Song Line Up [Update]

List of Songs to be Used & Dances Performed:

*YG Medley* [First Stage]
- G-Dragon & T.O.P (Leader & Rapper of Big Bang) ~ Knock out
                                                                                      ~ High High
- T.O.P (Rapper member of Big Bang) ~ Turn It Up
- Big Bang ~ Somebody To Luv
                  ~ Tonight
                                                          

*Collaboration Stage*
- Teen Top ~ Supa Luv
- 2NE1 ~ Fire 

*Finale*
- Super Junior ~ Bonamana (End 'Bow' Cut)


Performance Duration: 12 Mins

Research on Question (Secondary Source)

The Question I have picked to find out about and answer is:
How are people's' attitudes and tolerance when introduced to different, new cultures in the 21st century as opposed to the past, and can the appreciation of dance unite everyone together no matter their language, age, race or other differences?

I have been carrying out individual research on the internet (my secondary source) to find out possible ideas that can be expressed in my answer to the Question I have picked and gather information from a range of sources and groups of people/ people to what I am trying to find out.

Some examples of the research I have found..
 My first source is a book that I found on the internet. The document was called 'Dance, Diversity and Appreciation'.

'Dance, Diversity and Appreciation' File

Project Proposal Form

Learner Name: Rubina Begum
Learner Number:
Centre Name: Central Foundation Girls' School
Centre Number: 10508
Teacher Assessor: Mr L. Williams
Unit: Higher Project
Proposed Project Title: The Big Bang


Title: How are people's' attitudes and tolerance when introduced to different, new cultures in the 21st century as opposed to the past, and can the appreciation of dance unite everyone together no matter their language, age, race or other differences?


Objectives:
-To be able to enhance my choreographing skills, i would like to learn how to create a range of routines and dance techniques -To build my confidence to perform on stage -To excel in cutting, mixing and playing around with music and audio sound files -To introduce Korean music and pop culture to the mainstream audiences in countries not influenced by Asian entertainment -To learn different forms, genres and styles of dance which I can present to the audience and entertain with -To understand how far and to what extent has people in the 21st Century's understanding, tolerance and attitudes to other cultures not of their own become -To encourage and promote the idea of diversity and individuality in dance What are your responsibilities: I am doing a project on my own so I am responsible for everything from idea to production of the performance. Some examples of the things I will be doing are: -To Choreograph to selected music -To teach the choreography to the back up dancers -To mix the list of songs for the performance -To sort the budget of the clothing -To order the costumes -To arrange rehearsal and performance dates -To plan the performance -To create the visual aid for the performance -To select and secure a location for the performance -To create and get signed the contracts for the performers and location Why did you choose this project? (Personal interest. future plans, skills development) I have a passion and am very interested in both dance and music; Korean Pop music in particular, and because I love and enjoy it so much, I wanted to expose and share it with others who are largely influenced by Western music and entertainment (as even I myself am, living in a western country). and so not aware or with little knowledge of the talent and individuality in Asian entertainment. The Asian country of which this project is largely influenced off is Korea obviously. I am looking to go down the career path of Law and criminology or Entertainment, so this project could help boost my confidence, which I will need in the future.

Song Line Up [Update]

[Update] List of Songs to be Used:

*YG Medley* [First Stage]
- G-Dragon & T.O.P (Leader & Rapper of Big Bang) ~ Knock out
                                                                                   ~ High High
- T.O.P (Rapper member of Big Bang) ~ Turn It Up
- Big Bang ~ Tonight
                 ~ Somebody To Luv
- G-Dragon (Leader of Big Bang) ~ Heartbreaker
- Taeyang (member 'SOL' of Big Bang) ~ I'll Be There
                                                             ~ Just A Feeling

*Teen Top & Infinite Collaboration* [Second Stage]
- Teen Top ~ Supa Luv
- Infinite ~ Before The Dawn

*Finale ShineePM* [Last Stage]
- 2pm ~ Heartbeat intro
          ~ Again & Again
          ~ I'll Be Back
          ~Replay

Performance Costumes

I have decided that I would go for catchy and casual, yet suited clothing for our performances. We found that we cannot change whole costumes for each individual dance; because of the fact that my second main dancer Erica, and I will be on stage from the start to finish so we cannot be expected to be changing all our clothes in front of the audience. Therefore we have come to the solution that in the few main dances, we will be changing a small thing in the outfit for example adding a bandana or cap, taking the hood off, and at one point we have added it as part of our choreography to dance our way out of our hoodie without the performance losing it's pace or it looking shabby e.g stopping to take it off etc. So in general we are just re-arranging small accessories in various ways.

