Soompi K-Pop Dance Madness: Championship Finals

It’s time for the final round of Soompi K-Pop Dance Madness! The Final Four match placed two highly respected dancers, Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon and TVXQ’s Yunho, against two relative newbies. In the world of K-Pop, it’s often the newest stars that shine the brightest, so it should come as no surprise that the rookies displaced the veterans. Say hello to your championship finalists, Lay and Mark!

Although Lay is considered to be one of the best dancers in EXO, he’s often seen as a bit of an underdog compared to group mate Kai, whose flashier dance style makes him an easy favorite with the fans. But what Lay lacks in swagger, he makes up with incredible technical precision and versatility. There’s no question why SM chose him to replace Jonghyun during SHINee’s concert tour in 2011 — very few others could have performed SHINee’s infamously difficult choreography while blending in style with the group. Lay also possesses a definite talent for freestyle — check out any of his makeshift choreography on recent variety shows. It may be that EXO-M’s main dancer deserves the chance to shine… the question is, will you put him in the spotlight?

When we unveiled the 32 K-Pop Dance Madness participants, Mark’s name came with the most questions. Some people admitted that they had no idea who he was, while several GOT7 fanatics asked why we didn’t choose group mates Jackson or Yugyeom, who are arguably more artistic dancers. We chose Mark because he brings the wow factor in one of K-Pop’s most promising groups. GOT7’s specialty is martial arts tricking, and Mark routinely incorporates high backflips into their routines with a flair that can impress even the most jaded K-Pop fans. He’s hardly the only idol who can do flips — we featured quite a few of them in earlier rounds — but he’s fortunate enough to have the chance to regularly showcase his impressive skills. Mark may be a rookie, but if you know anything about GOT7’s style, it’s probably in large part because of him. Will you reward his talent with a win?

Let’s check out Lay’s videos!

Championship Finalist: Lay

Next, let’s check out Mark’s videos!

Championship Finalist: Mark

This is the final round, so choose wisely and make sure you get your votes in by Saturday, April 12, 3 AM US EST! Be sure to share with your friends and check out the results of the first four rounds. May the best dancer win!