5 K-pop backup dancers stealing the show, from Blackpink’s Jennie lookalike Kim Ji-hyang and Chungha’s choreographer Wood, to Noze who shared the spotlight with Exo’s Kai

Dec 3 , 2021

Kim Ji-hyang, Cha Hyun-seung and Moon Sung-hoon, aka Wood, are just a few of K-pop’s hottest backup dancers right now. Photos: @sk8soxer, @502bright, @a.ssa_wood/Instagram

Kim Ji-hyang may look like Jennie but has moves that rival Lisa’s, earning her dance gigs with former Wanna One members, Exo’s Baekhyun and many more idols

Chungha’s choreographer Wood has a star-studded list of friends from his time as a JYP Entertainment trainee, including Twice, Somi, Stray Kids’ Bang Chan and more

It takes more than a single pop star to put on a truly epic performance. More often than not, our favourite K-pop idols rely on backup dancers who make their shows stand out with stunning choreography.

More recently, the success of Korean dance competition reality show Street Woman Fighter has brought some much deserved attention to the backup dancers of K-pop. We took a look at the dancers who might be on the way to becoming idols themselves – getting featured in their own commercials, showing up in magazines and making dance videos that go viral.

Kim Ji-hyang

Famously dubbed a lookalike of Blackpink’s Jennie, the 28-year-old dancer Kim Ji-hyang has been stealing hearts and shows alike with her doll-like looks and incredible performances. She caught the public's attention when she performed with Exo’s Baekhyun, appearing in his Candy music video in May 2020, as well as with Daniel Kang for his song 2U in the same year. As part of the dance crew Freemind, her career and popularity have been on the rise as she has also danced for former Wanna One member Park Ji-hoon and Somi.

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Broadcasting outlets have taken note: Mnet’s YouTube channel uploaded a video of Kim dancing to Hyuna and Dawn’s song Ping Pong in September, which currently has 1.6 million views. With her Seoul Arts College background, she certainly knows what she is doing and even has a growing fan community of her own, according to Soompi.

Honey J

Honey J is one of the most sought after dancers on the scene right now. She also led her team Holybang to win first place on Street Woman Fighter. The 35-year-old dancer has come a long way; prominent choreographer J Black praised her in his YouTube video, saying that her way of dancing, according to Korea’s street dance scene, is “not a popular girls’ hip-hop style, but it’s actually Honey J’s style, she’s her own genre”.

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Proving her influence in the industry, she also recently appeared on top Korean entertainment shows such as I Live Alone, where she showed everyone what her busy schedule is like with photo shoots, teaching as a professor at the Educational Center of Kyung Hee University and much more.