Here is a line-up of the costume we originally decided on and the order they are worn/changed in the performances:

*YG Medley*
1) Knock-Out [Walk in with hoods up, take them off, displaying 'Big Bang' member masks each dancer is wearing]
2) High High = Wearing Fixed Main Costume - Hoodies (Zip Up) ~ Yellow (Me)
                                                                                                       ~ White (Erica)
                                                                                                       ~ Grey (Hafsa)
                                                                                                       ~ Blue (Tahiya)
                                                                                                       ~ Black (Eisha)
                                                                        - Black Trousers/Skinny Jeans
3) Turn It Up = Same Fixed Outfit as above
                       - Cap with 'Heartbreaker'/ Heart shape on front (only addition) [Cap is turned backwards]
4) Heartbreaker = Fixed Outfit
                            - 'Heartbreaker'/ Heart Cap [Turn Cap to front]
5) I'll Be There - All wear Dark Blue (Navy)/ Black long sleeve tops under Hoodie
                          - Tahiya wear Military Jacket on top (the Navy one I own at home)
[Hoodies are taken off: ~ Rubina (GD) & Erica (T.O.P) dance out of them on opposite sides of the stage
                                    ~ Ash (V.I.) & Hafsa (D-Lite) crawl on stage
                                    ~ Tahiya dances to front]
                          - Skinny Jeans from Fixed Outfit
                          - No Caps on
6) Just A Feeling = Same outfit as 'I'll Be There' Performance above
                             - Bandannas or Taliban Scarfs (different colors for each member)
                             - 'Heartbreaker'/ Heart Caps on

We matched each costume or accessory etc that we added, removed or changed in each performance to suit the theme of the dance, for example Taeyang's 'I'll Be There' & 'Just A Feeling' routines have simple yet smart clothing: the long sleeve top and skinny black jeans. The navy military jacket gives the outfit an edgy, strong, tough and hard look, as the song and dance is. Taeyang who created and performed this song also gives off these kinds of vibes to everyone. So the outfit is as crucial as anything else to reflect; the song, the choreography of the dance, and the Performer Taeyang. All the members are wearing the same colored long sleeve top so that it is suited and matching, instead of messy with random colors. It shows the order and consistency of the theme of the song and dance. The edginess emphasizing the manly, charismatic and chic choreography and creating a bigger impact about the serious storyline behind the song (in the music video). In the same way, different colored costumes and retro styles of clothing would create a happy, fun and experimental feel to the dance.

Taeyang wearing an outfit from the original 'I'll Be There' Music video. Our costume was inspired from this, but noting our budget we kept it simple. The back up dancers are behind him (though we will not be using those costumes).

Another still image from the music video of 'I'll Be There' displaying the back up dancers role and the strained contact between Taeyang and the back up dancers. Also showing the serious, dark feel of the song concept.

The costumes for the 'Teen Top & Infinite Collaboration' Stage and 'Finale 2PM' Stage had not been completely decided, but as we had a lot of costume changes already, we thought it'd be best to just take off the bandanna and caps at the end of the 'YG Medley' Stage and wear the outfits we are wearing already for those last performances, in the next 2 stages to save time as we cannot change fully on stage like we mentioned before, and also the costume expenses would be too much.

However the costumes have been changed, as I'll talk in more detail about in the next Costume Update post.

                      
            

                                         

8.2 Secondary Research: Tips on Choreographing a Dance Routine (Learning A Skill)

As part of our project, we were asked to learn a new skill which we could demonstrate in our final project. The skill I chose was to enhance my choreographing, especially in the dance genre Hip Hop/ Street. I ventured into light break dancing/ b-boying, trying to learn how to pop & lock. I have been watching quite a lot of videos especially from 'Expert Village' to learn about some of the factors that would help me when I am choreographing my own dances. Below are a few of the clips that allowed me to gain further knowledge about Choreographing. The moves are performed and taught by Bullet Proof, a choreographer from L.A.



