Certain videos of “It’s Showtime” group GirlTrends performing some dance numbers went viral following online criticisms about their choreography.
Twitter users shared video clips of the group’s performances of BLACKPINK song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” and Sam Smith’s “How Do You Sleep?” among others.
Both songs have official dance moves that people can perform, whether they are professional dancers or enthusiasts. These are uploaded on YouTube where people can freely practice the movements.
A Twitter user noticed that GirlTrends’ performance of Smith’s song featured leg movements which he referred to as a “sipa tournament” instead to describe how the girls executed the moves.
Hi, GirlTrends! Kaya pa? 🦀#ItsShowtime #SipaTournament pic.twitter.com/0vHQsiCj8s
— jayce (@p_jayc_) August 14, 2019
Most Filipinos commented that the group’s movements seemed “all over the place.”
“Ano kaya ang reaction ng choreographer nila? Ang kalat huhu,” a Twitter user wrote.
Other observant users claimed that the two members from the left were the only ones who seemed to “attend the practice” of the performance due to their synchronized movements compared to the others.
The group’s performance of the hit BLACKPINK song “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” also drew criticisms, particularly from Filipino users who justified why they prefer K-pop groups compared to the local ones due to the quality of performance.
This is how I end my week… sabaw… lol Blackpink is shakiiiiing pic.twitter.com/Z2dc3f4Oua
— JAMES_ReidTide (@_thejamesharold) August 17, 2019
A particular comment that gained around 2,300 likes and 333 retweets on the microblogging platform said:
“Ta’s sinisisi tayo bakit tayo fan ng K-Pop. There are so many passionate people in the (Philippine) industry of theatre, dance and music that produces magnificent results with tenfold times the degree of difficulty, pero ito binibigyan ng screen time.”
“As consumers who subscribe and watch these shows, we still want quality na alam namin na ma-e-enjoy namin. Ka-enjoy enjoy ba ‘to?” the Twitter user continued.
The particular video clip became viral to the point that it reached international shores, where an American K-pop fan captioned it with the following:
“oof and then people wonder why K-Pop groups train for years before debuting,” he wrote.
oof and then people wonder why kpop groups train for years before debuting pic.twitter.com/X1wl5Yx76r
— José/JK Mixtape💭 (@TheJose8A) August 17, 2019
BLACKPINK’s music video for “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” previously broke internet records on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify when it was first released.
Its official dance tutorial video has already reached more than 240 million views as of this writing, an indication that the group’s choreography is regularly practiced and performed by various people.
In fact, American music record chart Billboard even featured an article about the K-pop group’s dance tutorial video, noting its “energetic choreography.”
On synchronization
GirlTrends is an all-female dance group of ABS-CBN’s noontime program “It’s Showtime.”
It was not the first time they have received criticisms from their performances. Apparently, their dance moves on “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” have earned flak as far back as January 2019.
Girltrends? Yung totoo??? pic.twitter.com/N109bgyo48
— SUE (@Kennethkimsue) January 2, 2019
Criticisms even reached some GirlTrends members who explained their side on their supposed unsynchronized movements.
One member, Sammie Rimando, implied that they only practiced the particular choreography the “same day” it was performed on the noontime show.
I hope you understand na hindi madali mag aral ng sayaw ng same day, lalo na’t marami kaming episode na tinetape nung araw na yan. Pasensya na kung di kami sabay sabay, pero bakit pag sabay sabay kami wala kayong sinasabi? Bt kung kelan lang kami nagkakamali? https://t.co/vFfT3l19HW
— 𝚂𝙰𝙼𝙼𝙸𝙴 ♡ (@SammieRimando) January 3, 2019
Another member, Mica Javier, placated Rimando and claimed that their critics supposedly “cannot handle the life of an artist,” hence the comments.
Don’t mind them, di nila kaya ang buhay artista hehe they think they know, but they have no idea 👊🏽
— MICA JAVIER (@DaRealMICA) January 3, 2019
According to a dance-oriented website, synchronization is the key when it comes to “wowing a crowd” or making them impressed with a particular performance.
“Perfect synchronization is what carries the vision of the choreography,” University of Cincinnati dance team coach Jennifer Bernier said.
“The unison score can be what sets two teams with amazing choreography apart,” Kelley Tafazzoli, University of Tennessee’s dance team coach, added.
A co-owner of an American dance school also noted that a perfect synchronization helps “develop a sense of group chemistry” among the performers which is crucial in attaining high audience impact.
