K-Pop Cover Dance in the Middle of a Pandemic, How is its Fate Now?

Kapanlagi.com - dance is an inseparable part of the K-Pop industry that is increasingly booming among teenagers worldwide over time. In fact, it can be said that cover dance has become a trend among K-Pop enthusiasts, including in Indonesia.

The term cover dance itself is used to describe the imitation of K-Pop idol stage actions. Starting from choreography, outfits, makeup, hairstyles, to gestures and facial expressions of K-Pop idols are displayed by the cover dancers.

With cover dance, it can somewhat satisfy the desire of K-Pop enthusiasts outside of South Korea to watch their idols live despite being in a different country. Therefore, K-Pop events that include cover dance competitions or performances are always flooded with masses.

However, cover dance is also inevitable from the impact of the pandemic since 2020. With various restrictions on activities in public spaces, K-Pop events, especially cover dance, have to take a break until an uncertain time. What is the fate of this trend in the second year of the pandemic?

1. Challenges During the Pandemic

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Before the pandemic hit, K-Pop cover dance events ranging from small-scale city-level to national and international events were routine and could be found almost every day. For city and national-level events, malls were often chosen as the venue by event organizers.

Meanwhile, international cover dance events where participants came from all over the world had a more complex method. Before the finalists were flown to South Korea, they had to compete first with cover dances from their respective countries.

The competition among cover dance teams has become increasingly fierce over the years. The quality and quantity of cover dances in many countries, including Indonesia, continue to grow. But everything changed when the pandemic struck.

Lockdowns and all similar restrictions prohibited events that could cause crowds to be stopped in order to suppress the spread of the coronavirus. Just like the idols, cover dances also cannot showcase their abilities on stage as before.

2. There is always a solution

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However, there is always a solution for every problem. Especially with the creativity of K-Pop lovers that never dies, there are no obstacles to continue creating amidst the pandemic. Cover dancers can still entertain K-Pop lovers and even compete online.

This is also implemented by several cover dance competition organizers, including the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival which holds an international event every year and is attended by thousands of participants from various countries.

Since last year in 2020, The Seoul Shinmun Daily as the organizer of the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival held their event virtually. In previous years, the finalists were brought directly to South Korea and had the opportunity to perform on stage like real K-Pop idols, including ALZY, a cover dance group from Bekasi, performing as ITZY in 2019.

In 2021, the K-Pop Cover Dance Festival is once again held virtually, where the first round for video submissions will be held until September 2nd, followed by the second round of selection in October. Meanwhile, the final round will be held in November.

3. Back to the Past

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Can only display cover dance online brings a nostalgic impression to the era where K-Pop events have not been booming in recent years. FYI, in the late 2000s or early second-generation K-Pop era, YouTube became the only platform for cover dancers to showcase their work.

Unlike now, cover dance at that time had quite a few obstacles. In addition to the video quality still not being high definition, there were not many K-Pop idol performance contents shared on the internet.

The number of K-Pop fans was also not as massive as it is now, so there were still not many people interested in cover dance. Moreover, there was a stigma attached to cover dance, which is plagiarism of other people's work.

Before becoming a trend, cover dance was often looked down upon because those who engaged in it were considered uncreative and only 'copying' what already existed. Is that true?

4. Not Just Copying Choreography

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No way! Cover dance does indeed imitate choreography popularized by K-Pop idols, but there are other aspects that make it special and actually not easy to do. Similar to cosplay, which was already popular before, cover dance also requires technique, love, and immersion when doing it.

By imitating the choreography of K-Pop idols, cover dancers automatically have to understand the dance techniques used. Because if not, their performance won't be as cool as K-Pop idols who have already undergone trainee periods to learn dance.

Usually, cover dancers also have to understand the idol they are covering well before performing, both in video recordings and on stage. The small movements that are characteristic of an idol should not be overlooked in terms of embodying their character. That's why many K-Pop fans enjoy cover dance performances, because they can remind the audience of the original idol.

Not to mention the details of the performance that must be considered. As much as possible, their appearance is made to resemble their idol, from outfit, makeup, even hairstyle and color. There are even some who have faces similar to the idols they cover. So many preparations must be done before it can be called a good cover dance.

With the dedication they put into it, the cover dancers successfully entertain K-Pop lovers and slowly but surely start to catch the public's attention, becoming a current trend.

5. Everyone Will Cover Dance in Their Time

tiktok/Ayu Ting Ting

Access to showcase cover dance is greatly assisted by technological advancements. Various platforms are available for anyone to showcase their abilities, especially in the field of cover dance. In addition to YouTube, social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok can also be utilized.

As the number of K-Pop enthusiasts increases, more and more people are interested in trying cover dance, especially when spending more time at home during the pandemic. Not to mention a series of celebrities from the homeland, such as Ayu Ting Ting and Chika Jessica.

The lively dance movements combined with catchy music certainly inspire anyone to dance along, like the latest song by BTS, Permission to Dance, and also What is Love? popularized by TWICE. Well, it can be said that everyone will cover dance in their time.

(kpl/rsp)