This video made me take into account that listening to the music deeply and in detail would help me to understand the style and pace of the dance, as well as giving me ideas about what moves/actions I could include in my routine that would link with the song, for example as he pointed out constantly in this video, the 'glitter'. Music is obviously a crucial part of the dance, where you cannot really have a dance at all without music to it, and staying on count and catching the beat of the song creates a huge part of the choreography as it completely changes the impact and effect the dance has on the audience watching it.

He also taught a range of different hip hop moves that you could use in your routine. The first of these are 'Isolation' moves where you isolate one part of your body (letting it stay still/ frozen), while the rest of your body moves.





An example of isolation being used in choreography is in Korean Pop Group 'MBLAQ's performance of their song 'Try'. Here the shoulders are isolated (not moving), while the arms are moving down and the head is moving side to side, as they take a step to their right and left at the same time. The performance is below and the isolation move starts at 0:44 where the chorus of the song starts.



Below he teaches the body roll/ waves which is a very popular hip hop dance move in b-boying crews and for various R'n'B & Hip Hop singers such as Chris Brown, T-Pain etc.



Like the video above, again a wave is taught, but this time it's on an incline and angle, adding dimension to your choreography to look much more interesting and filled with variety.



He then teaches how to combine two or more moves to start adding on to your process of creating a routine. In this specific video he teaches both the simple arm wave and moonwalk moves and performs them both at the same time, letting the dance gain more of a texture and layered look, as opposed to the boring effect it would have on the viewers when either one is just done on their own.



He also talked about actions that would create an illusion to the audience, here the move being the head slide.



Then another important tip to variate what body parts you use. Don't let all the attention stay at the arms or head etc. Variety is key to keep your audience focused and interested, as opposed to them watching the first 5 minutes and walking out the door. Here he shows how to move your legs too so that your dance is very in motion with your whole body, instead of isolating the legs. Like in the video below, even if the legs are doing little, at least there is something happening with them.



There were many other actions, moves and techniques taught in his videos on the 'Expert Village' Youtube Channel and official site. I have learnt how to use a range of moves one by one to build on a routine and ensure that my whole body is being included in the choreography to it's full extent. When I am choreographing, I can keep this in mind for my dancers so our dance show is successful and the best we can make it.

8.2 Secondary Research on Choreographer: Rino Nakasone (Interview)

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Rino Nakasone is an internationally-famous choreographer and dancer. She has been known to appear in music videos and concerts with Britney Spears and Justin Bieber, but she is more known in the Korean Pop world as the dancing machine behind most of Korean entertainment ‘SM Entertainment’s choreographies. She has created countless whole dances solely for various of the most popular idol groups in korea. Some of her works include:

SHINee: Noona Neomu Yeppeo (Replay), Love Like Oxygen, Juliette, Hello; Lucifer
Girls’ Generation: Tell Me Your Wish (Genie), Oh!, Hoot
Super Junior: No Other (with Maryss from Paris)
BoA: Dangerous, Copy and Paste
Kangta: Love Frequency
f(x): Chu (song), Nu ABO
TVXQ: Maximum, Keep Your Head Down

EXCLUSIVE FANGIRL DIARIES INTERVIEW

[From the DREAM ON! K-Pop Dance Festa in Shibuya, where she was a special guest performer]

Interviewee: Of course the fans love all your work, but if you had to pick just one from all your KPop projects, which one would be your favorite choreography to date and why?
Rino: 산소 같은 너 (Love Like Oxygen) by SHINee. When I first heard the song, I loved it so much because it had so much of a Michael Jackson flavor. So I couldn’t help but make a choreography that had so much MJ influence, which I love.

