Truck protest over Seventeen’s backup dancers fuels debate
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Protest trucks have recently appeared outside Hybe’s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, sent by fans of K-pop boy group Seventeen.
PHOTO: PLEDIS ENTERTAINMENT
- Fans of Seventeen sent protest trucks to Hybe’s Seoul office, saying backup dancers are “upstaging” the group and should not appear so prominently on stage.
- The backlash focused on dancers’ costumes, hair, choreography and fan service, with some fans saying they block views and blur the line between staff and artists.
- Others defended the dancers, saying their role reflects a wider shift in South Korea, where shows like “Street Woman Fighter” have raised dancers’ status as artists.
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SEOUL – Despite the growing recognition of backup dancers in South Korea, fuelled in part by popular dance competition shows, some K-pop fans still want them to step back into the shadows.
Protest trucks have recently appeared outside Hybe’s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, sent by fans of K-pop boy band Seventeen who accuse backup dancers of upstaging the group’s members, news reports said on Oct 29.
Photos and videos circulating on social media show the trucks displaying messages demanding that the agency remove backup dancers from Seventeen’s performances.
One message reads: “Why did fans buy concert tickets? To see Seventeen, not backup dancers.”
Another reads: “Staff members are not artistes. Stop blurring the lines and overstepping boundaries.”
The protest comes amid mounting criticism on social media over the backup dancers’ costumes, hairstyles, choreography and interactions with Seventeen members during performances.
Some fans complain that the dancers’ brightly coloured hair and flashy outfits draw attention away from the members, while others say the dancers sometimes block their view of the idols onstage.
“I’m not looking down on backup dancers, but aren’t they supposed to be there to support the artistes? Some seem to want more attention than the artistes themselves, and others have become social media influencers who even do fan service for their own fans,” one user wrote on X.
Others argue that the protest has gone too far, given how much public perceptions of backup dancers have changed in recent years.
Another X user wrote: “Backup dancers are part of what makes Seventeen’s performances so great. Remember how everyone was talking about the massive group choreography in their hit song Super?
“And even if the dancers tried to steal the spotlight, it’s not like they could outshine Seventeen. Fans should just focus on their favourite artistes. People don’t look at backup dancers the way they used to, so this whole protest feels pretty outdated.”
In South Korea, the popularity of Mnet’s 2021 dance competition show Street Woman Fighter helped bring professional dancers into the public eye, raising their profiles beyond their traditional roles as supporting performers. The label “backup dancer” has also gradually given way to simply “dancer”, reflecting their growing recognition as artistes in their own right.
One prominent example is Gabee, leader of dance crew La Chica, who has expanded her career beyond dance to become a familiar face on television variety shows. Others have gone on to pursue careers as K-pop idols. Emma, another contestant on the show, debuted in 2024 as a member of the seven-member girl group Badvillain, taking on the roles of rapper and main dancer. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK