ā SPHERE SEPTEMBER EVALUATION: WEAKEST SKILLĀ !
HER āĀ BLOCK BĀ ( DANCE ONLY )
perhaps picking a new song three and a half days before the performance isnāt the best idea, but thatās just the way the cookie crumbles. it doesnāt feel right using something chosen for him to learn at the bootcamp, not after heād decided to make the shift in his attitude. his unnecessary distaste towards being asked to dance stops hereā or at the very least, begins to. heās well aware these things donāt happen overnight, but nothing will ever change unless he makes the effort to grow, and heāll never get anywhere unless he learns to relax.Ā
itās no secret that heās been uptight in the past when evaluations not suited to his specific style pop up. when they recorded the samsung ads back in march, he spent an entire month from mid february to the end of his shooting session complaining about it ( and then continuing to when it didnāt air in the first couple months after all the teams had finished ). when june rolled around, he was grateful to do something different from his usual āpick up a guitar and singā act, but that just meant that he complained about thoseĀ evaluations that heād enjoyed in the past. it became increasingly obvious the more he thought about it that the problem was never that the evaluations highlighted his weaknesses, or portrayed him ( rightfully so, he thinks ) as a one trick pony, but instead that he lacked the ability to comprehend that each and every evaluation was meant to help him grow, to help broaden his horizons. he hasnāt shown any progress in dancing over the last few months ā despite julyās evaluation especially ā because heās never allowed himself to grow. he canāt step forward if he glues his shoes to the ground.Ā
heās lucky to be here, and maybe instead of desperately trying to prove his worth every month, he should accept that he wouldnāt be here without reason and enjoy it.Ā
he seeks out a dance coach the third day of the bootcamp after his mid-practice realisation, asks if he thinks itās possible for someone of his skill ( or lack thereof, but isnāt adding that part of the problem? he bites his tongue ) to learn an entire songās choreography in three and a half days. he appreciates the honesty when he receives a sharpĀ ānoā in reply, but his own expression must say otherwise, because he addsĀ ānot without helpāĀ and seungcheol manages to rope him into a collective few extra hours one-to-one over the three days to really nail the most difficult parts.Ā
to start, he focuses on the first third of the song, up until the end of the chorus that transitions into zicoās rap. the minimum heās required to perform is a minute, but it feels like he isnāt taking his desire to change seriously if he doesnāt at least attempt the full three. besides, the chorus ( and pre-chorus, which for the sake of simplicity, he bulks together in his mind ) makes up such a large portion of the song that after getting his body to remember that with rest of the required amount, he figures itās just a case of filling in the gaps ā the rap, bridge and outro.Ā
when performance day rolls around, heās as ready as he needs to be to feel comfortable. nerves still rack his body as he waits for his turn, but he reminds himself not to utter or even thinkĀ the dangerous words heās instinctively plagued by. instead, he chantsĀ āI can do thisā and the reminder toĀ āenjoy itāĀ over and over in his head ( and very, very quietly out loud at times, to the confusion of passers by ) until itās all he can think about ā until heās being called in and finding his place in the centre of the room.Ā
once the music starts, he heaves a sigh of relief, letting his lips curl up at the corners as he mouths along to every line.Ā
thereās truthfully nothing graceful about his movements. heās heavy footed and a little stiff still, despite best efforts to practice it out of him, but he hopes thatās to be expected from someone with his starting ability and the timescale heād cornered himself into. if he wanted to impress with the dance itself, heād have chosen one heād learnt directly from those in front of him, but as he keeps telling himself, thatās not the point. the point is to have fun and regardless of the jump he just forgot at the end of the pre-chorus, he is actually having fun.Ā
heād chosen the song for a couple reasons which, in his opinion, show their significance during his performance. the first is the sense of comfort he feels with it being a dance that matches its simplicity with itās energy. save for a few trickier parts ( namely the backing dancers in zicoās rap, which he, with a small laugh, skips over, following zicoās movements and even rapping a little out loud as he does so ), itās not a complexĀ danceā at least not to the level of ktās lc9, anyway. yet, at the same time, itās not a plain dance either. itās not one that lacks effort or dedication, or fails to stand out on stage. that healthy balance, he supposes, is perfect for him right now.Ā
the second is the poorly thought out reason that he simply just likes the song a lot. it shouldnāt mean that much to the decision, because he also likes gfriend and you arenāt going to find him learning roughĀ any time soon ( or perhaps you will with this new change of heart? ) but itās one he thinks is at least important this time. he canāt have fun and it wonāt show that heās having fun if he doesnāt even like the song heās performing, right? not at this stage, anyway. while he has the ability to, he should choose the beats that he enjoys the most. he wonāt have that luxury another month, or after debut, and the whole point of this is to grow out of grumbling about everything and enjoy the opportunities that are presented to him, so he should start straight away with making the best of every situation.Ā
( that being said, itās a steady process. heās learning to try new things, but you shouldnāt dive in at the deep end without armbands if you canāt swim. he has to learn the basics before he can push himself further. he has a way to go yet before he can break out s.coups-tas tuĀ on variety shows. )Ā
had it not been for either of these comforts, he probably wouldnāt have been smiling still at the end of the bridge after his clumsy footwork for the verse and awkward body rolls in the two previous choruses.Ā he knows that the choreography for the last chorus is a little different to the ones before it, but it feels easier to him to just repeat the moves he already knows from the previous. transitioning into the outro he feels a sense of relief wash over his body. the final wiggle is a move heās perfected over the years through many instances of embarrassing dad dancing ( albeit block b do it with a lot more style, but maybe this is him leaving his own mark on the dance that isnāt stiffness ) and with the fading out of the track, he bows politely, thanks the staff for their time and leaves feeling on top of the world.Ā
itās a miracle. choi seungcheol can dance. ( eh, thatās still a stretch, but it feels a little less far away than before, a little more realistic, and whilst he never expects to be a dancer by any means, to know that heās on the way to feeling comfortable doing more than wiggling his hips to the beat feels invigorating. maybe he is idol material after all. )
