To dance. When asking Google's definition, the exact defining words are given as so: move rhythmically to music, typically following a set sequence of steps, with the synonyms (that aren't really up-to-par, in my opinion) being sway, trip, twirl, whirl, pirouette and gyrate. When asking a normal person's definition, it would probably be similar to the scientific, wordy phrase used by the biggest website in the world. However, if questioning a Korean pop fan their definition of this "movement of music", there would be two different answers being fought over across the board: Dancing is moving to the rhythm and beat, following a tune, and requires hardwork and practice to improve because it is a talent, and, dancing is moving to the rhythm and beat, following a tune, and requires hardwork and practice to improve because it most definitely is not a talent. And while there is a constant argument throughout the Korean pop fandom (under all the fanwars and jitters over whether a new comeback is awesome, of course) questioning which statement is the most valid, I want to go into this further and confirm which side is correct: is dancing a talent or not.
We can all dance.
But we can't all dance well.
We always say this about singing, whether or not someone is trying to prove that singing is more than just breathing out a note or making harmonious sound in conjunction to the track their playing, however, whenever someone says the same about dancing, there is always backlash coming from the other side. Now, now, I'm not saying that the other side is wrong, however, this statement is true.
We can all dance, of course.
But we can't all dance well, and therefore, should give the good dancers props for being able to well, move their bodies better than we can.
But, because I'm a fan of Google definitions, I took the liberty to try to prove the claim as to whether or not dancing is actually a talent, looking at the sentence as if it was actually 'dancing = talent' and wanting to know what the actual, factual definition of talent was in order to continue going on with this blog post. Here's what I came up with (I made sure to link the Google definitions if you guys think I'm just pulling these out of my ass):
If you can't read that or emitted horrifying screams after seeing my smiley face with a moustache, the relevant definition of talent is as so: natural aptitude or skill. (Aptitude's definition: natural ability to do something). Look at my other opened tab, natural's definition. Since I'm too lazy to create another masterpiece of the definition of natural, here is the most relevant adjective definition of natural (since natural is used as an adjective defining talent):
existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind.
basically, this means that you are born with it.
This is not something training can bring to you.
This is not something vocal lessons can bring to you.
This is not something that fans can pretend you have.
This is something that you have been gifted with.
A talent is natural.
 |
| All the stans of any group but SPICA, Ailee or Brown Eyed Girls (i.e. not known for dance) getting shaky now |
What does this mean, though?
Dancing can be a talent as a talent can be dancing. Some people are naturally born with being flexible, for example, SHINee's Key who noted something about him dancing to the beat at his audition. However, for some idols, it's not the case. It's virtually impossible for some idols to be considered 'full of talent in dancing' because they inherited the talent for dancing through training.
They did not come our from their mother's womb knowing how to dance perfectly. In fact, knowing most of these idols, they probably did not come out of the mother's womb knowing how to do anything at all but look pretty.
You cannot fucking sit here and tell me SM Entertainment took YoonA because she was talented in anything. I'm not hating against YoonA. It's just that she's the perfect example in this case. She exhibits confidence and likeability (aka she'll be able to make money) in her audition if anything... but if you call that talent, Hyoyeon must be a fucking god in dancing. A fucking god.
There's no hard feelings against idols who learned how to dance however, using YoonA as a perfectly good example as shown in the audition clip above. Clearly, she was not a good dancer then however, improved to be a good dancer now. Is she talented? By definition, no. She's currently a good dancer, yes, a better dancer than I could be anyday (here SONEs, I self-depricated, happy now or are you going to argue with me that YoonA is actually talented?) however, she is not talented. There is no skill. No skill that was naturally given to her at birth but was rather learned in years and years of practice.
And there are tons of other idols that fall into that mold, this, not just applying to YoonA but rather, to many other idols in dancing... as well as in different 'talents' like singing and rapping.
-
To conclude, dancing is a talent. Dancing can be a natural apititude or skill you are blessed with at birth. However, the word talent is flung around like a rag doll without people actually knowing what they're saying. Many idols are not 'talented' in dancing, singing, rapping, etc. but are rather 'good' at it. Of course, there are idols who do have talent in their specific skill however, the majority rules;
The majority (not all) of Korean pop idols whom are not talented in singing and can dance well are not talented in dancing but are rather, good at it. They improve their dancing overtime in training and there's nothing wrong with that.
