Chapter 123 Let's talk about some XO stuff
he glanced out the window at the empty street and figured there wouldn't be any customers for a while. Bored, she stepped out from behind the counter and went to the nearby break room, where she turne..."The process was already known and practiced by everyone yesterday during the site visit. First, we play the VCR, and during the VCR playback, everyone goes to the rockery and lies on the table. When Luhan leads someone onstage, as soon as the music starts, it officially begins, and we start performing according to the rehearsed process."
Before EXO began their official rehearsals, they first familiarized themselves with the set. Meanwhile, the stage effects director accompanying the company was introducing them to the details.
This time, in addition to the special dance battle segment at MAMA, the opening was also specially designed. Before EXO's appearance, two stage decorations resembling artificial mountains would be set up on the stage, each with 6 desks placed on top.
This character design also references the concept of the wolf tribe youth from *Wolf*, as well as the overall school style of the first season. It can be considered a fusion of the two.
The performance process is that Luhan, under the camera's shooting, escapes with the MV female lead all the way to the stage, and then the members who are sleeping on the desk in the fake mountain scenery are awakened. Except for Luhan, after the other 11 people wake up, they will stand on the table and perform a unified dance, then jump down from the table and walk to the center of the stage, and the 12 people gather together to officially start the performance.
Overall, it fits the **'s overall setting of EXO's "middle school" style.
"As you're all familiar, I won't go into too much detail. Let's just go through it quickly."
At the staff's suggestion, EXO began their first official rehearsal.
Because tonight's stage is important and will be live-streamed, EXO practiced as if it were a real broadcast stage. They were completely serious and didn't just casually dance around like they do during regular music show rehearsals. Every member gave it their all.
At this time, as they were rehearsing, there were already many people gathered around the stage. Besides most of the staff, there were also a few groups of artists who were standing nearby, like Apk who had just finished their rehearsal not long ago. Instead of going back directly, they stood there with great interest watching EXO rehearsing on stage.
Pool Jingyuan, who has already started rehearsing, glanced at the crowd with the remaining light and discovered many familiar faces, such as Apk, Crayon Squad, and some members of 2NE1.
Oh, by the way, the Zaihao combination is also here. They've met at two award ceremonies in a row now. It seems like this hip hop group is pretty popular.
Zhi is just that he hasn't heard their songs up to now, nor does he have any desire to learn about them.
The opening act was nothing special, even some watching idols chuckled lightly. The first song, "Roar," followed the usual procedure, something everyone had seen countless times before, nothing out of the ordinary.
Until the second chorus of "Roar" ended, the accompaniment changed its drumbeat and entered the carefully prepared battle dance segment. Although there were no cameras on stage to film at this moment, Ji Jingyuan still imitated the directing gestures he would make when performing with a camera present, then started dancing to the new choreography.
"Wow..."
As the two teams danced wildly on stage, a wave of gasps echoed from the surrounding onlookers. It was clear that even during rehearsals, EXO's stage this time was dazzling enough to amaze them.
The two youngest members of APK, who seemed to already be half fans of EXO, had their eyes wide open, staring at the stage without blinking.
After a rehearsal lasting about ten minutes, the EXO members came down, panting heavily.
Just like the previous practice, there were no problems throughout the process, so I feel much more at ease.
"Hello, hello."
As he walked off the stage, he encountered several idol seniors watching from the sidelines. Apart from Crayon Pop, EXO was the youngest in terms of seniority. They lined up and bowed slightly to greet him, walking towards the side of the stage.
All the artists smiled and returned the greetings. Except for Zaizhao, whose expression was strange, he only gave a light nod with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Even members of Sistar and 2NE1, who weren't familiar with each other, were quite enthusiastic.
"Your stage performance this time was so cool, the dance battle section was amazing, how long did you prepare for it"
When passing by the Apk, Jung Eun Ji asked in a slightly surprised tone.
"
It wasn't long, maybe less than a month...
"
When Ji-seong saw Lee Cheng-hwan beckoning them from the stage entrance, he didn't stop. He simply said something briefly and waved to them before quickly returning backstage with the other members.
Lee Seung-hwan watched as EXO approached, a satisfied smile on his face and clapped excitedly.
"The effect was very good, no mistakes. It seems everyone's preparation is very thorough. We'll continue in a while. Staff will notify us when they are back. Let's rest for a while..."
