Weeekly’s Playful Choreography Wows in Their We Trilogy
In an era of social distancing and empty classrooms, girl group Weeekly, newly debuted at the time, captured the original vibrance of school life through their We series of albums. Soojin, Monday, Soeun, Jaehee, Jihan, Zoa, and former member Jiyoon created performances that embodied the emotions of high school — wanting to stand out, experiencing fluctuating moods, and anticipating hanging out with your friends — within the span of a year. We are, We can, and We play offered a trilogy of school concepts that gave comfort during a time when typical high school experiences felt impossible. The title tracks that represented the We EPs, “Tag Me (@Me),” “Zig Zag,” and “After School,” delivered youthful energy through the songs’ fun sounds, relatable lyrics, and most importantly, the creative prop-filled choreography.
“Tag Me (@Me)”
Weeekly proudly proclaimed their presence with the release of We are and the music video for “Tag Me (@Me).” Though many school concepts feature a classroom setting, Weeekly interacts with this environment throughout the song. Thanks to choreographers Bae Wanhee, Lee Dabin, and Park Yohan, the seven sets of chairs and desks aren’t just for show — they help convey the song’s lyrics and offer a more immersive experience.
When the song’s chorus occurs for the first time, the members follow Monday with the line “I’ll run anywhere,” running in the direction she points to. Weeekly changes the choreography in the second chorus by using the desks. This time, the members sit on top of the desks and run with their legs suspended in the air. Zoa, Monday, and Jaehee, who appear in the middle three seats, cutely remain running as Soeun starts the next line.
A similar change happens in the second pre-chorus with everyone taking their seats, instead of splitting into two groups on opposite sides of the stage. There, they lean their desks forward, lifting the back portions off the floor when Soojin sings about questions asked by teachers. The desks also rock to the left in unison with Zoa’s line, “My way of talking, dressing / My personality / Blah blah.”
In the bridge, the mundane nature of sitting at a desk at the day’s end becomes progressively apparent: the members start tapping their knuckles on the desk, leaning their upper bodies against the desk in boredom, ending with a tired arm stretch just before they return the desks to their starting positions. From start to finish, the usage of desks and chairs give “Tag Me (@Me)” choreography a musical-like quality. While the song hits all the right notes from a listening standpoint, the addition of the choreography delivers a spectacular debut.
“Zig Zag”
Weeekly swapped out the school desks for blocks in We can’s title track, “Zig Zag.” continuing the established school concept from “Tag Me (@ Me),” Weeekly sings about the pendulum-esque trajectory of teen emotions as they utilize blocks as structures for their performance. While the blocks play a smaller role than its counterparts in the previous release, choreographers Bae Wanhee, Chae Dasom, and Park Yohan still found ways to make the choreography creative.
The blocks start in a straight line, but end up being pushed, turned, stacked, and spun as the song progresses. When the lyric “Zig Zag / My feelings swing back and forth” arrives, the line of blocks breaks apart to mimic that: some members push their blocks forward, others behind them, and they intersect in the middle of the stage to highlight Jihan. The “Zig Zag” choreography video showcases the satisfying slams of these blocks unheard in music show performances.
Most of the action occurs in the song’s final minute, during the bridge and final chorus. The brief action of Jiyoon, Jaehee, Monday, and Zoa spinning their blocks is easily one of the standout moments from this choreography. Just like how high school is a figurative roller coaster ride, the song closes with the blocks forming a makeshift roller coaster. With the members securing the imaginary roller coaster restraints, they brace themselves for the emotions of high school.
“After School”
Weeekly used the world as their playing ground in “After School.” With currently 150 million views amassed on its music video, many K-Pop fans likely remember the song’s immense virality back in 2021. The fashion full of bucket hats and baseball caps, cropped sweaters and layered shirts, shorts and sweatpants, and sneakers and boots fits perfectly for a song about hanging out with friends after class. Choreographer Na Eunbi built on the playfulness of Weeekly’s past choreographies with the addition of rolling chairs and a skateboard.
From the moment the song starts, six members play a little game of musical chairs. While the ones left standing sport disappointed looks, Jaehee rides in on a skateboard to sing the first line. Another fun interaction occurs after the first chorus. As Jiyoon namedrops Weeekly’s previous title tracks, Soeun loses to Monday in a game of rock paper scissors. Soeun, after expressing sadness, mimics dropping a racing flag, letting Soojin push Monday on the skateboard. The remaining members pull along an imaginary rope, drawing Monday towards them as she sings “throttle up.” It’s these smaller details in the background that make everything seem less of an actual performance, and more like the after-school hangouts the song describes.
The members must love pushing Monday around, because she receives an additional ride, this time on one of the chairs, in the song’s second chorus. The song’s last 30 seconds features my favorite usage of the skateboard, where Zoa coasts around the stage in a circle. “After School” proved itself to be the perfect final piece in the We series: not only did it achieve viral success, it felt like a natural evolution of “Tag Me (@Me)” and “Zig Zag,” and rounded out an initial niche for the group.
Edited by Omani