Choreographer J Black has surprised viewers after revealing that he has not received a single new choreography request despite the viral success of A2O LITE's NEON dance.
On the November 4 broadcast of tvN's variety show You Quiz on the Block, the well-known street dancer shared the behind-the-scenes story of creating the popular intro choreography for A2O LITE's NEON.
During the conversation, J Black explained that he did not create the choreography alone. He worked alongside dancers who originally started as his students before becoming his colleagues.
Reflecting on the unexpected attention, he admitted that the response felt like a fresh start in his career.
"This is the first time so many people have liked my dancing. I feel like a rookie again," he shared.
He added that the experience helped him discover a new side of his career as a choreographer rather than only a dancer.
Although J Black had previously worked on idol choreography, he explained that his dance style was often considered too difficult.
"It's not that I've never worked on idol choreography before. But my dances were so difficult that many projects fell apart during the proposal stage," he revealed.
However, things were different when he worked with A2O LITE.
According to J Black, producer Lee Soo Man personally requested that the choreography become even more difficult and visually impressive.
"At first, I adjusted the difficulty and sent it over, but Lee Soo Man asked me to make it harder and more spectacular," he recalled.
The request initially surprised him because his signature dance style was already challenging.
"I wondered if he knew what would happen if I made my choreography even harder. But I decided to raise the difficulty, and he liked it," J Black explained.
He also recalled Lee Soo Man confidently saying, "Our girls are good. They can do it."
J Black later understood that confidence when he met A2O LITE members Shiri and Aiching.
He revealed that both members were able to follow the difficult choreography from their first day of practice, leaving him impressed with their dancing skills.
The choreographer also praised Lee Soo Man for personally adjusting Aiching's kicking move, explaining that the change made the performance more appealing to viewers.
Despite the effort that went into creating the choreography, J Black admitted that he never expected NEON to become such a major talking point on social media.
"I had absolutely no expectations that this choreography would become popular. I was just grateful that I could do what I was capable of doing," he shared.
He added that he had learned not to put too much pressure on himself to achieve success.
However, the conversation took a funny turn when he was asked whether the viral choreography had brought him any new work.
To everyone's surprise, J Black answered, "None at all."
His unexpected response drew laughter from the studio.
Host Yoo Jae Suk quickly encouraged him, saying, "The offers will come. Just wait a little. You might even get requests from boy groups."
While NEON has brought J Black renewed recognition as a choreographer, he revealed that its viral popularity has yet to translate into additional choreography projects.
Still, the dancer expressed appreciation for the attention and the opportunity to showcase his creative work to a wider audience.
