JEON SOMI choreographer breaks down DUMB DUMB, FAST FORWARD, XOXO, & more performances | Kpop 101

JEON SOMI choreographer breaks down DUMB DUMB, FAST FORWARD, XOXO, & more performances | Kpop 101

Fast forward. Hey, it’s Kyle Tuton. In this episode, we’re shining the spotlight on Somi. As a solo artist, her performances have to showcase everything: vocals, personality, and stage presence. So, the choreography obviously plays a huge role in telling her story. I’m going to break down how we built some of her standout stages and the little moments that you might have missed. This is XOXO. Something that I love about Somi is that every time she has a comeback, few and far between, the musical style is so different. I think she’s one of the most interesting musical artists in K-pop. Her influences and the musical genres that she explores every time. It’s always so different, but it’s always so done and so well executed. This was XOXO, which is just like a fun breakup girl song. So, it’s always fun to be a little bratty. I think that’s one of like the most fun personalities you can put on on stage and to create choreography for that is kind of really easy. It’s really simple to do to just like have a bunch of attitude. I frequently collaborate um which means that two choreographers both submit pieces and then a performance director puts those pieces together um and teaches it to the artist. So I frequently collaborate on Somi with a choreographer called Lee Jang Lee who is amazing. She’s my friend. Somi falls so naturally between the kind of a hip-hop vibe. She raps. She’s an amazing singer. She’s an amazing dancer. So to be able to blend all of those things together in one piece creates for one exciting stage piece. We’re trying to create memorable things. The song is called XOXO. We love to spell. Um so little things XO XO. We have XO. There are a few little ways that we incorporate that in this routine. So this is fast forward again. Somi comes back with a completely different sound. She kind of lent into this more club, more Euro sound. This was the first time that I was explicitly creating with male dancers for Somi. Um, and we wanted to add elements in vogue. And also when we use styles in K-pop, I always want to remember that all of these artists are not necessarily trained authentically in full hip-hop and street styles. I’ve trained for a long time in a lot of different styles. So I think we’ve kind of reached a point where I can use visual elements of it without having to fully do a style. So, we’re we’re borrowing without appropriating the core of it because I would want someone to train fully in it. And I think there were a few steps uh in some drafts where we had like a catwalk and things in which case I said if we’re going to do this um please make sure that we have the appropriate teacher in Korea doing those. They ultimately went with a more tectonic vibe in the chorus which is this move. Hey bum bum. Yeah, the song calls for certain things, so we were able to elude in ways. Baby Zoo is another um one of the choreographers in this piece. Somi’s charisma, she lends herself to so many different things. So, having six male dancers that are doing movements that are more feminine based, but it just works for her. She’s still able to command the space, and then they lean into more masculine stuff. They’re able to bounce back and forth. I love this piece. It’s super exciting. It’s short and sweet, but I think it packs a punch. This is Dum Dum. When I first heard the song, I think the emphasis that the company wanted to stress was that the song is a dichotomy. It has two very different angles to it. There’s the verses which are super sweet and sugary and then the chorus comes in and she kind of just throws that all away and it goes super grimy and super grungy. So the vibe switches right here and we go super different and I don’t think you can see that drop coming. This is I think one of the most viral sounds for Somi. It’s a balance of trying to create something that works virally, but also as a creative, you don’t necessarily want to always cater to that. You still want it to be good and inspiring and creative first, and then if that also happens to lend itself to virality, then that’s a bonus. Dum Dum, it’s a it’s a great song and it’s a catchy song and it has those visual cues for you to pick up on that can go viral. I don’t think you always know what’s going to go viral. Some things do, some things don’t. Some things that you think are going to go viral, absolutely don’t. This was one that did. But I guess, yeah, it’s always fun seeing thousands of people do something that you had a part in. Um, it’s really humbling, but also you’re so appreciative. I like this song cuz I think you can really see Somi starting to come into her own as a solo artist, building up those those performance skills and those different stylings. So this I think was a turning point for Somi. Okay. So this is the most recent song that we’ve done for Somi. This is closer which interpolates a well-known song called Beautiful Girls. This piece is entirely my choreography. We made this piece. I loved it. I sent everything over to Korea for them to review and see if they liked it. And within hours they kind of replied back and they were like, “We absolutely love it. Somebody wants to use the whole thing. We’re not going to change a single move, which is kind of unheard of in in my realm in K-pop because they like to use so many different things from different choreographers. So, I was honored that um I’d created something that everyone loved. Again, we’re diving a lot more European with the with the musical styles and the club of it. Here we wanted to use different elements of showing off a beautiful girl. We have framing the face. We have showing off the nails. All of those little different elements to highlight the song’s message. I think that I have somewhat of a formula when I create K-pop choreography. That doesn’t mean it’s repetitive, but I see things in structures and choruses and verses where we do different things. And I think Somi is the perfect artist for me to do that with. And I’ve done so many that I think my structures are recognizable in K-pop. So, while moves might be different and styles might be different, I like to do a lot of different styles, I think you can see my signature through the structure of a song. I love this piece. It’s simple but very effective. And that’s a wrap on some of Somi’s most memorable performances. As a soloist, she really owns the stage in a way that is powerful and personal. And it’s been amazing to help shape that through choreography. I appreciate you watching. See you.

Choreographer Kiel Tutin closes out his three-part feature in Page Six’s “K-pop 101” series by spotlighting solo powerhouse SOMI. From the viral “Dumb Dumb” dance challenge to the sleek storytelling of “Closer” and “Fast Forward,” Kiel unpacks how choreography helps define SOMI’s individuality and stage presence. With his signature creative insight, he reveals how each performance balances power, personality, and precision. Watch the full video for an inside look at how SOMI’s bold artistry and Kiel’s vision come together to create some of K-pop’s most dynamic solo moments.

Watch Kiel’s break down of some of TWICE’s biggest performances here https://youtu.be/GNTgglNeoac

Watch Kiel’s break down of some of BLACKPINK’s biggest performances here https://youtu.be/FucbeB33lIo

#전소미 #JEONSOMI #SOMI #kpop #kieltutin

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