………………
Just as EXO was diligently rehearsing for their MAMA stage, at the same time in Japan, at a school called URIZIP in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Naminori was practicing in front of a mirror in a practice room. Under the watchful eyes of her classmates, she practiced the dance they had just learned with her teacher.
URIZIP is a professional KPOP dance school. Most of the teachers are from the peninsula, and many were previously dance instructors at peninsula entertainment agencies.
It is said that the teacher who taught Mingnan and her friends previously worked in **, and she also seemed to have been the dance instructor for Girls' Generation.
This school is quite famous in the area and has channels to send trainees to the peninsula. Sometimes, when peninsula artists perform in Japan, some of their students can go to the scene to participate in some backup dance work to gain experience and see the artists at the same time.
Because she likes KPOP, Naminori has been practicing at this school for quite some time.
A catchy and rhythmic accompaniment filled the practice room, instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with the KPOP trend—they were performing "Roar."
Because the heating in the room was on quite high, both the students and teachers weren't wearing very thick clothes. Nanami Mei wore a blue short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. A cartoon face that wasn't quite sure if it was a duck or a penguin was printed on her short-sleeved chest, looking rather funny.
Minami Minei's dancing expressions were very serious, her long black hair swinging with the intense dance moves, occasionally drifting in front of her face and blocking her view.
However, overall her movements seem stiff and lacking the natural and effortless feel of a skilled KPOP dancer. She's more focused on imitating the moves than truly embodying the spirit of the dance.
As the song ended, Nami Minami breathed slightly, waiting for her teacher's evaluation.
And then the attention of several classmates sitting behind him also focused.
She's been learning the dance for a while now, she really likes the song and the dance, she's watched the MV for "Roar" many times, but she just can't find that feeling when she tries to dance it.
"As for the overall feeling, it's still a bit stiff. This dance isn't difficult. Sometimes don't worry too much about whether the movements are accurate or not, just try to appear natural and free-flowing. The main thing is to express your own charm and coolness."
After a few seconds of contemplation, the teacher shared some of his thoughts with the renowned Jing Nan.
His accent was clearly not local, with a certain oddness characteristic of peninsula people speaking foreign languages. It sounded a bit awkward.
The teacher added, "You see the choreography in this song's MV, EXO's synchronized dancing is indeed very neat. In fact, there are some places where a few members' dance moves are not entirely the same, but when they perform them together, it gives people a great feeling, a sense of ease and mastery."
I've seen the behind-the-scenes footage of "Roar," you should have too... Right, Yuan, the choreographer, also said in the footage that when he was choreographing, he didn't design any particularly difficult moves to steal the show. Instead, he came up with some moves that really showcase individual charisma and are very captivating. The key to this part is to dance with feeling, not just imitate the poses...
Saying this, the teacher remembered her surprise when she first saw the behind-the-scenes footage and couldn't help but sigh:
"The choreography for 'Roar' is amazing, it really contributed a lot to the song's success. I wonder how Yuan came up with it…"
"Alright, let's take a short break, have some water, and then we'll continue."
Namie listened intently to her teacher's advice, nodding in understanding. She returned to her seat beside her classmates, taking small sips from a bottle of water as she contemplated the teacher's words, seeking inspiration to improve herself.
She is very interested in Kpop and her goal is to become an artist. Although she may appear somewhat delicate on the outside, she is also quite strong-willed and has been working hard towards this goal.
"Sensei, weren't you working in ** before You must know EXO, right Could you tell us what they were like during their trainee days"
During a break, an energetic student suddenly asked the teacher a question. The topic immediately received a strong response from surrounding classmates who chimed in and hoped the teacher would elaborate.
They are all Japanese students interested in KPOP, otherwise they wouldn't come here to take classes. And they are very interested in EXO, the biggest group on the peninsula right now. A few of them are even EXO fans and are wearing their same clothes.
"Yeah, Sensei, tell us about EXO, we'd all love to hear it."
A cheerful girl who lived very close to a famous well shouted loudly:
Let me also talk about Yuan, as a is very interested in it too.
)
First published on the Chinese novel website. However, after Chi Jingyuan's video was released on the 20th, his unit, which originally had no fans at all, suddenly exploded in popularity. His fan count surged to the top of the team within just...