Interviewee: The Beat Freakz have always been very vocal about encouraging girls to dance – how does it feel to see so many girls learning and performing you choreographies, like at “DREAM ON!”? Why do you think they appeal so much to girls, some who might not have been interested in dancing beforehand?
Rino: It’s an honor because that’s how I practice dance, watching all the idols and their choreography. I think K-Pop has a lot of elements of how entertainment used to be back in the day, with MJ, Janet Jackson, TLC and MC Hammer. They made us wanna do what they did because it’s so attractive. My opinion of why Girls’ Generation is so popular in Japan is not only [because] there were no other artists like them, but also [because] they are role models of what the Japanese girls wanna be. Also, Girls’ Generation entertains with great music and catchy choreography.

Interviewee: We’re curious about the process and work that goes into choreographing; for example with a group like SHINee, who you’ve worked closely with since debut, do you keep in mind the members’ individual strengths and weaknesses, or do you focus on creating a visual expression for the song itself?
Rino: I always consider each artist’s style and strengths, but mainly I just listen to the songs – I want to make the music come alive through choreography.

Interviewee: You’re holding a series of workshops here in Tokyo during your visit, and one of the dances you’ll be teaching is for DBSK’s 왜 (Keep Your Head Down) – easily one of the most anticipated comebacks of the year. How would you describe your experience working on this particular choreography?
Rino: The choreography for 왜 was actually a collaboration with three other Korean choreographers (e.g. BeatBurger etc). I enjoyed working with them. I think when collaborating there are a lot of unknown possibilities as to how the work will come out, and I love that.

Interviewee: You’re known to give dance workshops in LA/US and now in Japan, do you have any plans on visiting any other countries to give workshops? And do you have any tips for for those who are unable to attend workshops but still want to learn the choreographies?
Rino: I would love to teach in as many countries as possible, just bring me out there! And whoever can’t learn from me, just keep watching the footage and try your best. Pay attention to the details! Also study all the different artists because even when they’re doing same choreography, they all have their own distinct styles you can learn from.

Interviewee: What would be your craziest dream KPop project — like, maybe you would want to collaborate and perform with ANY KPop artist on a non-Kpop song, or even like a huge mash-up collab with the Beat Freakz — what would it be and why? Anything under the KPop sun — the sky’s the limit!!!
Rino: My dream is to perform with SHINee! It would be great if we could do it with the Beat Freaks; it could be their songs or just [a] straight-up dance performance! Who knows, it could be me singing with SHINee too~!

Also I want do project with Girls’ Generation and Beat Freaks; since we’re both 9-member, all-women groups it would be funny to switch roles, and maybe do some skits.
With The GEMINIZ, the duo I perform in with Maryss from Paris, I would like to do a project with DBSK’s [Yunho and Changmin].
Oh, and with BoA, I would love to just dance our asses off with the Beat Freaks and perform for a concert or MV – to show girl power, and women who can dance better than men!

Interviewee: What more can we expect to see from you in K-Pop 2011?, Both SHINee and SNSD are working in Japan this year, any chances of seeing more of your work here?
Rino: I don’t know for now but I am always there when they need me! I love them!

8.2 Reviews of Previous Dance Performances (Primary Research)

While carrying out my individual research, I looked at other products like mines. Here is the first of a few of the videos i looked at. This is PREPIX, a Korean dance crew. I found out about them because their members especially Haw, work with and choreograph a lot of the dances for Korean Pop Idol groups i.e 'Supreme Team', 'Jay Park' (Former leader of K-Pop Group '2PM' & member of Dance Crew 'Art of Movement' -AOM), G.NA and many others. But in particular Prepix's Haw is very well-known, and recognized for creating the choreography for many popular, major songs for the Korean pop Idol group 'BEAST/ B2ST', for their comebacks, including 'Breathe', 'Special', 'Shock' etc.

Prepix members, especially Leader Haw, work very closely with Entertainment Company 'Cube', who have produced and founded 2 of Korea's icon Idol groups; Girl group: 4Minute, and Boy group: Beast/ B2st, as well as the successful Solo Singer 'G.NA'. 'Cube' is sister company to 'JYP Entertainment', who are among the country's top 3 major, biggest entertainment companies in Korea, if not the best, along with 'YG Entertainment' & 'SM Entertainment'.

