Kpop Dance Game Switch

[Julian Gladyshev]

Kpop choreography is often as iconic as the idols themselves, with popular moves such as Blackpink's "DDU-DU DDU-DU" finger guns and Oh My Girl's "Dolphin" hands recognised even outside fandom. It's common in K-pop for songs to have official dance routines, performances which fans quickly become familiar with and sometimes even learn to dance themselves.

As such, K-pop seems like a perfect match for Just Dance, Ubisoft's popular rhythm game series. In Just Dance, players mirror an onscreen guide as they dance to various songs, while the game tracks their moves and awards them points according to how accurate they are. It's a fun way to get moving while enjoying some of your favourite songs, particularly if jogging isn't your thing.

However, Just Dance's K-pop routines aren't always technically accurate themselves. While some do reference the official K-pop choreography, deviation is often necessary due to issues such as safety, practicality, and intellectual property rights.

"We tried to use iconic dance moves, but we're not always allowed to replicate the whole choreography," said Ubisoft Asia managing director Steve Miller, speaking to UnGeek about Just Dance's K-pop routines.

Fortunately, Just Dance doesn't completely rechoreograph every K-pop song it includes, and is sometimes able to use segments of the original dances even if it can't use it all. Still, some Just Dance K-pop routines are better than others, whether because they adhere more closely to the official choreography, follow the spirit of the dance, look impressive, or are just plain fun.

Hyuna's "Bubble Pop!" is an addictive, confident bop about a woman telling a man to stop trying to change her. I have to assume Ubisoft was unaware of this when planning the choreography for Just Dance's Bubblegum Version.

The mind-numbingly simple moves and planned pratfalls in this Just Dance routine would best suit very young children, particularly as they're repeated ad infinitum. Even so, I hesitate to recommend it since the dance also requires players to collide with each other. This may work when you're wearing a large plush gumball costume, but could quickly end in tears for unpadded kids playing at home.

Just Dance's Bubblegum Version of "Bubble Pop!" is basically the routine you pick when you're trying to hide your self-consciousness and lack of enthusiasm with goofy slapstick. (It isn't working, by the way. Everyone knows.)

The pivotal move of Psy's official "Gentleman" choreography is the chorus' hip swing. One arm crossed over his body, the other resting atop to support the chin, Psy ponderously sways his hips side to side like rocking a baby's bassinet. It's genius in its simplicity, and a move you'd think is difficult to get wrong.

Yet Just Dance finds a way. The game does get the arm positioning right, as well as the crablike arms-up movement that immediately follows. Yet rather than a playful hip swing, Just Dance's guide thrusts his pelvis forward like a creepy little sex goblin, and it is horrible to behold.

Just Dance's choreography of Twice's "Fancy" was widely derided by K-pop fans when first revealed, and with good reason. Though the beginning is vaguely promising, with finger twirls reminiscent of the official dance, it quickly devolves into a dull routine that is closer to striking a series of embarrassing poses than actually dancing.

Some possible influence from Twice's original choreography is still visible if you really hunt for it, such as in the knee movement during the chorus. But overall, Just Dance's tediously repetitive effort feels like somebody saw a K-pop music show once out of the corner of their eye while eating at a Korean restaurant. The use of hand hearts in this context seems particularly disingenuous.

Just Dance's "Feel Special" routine is also a far cry from Twice's original choreography, however it's noticeably more lively than Ubisoft's attempt at "Fancy." We take the victories where we can find them.

Like "Fancy," Just Dance's "Feel Special" routine isn't terribly inspired and will definitely make you feel like a big dork. Still, its higher energy gives it an edge over Twice's previous 2019 single. The more glaring issue weighing "Feel Special" down is just how hard Just Dance's choreography only works the right side of your body. Even if you're having fun, following this dance will inevitably leave you feeling lopsided.

I couldn't identify any moves from the original "I Am The Best" choreography in this Just Dance routine, to the point where if I didn't know better I might think Ubisoft never even saw 2NE1's performance. The group's original choreography has a definite feminine power to it, emphasising lyrics that boast about how incredibly hot they are. In contrast, the more masculine Just Dance guide inexplicably waves a spear about before punching the air.

Dancing to "Bubble Pop!" without performing Hyuna's famous choreography is akin to dancing to "The Time Warp" without actually doing the Time Warp. Yet not only does Just Dance do away with Hyuna's teasing straight-armed move on each "ooh," it also fails to include the vital swivel-pop of her hips and chest as she sings the song's title. This should be a crime.