+play+spoiler.jpg)
Hmmm this is difficult to speak on… I think the ability to learn something IS a talent. There are people out there that can take all the dancing lessons in the world and still not dance well. Prime example is me: I was always excellent in English however even with tutoring I still suck at math. I can do it, however there are kids that will always be way more talented in math than me and that's just fact. Tiffany of SNSD is known for practicing really hard at the choreography however she's still no Hyoyeon or Ciara. However, I think she is differently more talented in singing. I think it's just how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't trying to stretch the definition to conform to anything. I generally feel that way. This post made me think a lot to the point I just wrote a whole essay on it on my blog. But I guess I was coming off defensive so I'll try to be less of that.
ReplyDeleteI think people (including me) use the term "talent" loosely. A lot of people think that E-Young is talented because she can play a lot of instruments. To be technical, she isn't because she was taught to play all of those instruments. Same goes for a lot of other musicians. I think the ability to learn to play those instruments and to know those instruments especially at her age shows great talent. Also, come on being able to play all of those instruments is pretty admirable.
Maybe there is some other word we could use instead of talent however I can't really think of one off the top of my head. I read from an actual vocalist that "talent" is superficial because talent is immeasurable, and a raw talent needs to be trained to become better.
Sure a person with an untrained voice but an angelic tone may sound better than someone with a huskier voice, but what if the huskier voiced person was a trained vocalist and they were both singing to an audience with untrained ears and one person with trained ears? Then again that situation is pretty much subjective depending on who likes what tone because the people with the untrained ears will take "Who is the most talented" to "Which voice just sounds more pleasing to them." Especially if they haven't read up on vocals. *Keep in mind that everything above is just my general opinion.*
I honestly don't know I just kind of like what I like O_O.
You just literally read my mind. I used to hate k-pop because I thought that they couldn't dance nor sing, and some other things (like how skinny they are, even the guys) and it's true what you say they learn how to do it, only a few have the real talent, and that shows when they're performing.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'm so glad I've been crazy busy enough to not notice your site went down, I would've freaked out!! Great you're still here.
I'm not sure "talent" is something you have when you are born, but something that are developed in the early age of your life. A child develops a skill or liking for something, for example movement of the body and hearing beats, sounds and connect them both. So in their teenage years they "have a talent for dancing".
ReplyDeleteclip yonna childhood, her lovely :D
ReplyDeleteCan't say I agree. As a dancer myself, it is easy to tell who is 'talented' and who is a hard worker.
ReplyDeletePeople who are talented have natural abilities and are therefore able to train to become amazing dancers a lot more easily either through self teaching or an instructor. For example, in ballet, some people have naturally better pointed feet, flexible hips, proper turnout, etc. and others have to work for years for it to look nice.
In hip hop, some people have more limber and flexible bodies as well as muscle control and energy to make their moves fluid and crisp.
For example, in Girls' Generation, Hyoyeon, SooYoung, and Yuri look so nice when they dance, while Sunny, Seohyun, and YoonA also look great, but not as good. Hyoyeon has a naturally thick and flowing body so her popping and locking come naturally. SooYoung has long limbs and a strong sense of balance (similar to Victoria or Stephanie) so her movements are expansive without seeming like they're going inward. Yuri has the ideal body for dance with open, full hips, an hourglass shape, flexibility, and long legs. All in all, these girls have a natural affinity for dance so when they learned how to, they were naturally just better than their groupmates.
Seohyun, Sunny, and Yoona, however, were not graced with all this, Seohyun being awkward with her movements, Sunny, more squat than the others, and YoonA lacking energy. They all trained to become good dancers, but they wont look as great as the other three. It's just like singing. My sister and I were born with perfect pitch, but we would never know unless we took music or voice lessons. And just as SooYoung and Hyoyeon weren't born with vocals like Taeyeon or Seohyun, they were able to improve with lessons. It's just that it's taken them longer to get good while Taeyeon and Jessica could just breeze through it. I think a lot of the main dancers in a group have naturally good bodies or affinities for dance. But it's easy to tell when they don't.
And I just reread the article and realize that I kinda do agree but not entirely haha
ReplyDelete