Desi Inspiration In BTS’s Choregraphy: “Boy With Luv” And Its “Iranian Uncle” Dance Moves
BTS’s 2019 track “Boy With Luv” was a cultural reset for many a reason. It brought in a light-hearted and bubbly sound in the middle of the intense title track trend and followed the aesthetic through with colorful outfits, a poppy music video, and unique choreography.
While ARMYs fell in love with the song from the first listen, many Desi fans had already noted how the steps looked familiar. Now the possibility of this familiarity being intentional seems high after ARMYs discovered that the group of boys who recently went viral while dancing at a Desi wedding were actually the choreographers of “Boy With Luv.”
These boys won many hearts with their Kala Chashma performance. But did you know they've also won Norway's Got Talent and made boy band BTS dance? 🕺🏻 pic.twitter.com/mAG1qphQSY
— Brut India (@BrutIndia) July 16, 2022
The Quick Style, the dance crew that was one of the contributors to the “Boy With Luv” choreography, has posted many light-hearted dance videos of them imitating the way middle-aged men dance at Iranian weddings. Fans feel that it is evident that those steps evolved their way into the iconic shoulder-shrug moves in BTS’s music video.
The crew later confirmed during an interview that they indeed incorporated their cultural dance steps into the choreography.
If you didn’t know, @TheQuickstyle brought desi moves in ‘Boy With Luv’ #thequickstyle #quickies #bts #btsarmy #방탄소년단 #jin #suga #rm #jhope #jimin #v #jungkook pic.twitter.com/8KqQhbPJkC
— Images (@dawn_images) December 1, 2022
Since these moves are particular to a large umbrella of the brown culture, it explains why so many fans from different cultures felt a sense of resemblance. The Quick Style has also worked on other BTS choreographies, including “Save Me” and “Blood Sweat & Tears.” The crew features Suleman Malik, Bilal Malik, and Nasir Sirikhan as the core members.