use your raw life energy to capture people’s attention is what the thespian must master.
It is an art that can be trained under the right guidance so if you want to channel energy that commands a room an exercise that will help your journey is watching some videos on “how to nail your next audition” or “musical theater improvisation exercises.”
I believe BTS members are directed like a musical cast and I believe they studied acting you should try an acting class.
At the very least I believe theater can help anyone, with any background, reframe and or challenge their perception of society, life, and humanity
12. Everyone matters
Something Bts does well that many groups struggle with is spotlighting each artist and allowing each member to shine at some point in the program.
Media outlets and some creative directors have a history of singling out one individual, who was a contributor to a group effort and, labeling them as more valuable than other team members.
I don’t know enough about BTS to know their social dynamics at this time but as someone observing their artistic works, no one member is more valuable than another
and it is a breath of fresh air.
Creating an environment where everyone matters to some extent will help you foster healthier long-term relationships and increase productivity on all your ventures.
13. Study influences
Well, it’s not so secret, that the secret to success is mixing previous successful practices with an original twist.
You see this everywhere in the entertainment industry even if you don’t know it.
That’s why there are so many remixes of songs and remakes of movies great pop artists rarely reinvent the wheel and are usually a modernized combination of previously successful individuals, for example;
I believe the image of the younger Beyonce, Queen Bey, was originally molded after the likes of Tina Turner and Diana Ross.
and I believe this sentiment is true for BTS as well.
While l cannot confirm who influenced BTS or who inspired them and their image,
but if I had to take a guess I would surmise that the image of BTS is a combination of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, New Edition, The Temptations, and John Travolta.
I see resemblances between BTS and the artists I listed.
They are very popular artists who have had a global impact on many creative individuals I recommend.
You check out these artists yourself learn about them and see if you agree or disagree with my claim
Much Peace,
Dance Deja
dancedeja.com 