☊ this dancing 9 addiction ☊

Since Shinbang has been off season for some weeks now, I've been scouring kdrama and kvariety land for treasure finds to fill the weekend void. This opportune moment led me to Lee Minwoo oppa's Dancing 9. I haven't really seen any of the US dance programs so I can't really compare. A friend says that Dancing 9 is kind of similar to So You Think You Can Dance but that its stage is bigger hahaha. I have no qualifications to match up talent … But since I am pretty floored with Dancing 9's aces, I would believe that they should have adequate skills to rival dancers elsewhere. I do wonder if western counterparts shed as much tears as dancers in Korea haha! In any case, now that I've become addicted to Dancing 9, I feel like its talent is beyond exceptional and its heart is crazy remarkable.



At first, I was just following Dancing 9's subbed delayed broadcasts on Channel M. The draft episodes up to the pair battle episodes were super fun and the dancers were really amazing … so they kept my attention for longer compared to other survival shows on that channel. And then it came to the group missions… and OMG I just got really HOOKED! I can't quite explain why but I was choked up with tears watching these team battle episodes. I feel like there are so many things to love about the show and that an innocent viewer can easily be transformed into an avid fan! Let me share just a few spazz-worthy reasons which can lead to Dancing 9 addiction haha~~ ★ ★ ★

★ The MASTERS. Check out their profile here.


Quite obvious, ㅋㅋ I know. But even though I'm a Shinhwa Changjo, I'm not just talking about Minwoo oppa here. At this point, the competition is as much about teamwork amongst the Red Wings and Blue Eyes contestants as it is about the teamwork of their Masters. Recently, reaction videos focused on the Masters' passionate support were released. They care so much that you can certainly feel the nerve wracking tension radiating from their eyes and their carefully phrased comments against the other team. It's CRAZY. They're like parents rooting for their babies on stage. Minwoo oppa … his tears from the LA episode, his anger from eliminating Red Wings members and his PROUD PROUD PROUD standing ovations …. /I just can't. There's so much to say about the other master-nims' as well but this can easily turn into a novel with that. In any case, major kudos to all the masters who are all cool crybabies with the biggest hearts in the world! But of course, I am a Red Wings' supporter all throughout. I am rooting for the Red Wings master-nim's as much as I am for the dancers themselves haha!



★ Dancer BIASES – RED WINGS FTW! HA HUIDONG OPPA 진짜 대단이다!!! His b-boy skills are off the charts NO DOUBT. And his personality (with his age, perhaps? lol) is absolutely charming. I like how he is snobbishly quiet heheh and how his big soulful eyes speak volumes of pride, embarrassment, stress, and whatnots. I also love this kinda love-line with co-ace LEE LUDA ^^. They match up pretty well in my opinion. I wish to see LUDA-ssi without her thick eye makeup though as I believe she will still be just as lovely! I also adore the rest of the dancers from Red Wings and applaud their quiet disposition as a team. They really are more serious and are not as rowdy as Blue Eyes … a trait which actually appeals to me!



★ Dancer BIASES – BLUE EYES^^ I also kind of root for KIM MYUNGKYU and HAN SUNCHUN from the Blue Eyes. They are so cute as a pair, right?! And I'll be damned with their ballet skills~ whoah!



★ Song choices are KYAAAAAAAAAA!!! I do enjoy the mix of western and Korean songs in the performances. It doesn't even matter if I know the lyrics or not (unlike singing competitions) since the choreography tells me its own story anyway. Obviously, I have to say that I cheered the loudest on the WILD EYES + SCARFACE performance~ OF COURSE. It feels so good watching them interpret the kpop songs in their own dance genre. So kudos to that! I'll be infinitely thrilled with more SM songs, but of course I'll be happy with whatever they pick BIGBANG, G.NA, CL etc~

I just caught up with the live Saturday broadcast at Episode 9… I had to pull some late nights to catch up but it is all worth it. At this point, re-watching the earlier episodes feels just as exhilarating. RED WINGS HWAITING!!!!!!! ^^

☊ shinhwa on running man ☊

So indeed! Some dreams do come true ^^.

Some shows really do bring out the BEST of fangirl screams ㅋㅋㅋ and Running Man Ep 161 with Shinhwa is one of this. I already screamed and squealed myself hoarse from watching the live streaming of the show yesterday. But I just had to scream and squeal again when I re-watched it earlier ... and one more time as I am writing this post. I'm sure that this will be one of those shows I will watch and re-watch atleast 15, no 20 times... and the mind blowing screams won't ever fade with every replay.