Prepix's member 'iLL' performing with BEAST/ B2ST's member HyunSeung: (The dance starts at 0:24 of the video.)

Examples of PREPIX group's Leader, Haw's choreography for 'BEAST/ B2ST''s Songs: (These are Practice videos from Rehearsals, so the outfits don't count.)

*BEAST/ B2ST - Breathe (Soom)

*Live Version of BEAST/ B2ST - Breathe (Soom)

From watching the first & second videos of the performance 'Breathe' (Soom), you can see the drastic effect that Costume plays in a Performance, and the importance of this vital factor. Like music changes a scene of drama, it changes the mood and theme of a dance completely. The casual, sporty clothes in the practice video, gave the dance a fun, jumpy, but slightly childish atmosphere. But in the live version performance, they wore a variety of black clothing but all members having the same crystal/silver circle bead design on one piece of their outfit. All variations of one outfit. The dark outfits matched with the dark make up gave out a strong, charismatic, powerful, and matured feeling to the audience. This is why i will have to be careful and choose wisely the outfits for my dancers and I, in my Dance Show, to send the right idea and message we want to, to the audience.

*BEAST/ B2ST - Shock

*BEAST/ B2ST - Special

Prepix in Action:

Brief Review (on above video):

What I liked about this performance was the amount of control the members' had over each of their body parts. The audience are hooked from the beginning, where they were bent over, leaning forwards, making little to no action, then suddenly it's as if a wave of electric charge passes through from one side of the first member's body to the other, starting from his hand. This drastic change of speed of the movements and the variety of sharp and smooth actions used in the performance, combine together to complement each other and translate the energy and heat of the dance, to the thrill and excitement of the audience. Every movement is performed with accuracy, clean cut and unhesitant, with an explosive sackful of power and effort. The timing and synchronization just goes on to add to the list of strengths of this performance. All in all, since their starting days and dancing years ago, you can clearly see a huge gap of improvement, no doubt coming from the group's dedication, originality, constant hard work, and practice, practice, practice. A very enjoyable performance, don't be afraid to let your jaws drop down to the floor.

Old Videos of Prepix:

Brief Review on last two 'Old Videos' of PREPIX:

While it isn't particularly one of my favorites because of some parts where the dance seemed a little too simple, low key or slow for my taste, I decided to put it up anyway, as it included quite a few moves which i thought were very complex and interesting that i could play around with. Also the synchronization of the group was well thought out and timed, as well as the ideas and moves being really original and unconventional. It was a little bit of experimental dancing, but taking into account the date June 2006, hip-hop & street dance, as well as moves such as 'poppin' & lockin'', were slowing popularizing among the mass audience then, so it played out well. The outfits in the second video, enhanced the effectiveness of the performance, giving out a real 'alien' feeling and theme to the dance. In my dance show, I'll have to take this in account and choose outfits well, to emphasis the idea, feel or message I am trying to put forward.

8.3 Planning the Dance Show - Song/ Member Possibilities

--Performers--

*Main Dancers:
-*Me: Rubina
-*Erica (11E)
-*Tahiya (11E)
-*Eisha (Mulberry)
-Taslima (11E)
-Hafsa (11A)

*Song/ Song cut Choices: (for Dances)
- T.O.P [Big Bang] - Turn It Up
- Taeyang [Big Bang] - Just A Feeling
- I'll Be There
- G-Dragon [Big Bang] - Heartbreaker
- GD&TOP [Big Bang] - High High
- Knock Out
- Intro
- Infinite - Before The Dawn
- Teen Top - Supa Luv
- 2PM - I'll Be Back
- Again & Again
- Heartbeat
- I Hate You
- Rain - Rainism
- Bad Guy
- It's Raining (parts of dance excluding the main dance move)
- Beast/B2ST - Shock
- Breathe
- Beautiful (Sing while dancing)
- 2NE1 - Fire
- Try To Copy Me
- Clap Ur Hands
- Miss A - Breathe
- Good Girl Bad Girl
- KARA - Lupin
- 4Minute - I My Me Mine
- HyunAh [4Minute] - Change
- SHINee - Ring Ding Dong
- Replay