Throwback Thursday: Iconic Dance Breaks Final Part: Solo Artist Edition
We have sadly come to the final part of our iconic dance breaks list (insert crowd of no’s). This list was another one that was hard to compose because of the insane amount of dance breaks from these amazingly talented solo artists. Many of the artists on this list are known for their phenomenal dance skills, so picking only one song for each was a struggle—but I did it. So let’s take it back to these iconic dance breaks by solo artists.
“SOLO” - Jennie
“Now I’m going slow-mo.” You know what comes after that: a dance break that is engraved in all of our minds. Jennie is a member of the hit YG Entertainment girl group BLACKPINK. She released this song on November 12, 2018, and many of us have been dancing along ever since. The dance break is at the end of the track and includes a dance number with many backup dancers and amazing light work. The dance is fierce and displays Jennie and her dancing skills fully with her being in the center of it all. It’s very addictive and is known by all.
“Stay Tonight” - Chungha
This song is so much fun. Chungha is a well-known solo artist with a powerful vocal range. In addition to that, she is an extraordinary performer. On April 27, 2020, Chungha released her song “Stay Tonight,” and there was no way I could make this list and not put this song. The choreography heavily focuses on hand, arm, and hair movements which are all key points of the dance style called Voguing. The intricate hand choreography and arm movement are performed in a domino effect. It’s a great track that will forever remain on the list of amazing dance breaks.
“LALALAY” - Sunmi
Sunmi is another artist whose name is known among many K-Pop listeners. This quirky queen released her song “LALALAY” on August 27, 2019. The concept of the video, the fashion, and even the choreography is so eccentric. The reason this song was picked is because of the hair choreography that is incorporated. The dance break shows the backup dancers in sync with one another while Sunmi walks to the center, and joins in. It’s a really nice touch to the choreography. Each dance move is impactful and hard-hitting, but on top of that, it’s just a really fun dance to do. There are many dance covers out there that just prove how we love this song.
“Spider” - HOSHI
I previously said that there is no way I can talk about dancing and not bring up SEVENTEEN, so of course I had to talk about HOSHI. HOSHI is a member of the 13-member boy group SEVENTEEN. His song “Spider” was released on April 2, 2021, and just proved how much of a talented dancer HOSHI is. He showed his true performance team leadership during the dance break when leading the domino of dance moves with the backup dancers standing behind him. The movements were smooth and striking. It was hard to pick only one soloist from SEVENTEEN but this dance break is so iconic and deserves to be talked about.
“Thirsty (OFF-SICK Concert Ver.)” - TAEMIN
As a Shawol, this was hard to pick just one TAEMIN song, but I picked this song because it holds such a place in my heart. TAEMIN is a member of the highly popular SM Entertainment boy group SHINee. On October 16, 2017, TAEMIN released his album Move, and on that album was the B-side “Thirsty.” The moment I heard this song I fell in love with it, and couldn’t wait to see the dance to go along with it. Then on November 10, 2017, TAEMIN released the “Thirsty (OFF-SICK Concert Ver.)” and shocked us all. The dance break showcased TAEMIN’s spectacular dance moves that were smooth and sensual, but also explosive at the same time. While it’s definitely a hard dance to learn, it’s always fun to just make up your own moves and just dance along to the beat.