Deep Dive into the Performance of Haegeum

The dance practice video for Haegeum, the title track of Agust D's "D-DAY," has been released.

When the promotion schedule for "D-DAY" was released, my personal reaction to seeing the words "Dance Practice" was,
"Hmm. Is this for a solo tour???"
that was it.

Of course, I thought that might be part of it, but since the song hadn't even been released yet, I couldn't really connect the intense, fast-paced rap style of Agust D with a dance performance, so I wasn't personally feeling very excited about the prospect of a dance performance (or rather, to be honest, I was simply looking forward to the music itself more than any dance expectations).

However...
I was betrayed in the best possible way.

The choreography in a hip-hop style, combined with his unique gestures and well-thought-out composition,

It's amazing!!!!!!!!!
It far exceeded my expectations, and I want to grab my past self, who was thinking "Hmm," by the shoulders and shake them.

A minute and thirty seconds packed with the best of Agust D-style rap and BTS SUGA's performance quality.
This time, I will delve into the brilliance of SUGA, a.k.a. Agust D, and the excellence of the choreography that makes the most of that brilliance.

Agust D-style rap and choreography

Oh my god

Excuse me.
First, at the start of the dance,0:13~

The choreography is perfectly synced to the Agust D-style fast-paced rap, but halfway through,you can see him hitting one beat with both elbows.By catching even the heavy backing track sounds, a "slight sense of ease" is created even amidst the fast movements.
a slight sense of easeis created. It's also fun to see him hitting the beat where the sound is clearly visible visually.

Here, for a moment, he opens his hands in front of his face whilebuilding up tension in his body,and I personally love how Agust Dflicks his hand to the beat of the music all by himself.While the backup dancers express the groove of the vocals, Agust D in the center is hitting the beat, so the impact and sense of speed remain intact.

He is dancing with a lot of energy from the start, but I feel the composition is very well thought out, as he doesn't hit every single beat from 1 to 10, and he balances well with the backup dancers.
However, it is also true that he fits the choreography to a large number of sounds.
As expected of someone who has been dancing for 10 years in BTS, I feel that his dance skills have also leveled up significantly.

The fusion of gesture and dance ~ SUGA's true worth

In several articles, I have previously discussed SUGA's dancing.

“The transition between gestures and choreography is seamless”

To quote a part of a past article...
Regarding this scene from "Mic Drop"

Regarding this scene from "Mic Drop"

With this charm of his in mind, let's return to the video released this time.

From 0:22

After rapping in an easy-to-understand way, he inserts a short gesture and begins to dance solo. This way of captivating the audience is unique to him, and perhaps because it is a solo song performance, you can see that he is
luxuriously spending time just on gestures. That is to say, when the composition changes and it cuts to the next scene, the general impression is that time is spent on movement. However, at this moment, even though the dancers have exited, he remains on stage alone, not moving, and holding the space with just gestures. Rather, it might be more accurate to say he is
captivating with gestures

rather than just holding the space. The production team that put together this composition is truly impressive.

In the scene where he dances solo, he has added choreography to the intense rap. He is even hitting the fine details of the sound, and it feels like a "highlight."
Since BTS's solo activities began, videos of him taking dance lessons have been released, and I was shocked at how much his skills have improved...

From here, I thought he was doing gestures while moving, but he is hitting the beat very firmly, isn't he?
After hitting two beats, although it is hard to see, he is tapping out four fine beats with his feet.

He is flawless...
Even though he can captivate just with gestures, he is firmly hitting the beat with his feet.

Simply put, his gestures are cool (at this point, that's incredibly obvious).
I can clearly feel his rapper spirit (?).

Also, I was surprised when the dancers appeared from behind.
So that's where it opens.

At this timing when the sound drops significantly, we have Agust D-sama with just gestures, but the backup dancers are moving with full power that exceeds the intensity of the sound.

As an overall image, I felt that he wanted to finish the performance hot and intense above all else.
The dancers who fully express that are also wonderful.

Differences in expression methods and the shocking finale

The chorus from here on, the difference between the first and second time is very lovely.

The first time

The second time

The first time, he didn't miss the rap and heavy beats, incorporating choreography that piles on the intensity, but you can see that the second time, he builds tension with a wave for the first 4 counts.
This pause at this point shows the dignity of Agust D, and it gives me chills.
(And this change in pace must be quite exhausting. It's amazing.)
He changes only 1x8 counts between the first and second time, and the intricate choreography is the same for both, which is pleasing to the eye and satisfying to watch.

And then...
What personally shocked me was the ending.

1:16~1:30

With a gesture... it's finished...?

Up to this point, I've talked about the tension and the change in pace, but while the overall choreography features intricate moves matched to the rap and intense performance that seem to express the heat of this track, at the very end, it finished not with "choreography" but with
"gestures" as the main focus.However, I think it concluded in a way that is more "Agust D"-like, with his unique dignity and way of captivating the audience, rather than ending the performance by piling on more choreography.

And, I mentioned the "Mic Drop" gesture earlier, but
this 3x8 count sequence where he captivates with gestures at the end is also an omnibus composition that I, the author, love, where he matches his movements with the dancers just a little bit within the gestures.

The 1st 8 counts

The 2nd 4 counts

The 2nd 8 counts

...Did you perhaps know that I love that composition?

Jokes aside, the choreography up to this point had a sense of speed, but it has become a performance that only Agust D could pull off, incorporating a composition that makes the most of SUGA, who can captivate the audience with just his mannerisms and gestures without losing momentum.

I was convinced that this is what Agust D can do in a dance performance, and I was shown his stature as a performer.

This is just a practice...

Up until now, I have been talking based on the Dance Practice that was released even earlier than the start of the tour, but

This, whether or not it's intentional, is for the LIVE show, right?

Another strength of SUGA that I think he has is that
whether it's practice or the real thing, a broadcast performance or a live performance, in front of only ARMY or in front of fans of other artists, etc.
he is skilled at involving the stage and the situation of the day, and using it all as a weapon to make his performance shine
is a point.
I think that one-of-a-kind performance is what adds spice to BTS.

This Haegeum performance has long gestures, and above all, it is his solo song.
Just imagining how it will be done at the concert, and what kind of feelings will be put into the performance, gives me goosebumps.

I take my hat off to SUGA, who has captivated fans with his dancing for many years as a member of BTS and has exploded with individuality through his gestures,
for preparing such a highly perfected performance even when standing on stage as Agust D.

I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of vibes he will bring to this performance on stage.

*He said on the 4/25 Weverse LIVE that he wouldn't do it on stage!
But it was fun! Thank you, Yoongi!

Thank you for reading this far.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the content written here is my own personal opinion and personal analysis.

I hope this adds to someone's enjoyment...

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Articles written in more detail about BTS's performances and the members' personalities are
here ☟