Fortunately, though Just Dance loses the assertive sass of Hyuna's classic 2011 performance, the bouncy tween entertainer vibe the game utilises instead still works in its own way. It may not have the iconic original "Bubble Pop!" choreography, but it's fun and keeps the energy up.

In terms of accuracy when compared to the original performance, Just Dance's Father and Son Version of "Daddy" ranks fairly low. There are a few scant moments here and there that look like they could have drawn something from Psy's choreography if you squint really hard, but overall Ubisoft appears to have just taken the title of the song and gone off on its own tangent.

Just Dance's Father and Son "Daddy" is more about having fun with a friend or child than recreating Psy's performance. Moves are kept simple enough for a child to follow along, and lively enough to keep them interested. Still, it isn't as though Psy's chorus moves in particular don't fit those criteria, and his choreography is rather famous.

This Just Dance routine barely seems to refer to Blackpink's official "Ice Cream" choreography, which is disappointing considering many of the moves would have fit nicely into the format. Just Dance's K-pop routines are typically simplified so the average non-idol can follow along, but it'd be nice if there were at least a few nods to the original here and there.

Ubisoft's "Ice Cream" choreography feels fairly average, though it livens up considerably during the dance break. Fortunately "Ice Cream" isn't Blackpink's most iconic nor recognisable performance, so this video game interpretation doesn't suffer from missing famous signature moves. Blackpink itself hasn't even performed "Ice Cream" on stage, and the group's official choreography video uses animated Zepeto avatars.

It isn't really fair to judge the Sweat Version of "Gentleman" against other Just Dance songs. This routine's primary aim is to get people exercising, so of course it will deviate from the original K-pop choreography. Comparing it to other routines would be like comparing an aerobics class to a dance class.

Just Dance's "Gentleman" involves a lot of big, punchy, energetic choreography that will likely tire you out quickly, but is pretty fun to do. The only element of the original routine it adopts is Psy's pensive, wide-stanced hip swing, so it loses marks for overall inaccuracy. Even so, the one move the game kept is also the only move that really matters. The key points of Psy's "Gentleman" performance are a rowdy atmosphere and an iconic hip swing, and Just Dance's Sweat Version delivers both.

Just Dance's version of "Daddy" by Psy feat. CL of 2NE1 was released on Just Dance 2017 alongside the Father and Son Version, with both currently only available in that game. It doesn't seem worth hunting down a copy.

The discrepancy in between the verses and chorus made Just Dance's "Daddy" difficult to rank, and in fact I wanted to put it lower. Yet I have to reluctantly give it props for its moments of accuracy and overall energy.

In particular, Just Dance's use of feminine choreography for the side dancers and masculine choreography for Psy's stand in seems unnecessary, particularly considering the original used similar energetic moves for all dancers regardless of gender. I'm also not a fan of Just Dance routines that make you pick a "leader" from your friend group, which just creates unnecessary social divides. All my friend groups are egalitarian.

Just Dance does get Psy's train-like arm chug and subsequent dab during "dugeun dugeun dugeun" right, as well as the pivotal "new face" move in the chorus. However, the oversimplification of other choreography makes these moments of accuracy not enough to win it a higher ranking.

Aside from the easily identifiable wrist movement on "bam ra-ta-ta-ta-ta", Just Dance's standard "I Am The Best" routine barely follows 2NE1's original choreography. Even so, it definitely matches the spirit of the original more closely than the game's Extreme Version.

Ubisoft's "I Am The Best" routine has a similar confident energy to 2NE1's original, but is more like a cousin than a twin. It largely avoids paying direct homage or replicating choreography, despite many of 2NE1's moves seeming as though they'd be reasonable for Just Dance players to attempt (particularly if slowed down or tweaked).

Still, Just Dance's "I Am The Best" routine is relatively fun and energetic, and doesn't clash with the song's vibe. If 2NE1 didn't already have official choreography for this dance, this effort would be more passable.

To be fair to Ubisoft, this feels like a tough one. If I had to translate NCT 127's official "Kick It" choreography into Just Dance form I'm not sure where I'd even start. The dance doesn't have many distinct, easily identifiable and repeated moves that the game can lift, frequently focusing on supporting the member who's singing rather than showing itself off. Instead of strict and striking choreography, this performance delivers an overall vibe.

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