Dancer and choreographer J-Black recently shared behind-the-scenes stories about working with the rookie group A2O LITE. On the November 4 broadcast of the tvN variety show ‘You Quiz on the Block,’ J-Black appeared as a guest for the ‘Real Recognize Real’ special episode.
During the show, J-Black mentioned A2O LITE’s viral choreography for ‘NEON.’ He explained, “I didn’t work on it alone. I created it alongside team members who started as my students and grew into colleagues.” Discussing the popularity and challenge craze surrounding ‘NEON,’ he confessed, “It’s the first time so many people have liked my dance, so I feel like a rookie. I feel like I’ve found a new position as a choreographer rather than just a dancer.”
When asked if he had previously created idol choreography, he recalled, “It’s not that I haven’t done idol choreography before. However, it was so difficult that many drafts fell apart during the proposal stage. Even when I made one or two, they didn’t generate much virality.”
Explaining why Siyi and Aijing feel like daughters to him, J-Black said, “Actually, my choreography is really difficult. It’s the first time I’ve made something this hard for idols.” He added, “I sent an easier draft, but Lee Soo-man asked me to make it harder and more spectacular.”
J-Black continued, “I thought to myself, ‘Do you know what happens when my dance gets difficult?’ Anyway, I agreed and deliberately raised the difficulty level, and they loved it. At that time, I hadn’t even met Siyi and Aijing yet.”
He also shared, “Producer Lee Soo-man told me, ‘Our kids are good. They can do it.’ He was so confident. When I actually met them, I was surprised because they followed along right from the first day. It made me realize he didn’t ask for a harder choreography for nothing.”
Highlighting the trend of increasingly difficult idol choreography, J-Black mentioned, “I thought ATEEZ’s ‘Bad’ was extremely difficult. Right around that time, I received the proposal for ‘NEON’ and decided to choreograph it with a high level of difficulty.”
Meanwhile, rookie girl group A2O LITE, led by executive producer Lee Soo-man’s A2O Entertainment, has been making a strong impact on the music scene by landing at the top of music charts immediately upon debut.
