#dance practice – @moonbinss on Tumblr

ASTRO 붙잡았어야 해 (Again) Choreography Appreciation

The choreography for 붙잡았어야 해 is really good and let me take you through step by step why it’s so good. (On top of that, when it’s in GIF form and you can’t hear any music, it’s easier to spot where they aren’t in sync. Or in ASTRO’s case, appreciate just how in sync they are.)

One thing I really appreciate about ASTRO choreographies is that they switch the focused member so easily. Here, MJ and Moonbin spin back to back. Moonbin sings first, and MJ sings second. This transition ONLY works because MJ is so much shorter than Moonbin - Bin can completely hide MJ behind him, and so when MJ spins out it’s like !!! he’s here !! In general it is very in sync.

They have to do this spinning transition often when switching center members because of their six person group. In order to keep it symmetrical, there’s one center and two on each side, leaving one left over. This spinning transition lets them keep the symmetry without leaving anyone out for too long.

The best part of this is how Moonbin’s hand turns, and it turns in time with their heads turning, especially Jinjin and Rocky., as if he’s the one turning their heads. Also that move where both hands are in is really good with the music, it fits really well and I love it alot.

This move is actually really hard to do (trust me I’ve tried). I really love how it starts out lowkey with them doing the little feet straight forward and then it’s like BAM dynamic shape with the arm.

Look at how smoothly MJ comes around to the front. Like the way they do the same back to back turn where Rocky turns inwards and MJ moves on the outside of him is what makes it look so smooth. On top of that watch MJ’s feet too. Also appreciate how they purposefully put the three shortest in the front to avoid off balancing the formation too much ~~also appreciate how good rocky looks~~

This move is just sick. Like the way Sanha walks forward through the middle and like “hits” the others’ hands away and they open up the path for him is really cool. I’m still a big fan of how they are keeping similar heights on both sides. Also watch the way that the triangle of binusan moves from the focus of eunwoo in front to eunwoo sliding over to put sanha in the middle.

Now this is one of my favorite parts of the choreography: the part right before the chorus where they all form the one line is the same point in the song where the electric guitar like slides out and the melody comes back thats a horrible way to describe it but still. Like when they are walking into the line it’s kind of just all over the place, but then when they slide out it’s so symmetrical.

Alright this next move needs to be split up into parts for proper appreciation:

I know it’s kind of hard to see at first but it’s not a random movement. The line kind of folds out ? Moonbin is stepping back just as Jinjin comes forward, and MJ’s moving forward in time with Jinjin coming forward. The important part is that Jinjin is moving from right to left, and everyone else is moving in a line behind where Moonbin is. This transition keeps your focus on the two who are currently singing, Moonbin and then Jinjin.

This going to be called diagonal line #1. First of all I’m a sucker for this diagonal line formation, but I’m even more impressed by how Jinjin moves with the line. Jinjin’s little hop in the middle of it happens at the same time as the line does their first jump back. Also how the line moves from side to side is really smooth too. Probably the best part of this line though is Jinjin’s footwork that takes him backwards ~~honestly all of the footwork in this choreography is spot on~~

Note: keep in mind this diagonal line has the left side forward and the right side back, and Jinjin is moving along the line from front to back.

YO HERE IT IS THE WHOLE REASON I MADE THIS CHOREOGRAPHY APPRECIATION OKAY: This is one of the most beautiful transitions I’ve seen from ASTRO ever. The way the focus shifts from rocky to Jinjin, like how Jinjin just easily slots right into place for being part of Rocky’s rap squad is so smooth. Its just really beautiful and I want it to be appreciated. On top of that, the way that they keep this symmetry going - MJ and Jinjin the shorter members on the outside, followed by Moonbin and Sanha on Rocky’s sides.

I call this the Rocky Rap Squad formation. It’s used a lot in their other choreographies - when rocky is in the center rapping and the other members go behind him diagonally on each side. The way Rocky’s moves are the main focus and the rest of ASTRO’s moves reflect the best parts of it just. There’s so much I appreciate about the way they move as a unit and how Rocky embellishes that.

Also note: They still have this symmetry of small on the outside, then tall, then center.

1) The way this formation transitions from Rocky as the focus to Sanha as the focus, everyone moves in a circular motion. Yet, they still keep the symmetry. This is because the formation goes tall short tall short tall short in the circle. So when Sanha slides to the front to become center, Rocky and Jinjin are the shorts next to him and Moonbin and Eunwoo are the talls on the end.

2) The move where they cover their face and then switch is one of the coolest moves they’ve done so far for sure.

Now this is one of those move/formations that is just beautiful because it’s a unit. The way Sanha as the center brings his hand up the first time in line with Rocky and Jinjin moving out, and then brings both arms down and up which kind of like “pushes” moonbin and eunwoo out and up. It looks really beautiful. And then he pulls them down and all of them drop. It’s mesmerizing.

i just love this back and forth movement with the footwork. I think the footwork here just needsd to be appreciated. The parts where they are hitting their chests and sliding their feet together - look bud I’ve tried to learn that and let me tell you getting the coordination on that is not easy. But like the way they start initially only in line with two other members and then suddenly all of them are standing all the way straight up. Good stuff.

No comment here is really needed, just an appreciation of how they’ve kept the back and forth two line formation is really smooth. (though this is the part of the dance where they are most out of sync, they aren’t bringing their hand down at the same speed or in the same way.

Man these transitions are just so nice. The way that your attention is focused on Sanha who is so close to the camera, and how he completely blocks MJ in the middle who suddenly appears and is the main focus of the chorus. And then how Sanha just casually moves to the back of the formation. Also the sliding kinda reminds me of ice skating which is fitting.

Remember when I talked about diagonal line #1? “Note: keep in mind this diagonal line has the left side forward and the right side back, and Jinjin is moving along the line from front to back. “

This diagonal line #2 goes the opposite direction: right side foward, left side back. Now instead of Jinjin moving from the front to the back, they “push” their arms and sanha takes the momentum of their arms and “pops” out of the formation, moving along the line from the back to the front. A stunning reflection of the early diagnoal line. Like imagine if those two lines happened back to back.

I love this big circular motion they do with their hands. Of all the moves they have done so far in the choreography, all of them doing this arm circular is by far the biggest move they do in terms of how much space they take up. Like it’s a grand move for the dance so far. Their leg placement is also past shoulder width apart making the move look even bigger. And the way Bin like spins his hand in time with ASTRO spinning, and Bin moving from his legs apart to behind him, the footwork is so in sync with their spinning too.

Okay this is really cool. This is the point in the music where the lyrics and melody are the chorus, but there’s more instrumental in the background. And their dancing reflects moves from the chorus choreography but instead of facing sideways they all face forward. And watch the way Bins arms move. All of ASTRO turn around at the same time that Bin turns to the front after turning away.

This first box formation is two vocals in the center and the rest of them surrounding them. This was really smart that before this they had Rocky and Moonbin in the back spinning in sync because they were the best at that turn, and then they slid to the side so that Rocky, the main dancer, and Eunwoo, the visual, ended up in front.

Also note how Rocky reaches up to “grab” something at the end, and “brings” it inside the formation.

And then here they have another box formation, except for this time the two in the center are the rappers instead of the vocals.

Watch the way MJ grabs up and raises his arm down, and then Moonbin raises his arm up as MJ’s comes down. (Also how they are on opposite sides of the square so the movements aren’t off balance.)

And then the way Rocky and Jinjin turn around each other to change the focus of the center.