I so love Jihyo in Running Man and has always been a huge fan of her ACE character. But as it turned out, she was excluded for most of the games because it became too physical. I hope she didn't mind too much as the rest of the members were just looking out for her. Her skills were properly acknowledged by Shinhwa on at least 2 occasions: (1) Water game when Jinnie was bargaining for an additional member at the start of the game citing that Jihyo as a female is not a handicap to RM! and (2) Jinnie (again) pointing out how Jihyo took out his Hyesung hyung at the last game. The rest of the Running Man members seemed to have enjoyed the manly physical challenges since the contenders were just the perfect match for them! I think Gary oppa was able to showcase his strength well in the games actually. In any case, Jihyo had her shining moments at the nametag ripping game at the end.

I also wanted to commend Running Man for using a LOT of Shinhwa's songs in the games!!! That was such a treat for us fans... *claps while dancing!*

My head is a delightfully random mess of blissful moments from the episode so I'll just mention some of my favorite parts here...

☊ Gwangsoo citing Eric as a rival ㅋㅋㅋ How cute is RM's magnae with Shinhwa's eternal dorky leader!!!
☊ Shinhwa's agile moves and EPIC teamwork on the flag game is awe-inspiring each time I watch it. They are soooooo good at this! Minwoo oppa, Eric oppa and Jinnie oppa were really awesome! even Hyesung oppa and Andy oppa were giving their all out on the game. Their physical prowess is just to-scream for. /dies again
☊ The ABSOLUTELY PERFECT Shinhwa team play on the purple flag was damned GLORIOUS. All 5 members played amazingly well against the equally frightful force of the RM members. KJK threw out Eric and Hyesung on this play! But in the end, Andy took the win and Brand New played in the background. NICE!
☊ Hyesung omma bird stepping out to assist Jinnie baby bird on the foot wrestling when KJK was protesting the setup. Waaa, I cannot just sit still at Hyesung omma at this moment.
☊ Andy being so extremely naughty yet BRILLIANT at the hand slapping game!!! He laughed his guts out and just thoroughly got into the nerves of the RM members hahahah ^^.
☊ Minwoo and Junjin teasing KJK about looking like a fool because of his extreme facial expressions and neck tilt during the hand slapping game!
☊ Eric losing to Gary in 1 SECOND on that hand slapping game. NO WORDS really ... Eric is just JJANG!
☊ Birds family eating together hahah^^. How did Minwoo oppa and Hyesung oppa ended up switching positions during eating time? Ahh but Mindy sharing the kalguksu moment was really sweet~~~ and of course Eric, Hyesung and Jinnie eating together at the other end was perfect!
☊ The first water game which ended up in a TIE was a wonderful match! Eric and Hyesung ended up being the last defenders against KJK and Yoo Jaesuk... whoah ... amazing how they brought those 2 together with them into the water!
☊ ZOMDY in the water!!! Fearless against KJK and all ... And then TOPLESS!!! OMG, he was just an enigma out there hahaha^^.
☊ Jinnie dropping one shoulder during the water fight with KJK!! Aigooooooooooooooooo, Jinnie oppa!!!!!
☊ OBVIOUSLY, Hyesung's moment with cute dog after his name tag was ripped off by Jihyo was EPIC! Crab prince's pride was seriously hurt ㅋㅋㅋ. But tell me PLEASE that I'm not the only one who wishes to SWITCH positions with the dog hahahah HOWELL~
☊ Eric acting like the gold glove had some ill consequences for RM members! He was soooooo CUTE threatening Gwangsoo with it!
☊ Eric being such a sport and completing the treasure mission at the end ... with the chant and all! OK, maybe it was a bit strange that KJK and Sukjin were no where near the chase when Eric was completing the final tasks. IF there was the smallest hint of consideration given to Shinhwa, it will be this moment. But it also made sense since the RM members didn't have any of the solid clues to complete the mission anyway.

Sharing (mostly) Hyesung oppa's caps:


Non-Shinhwa moments which I also adored:

☊ Gwangsoo giving Jihyo his extra flag on the first challenge. Gwangsoo is just too sweet to his noona ^^.
☊ Gwangsoo's betrayal with the first flag on the first game! 'Twas Shinhwa's exposure to the betrayal character in RM hahah.
☊ RM members teasing KJK on his one piece LOL!
☊ KJK blaming Gwangsoo for teaching Shinhwa members how to betray hahaha!

Did I read somewhere that Shinhwa's 15 years of teamwork was a treasure? ㅋㅋㅋ NO KIDDING. Maybe that was what the real prize was in the end (aww, could Running Man have meant something this symbolic?). Anyway, it was IMMENSELY satisfying to see Shinhwa win in the end. Our oppas worked so hard under the heat, in the water and with their 34.3 years (average age). Such a proud moment for the fans... SSAN!!!