As Graceful as a Park Jimin: Why We Love a Boy Who Dances

“In order to be a good soldier it is necessary to know how to dance.”

Plato himself said so.

You caught me, I just put that up there because I liked the quote. Also, Bulletproof Boyscouts sort of fits the soldier theme, and them being idols means they would definitely know how to dance.

K-Pop idols’ prerequisite before debut is you must at least have the basic skill in dancing honed through countless of practice. A typical training would involve 12-18 hours of repeated choreography practice until the dance and movement is ingrained into one’s muscle memory.

K-pop lovers know that this is all about the presentation. Countless hours just for a few minutes on stage. The perfectly coordinated and timed dance moves, flashy outfits, and stage gestures are all for the sake of showmanship. But how many of those who made it to the stage make the minute count and are able to entrance the audience solely with their performance? Quite a few, I’m sure. Especially with a wide range of audience with different preferences. The idol industry would not be thriving if not for the talents that have been attracting fans all over the world after all.

But for some, dancing comes effortlessly. It seems that certain idols are born to be the graceful creatures they are on stage. Among the likes of Taemin of SHINEE , Kai of EXO, Hoya, Taeyong and Ten of NCT and many more dancing idols out there, there is one Park Jimin from BTS.

Jimin (Left) & J-Hope (Right)

Now, BTS in my opinion has three amazing dancers namely J-Hope, Jimin and Jungkook and each one has their own distinctive style. This can clearly be seen even in their group stages that shows the three of them dancing to the same steps. The first member that caught my eye was of course the dancing king Hobi, then it shifted to the versatile and powerful maknae Jungkook. Then, after being with them for quite sometime I wondered why I didn’t notice Jimin the first time.

But first, why exactly do we love a boy who dances?

A boy who dances is strong. It’s not just his physical ability to perform complex dance moves but also his strength of mind. Imagine dancing for countless of hours just to have that several minutes or even seconds to shine on stage. What keeps them going? Is that several minutes really worth all the sweat and tears shed during the practices? For them, it is an absolute yes. The strength of mind they had to have to keep their passion for dancing is enough reason to appreciate them. Dancers. They’re the ones who doesn’t break easy because they’re prepared for a bit of pain for the sake of beauty.

I also find that when you learn to appreciate the dancers, you start to appreciate the music that accompanies them. Even more so if it is their own. With every beat you see them move, with every breath you anticipate where their music will take them. It is truly a sight to watch.

A boy who dances is also someone unreal. The way they hold ridiculous expectations for themselves because they are their own harshest critics. They’re also one who would find solace in the training room because they know it’s the place where you can make mistakes, fall down, and start again from scratch if need be. All this just so they’re able to stand proudly on stage.

Finally, a boy who dances crosses that bridge to becoming a man. A man who knows that hard work is also another form of talent, and that perfection cannot be achieved but one must never stop striving for it.

All those and more applies to a boy who dances but I see them most in one Park Jimin.

Why then do we love a Park Jimin?

(From here on out, poetic words: off, fangirl mode: on. You have been warned.)

He is known to be shy and adorable off stage but has unbeatable charisma on stage. His demeanor would completely change when he enters performance mode. From adorable to sexy real quick.

Did I say on stage? Uhh.. yeah just sitting works too.

He is also duality in the flesh. Despite his petite frame and known for being the shortest in the group, he has muscles built up due to years of dancing. Not the bulky sort but gracefully built on his body as if complementing his dancing form.

Jimin is also known for working tirelessly to perfect every movement for their performances. He’s meticulous and he’s never satisfied with just good, it has to be better or even best. He has been dancing up a storm since the start of BTS and he just keeps getting better and better with every comeback. He has been, and still is, one of the most hardworking member when it comes to dancing partly because he had to adjust his style at first. But his perseverance in training produced a performer born of his gracefulness in modern art laced with the power and energy of BTS.

At 2016 MAMA. Yes, that’s a blindfold.

He works so hard yet when he performs his heart out on stage, it would look effortless. At first it was the showy (yes, the abs) and charismatic (swag mochi?) stages that was his forte, but then he came to incorporate his previous dancing style–ballet/modern dance–to each of his stages, and that’s when the true and final form of Jimin came to be. It’s not so much as an exaggeration to say that he is gracefulness personified when onstage.

He’s not the top student in Busan Arts High School for nothing:

“Jimin, you got no jams.”
― RM

BTS Jimin Quotes by ZeroKara

“Once you Jimin you can’t Jimout.”

But don’t trust my words for it. You can just see for yourself…

Here are some of my favorites among his many stages. I can’t say they’re the best ones but they showcase his versatility as a dancer and his unique stage presence that shines through. I might have missed some but feel free to share which ones, because noteworthy is not enough of a word for his stages and we have to appreciate each of them properly.

BOY MEETS EVIL

The blindfold performance that left me in awe. Not to mention J-Hope’s powerful presence complimenting his fluid one. How he dances like that with his eyes covered while most of us struggle even with both eyes open is the mystery that is Jimin. Now before you say that the cloth is transparent, according to several fan accounts who saw this performance live, J-Hope was guiding Jimin on stage even before the start of the performance which means he definitely can’t see all that clearly. But with or without the blindfold, he’s still one hell of a dancer.

(Side note: This performance in my opinion is one of BTS’ legendary stages along with Mic Drop Remix in MAMA 2017, not to exclude their AMA performance but their MAMA stages just slays.)

JIMIN’s SOLO SONG ‘LIE’

No stage lights, no fancy effects but just pure dancing Jimin. This was the behind the scenes when filming his solo short film in Wings. He’s also the one who sang this song (Lie) completing this already captivating performance.

‘LIE’ PERFORMANCE STAGE

Jimin in full performance mode. This is one of his best stages and Jimin just shined like the star he is. Introducing the bias wrecker in BTS:

BUTTERFLY

Mostly I enjoyed watching this one because of the silhouette effects but because it’s also of Jimin. And the butterflies are lovely too but none lovelier than the one in their midst.

2016 SBS GAYO DAEJUN

Did I say versatile? Yes. Definitely. Also, this is where modern dance Jimin made his comeback in full splendor. If you could make dancing look like flying, trust Jimin to do just that.

I don’t know if it’s just my biased colored lenses but I think Jimin trumps even the girls in gracefulness and fluidity in this modern dance performance.

And if those up there weren’t proof enough of the gracefulness of this boy and his hard work that is shown in his art, feel free to venture on YouTube for further evidence. Happy mochi hunting! Here’s a flying Jimin to end this appreciation post:

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most graceful of them all?

“Go on your path, even if you live for a day.”
― Park Jimin