Korean entertainment is more than just about K-pop idols and K-drama ‒ it also includes a variety of reality shows like Devil’s Plan and Single’s Inferno that appeal to a wider range of audiences. If you’ve been keeping up with the trends, you might have also noticed that Street Woman Fighter, a dance survival show by Mnet, is the talk of the town.
Particularly, Bada Lee from the winning team BEBE is gaining attention for both her extraordinary skills as a dancer and her down-to-earth personality. Read on to find out more about the dancer who has garnered more than 2.8 million followers on Instagram.
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Competing against talented teams like 1 Million, Jam Republic, and Mannequeen in the finals, BEBE emerged as the winner of Street Woman Fighter Season 2. The team was assigned to choreograph songs by pop icon Rihanna, and they impressed the judges and audiences with their wit and trendy moves. The team also received a whopping cash prize of KRW$50 million (~S$515,000) and diamond rings.
Throughout the show, Bada showed different sides of herself, pushing boundaries and stepping up as a visionary leader. Her openness to receiving constructive criticism and willingness to step outside her comfort zone might have been the formula that led her team to success.
If you’ve wondered how dance crews come about, BEBE was put together by Bada to compete in Street Woman Fighter Season 2. All except Bada were born in the 2000s, and they have been attending her classes for a long time.
In an interview with Bada, she expressed her desire to train and nurture them so that they would become even better dancers than she is.
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Right before the end of the survival show, W Magazine released an exclusive photoshoot featuring the leaders of Street Woman Fighter Season 2. Each of them was styled in outfits by Calvin Klein, and Bada stood out with her charismatic pose alongside Lia Kim from 1 Million and Kirsten Dodgen from Jam Republic.
Eagle-eyed fans might have noticed that Bada is in a relationship, and her partner is none other than a familiar face from Just Jerk, the winning dance team of Street Man Fighter. Just Jerk’s Howl previously made an impression on the male version of the survival series, and fans love how they are both supportive towards each other, attending each other’s dance classes during their free time.
However, both Bada and Howl keep a low profile regarding their love life, so don’t be disappointed by the lack of couple photos from them.
This may come as a surprise to some, but Bada has been signed under Jam Republic, an agency that represents dancers from all over the world, since October 2022. This means she is part of a family that houses renowned dancers like Kiel Tutin and Rie Hata.
Considering how she is also under the same roof as fellow Jam Republic dancers who appeared on Street Woman Fighter Season 2, fingers crossed that we might see her collaborating with them one day.
Before leading her own team, Bada was part of a dance crew called Cupcakes, formed by choreographer Girin Jang. She was still a student and danced alongside 1 Million’s Redy, who also appeared on Street Woman Fighter Season 2.
Cupcakes took part in various dance competitions and won numerous awards, cementing its name as a dance crew to look out for. While it remains unclear why Cupcakes later disbanded, one can only see it as a blessing in disguise since Bada was able to showcase her full potential as an individual.
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Among the many K-pop choreography that Bada has created, her most notable work is no doubt K-pop girl group aespa’s ‘Next Level’. She introduced the unique angular arm movements, which not only accurately conveyed the meaning of the lyric, but also caught the attention of many K-pop fans.
Apart from ‘Next Level’, her other memorable choreography include EXO’s Kai’s ‘Rover’ and NCT’s ‘Zoo’. Most recently, she also contributed to the choreography of aespa’s ‘Drama’ and SHINee’s Taemin’s ‘Guilty’ while filming Street Woman Fighter Season 2. Respect.
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Those who’ve watched Street Woman Fighter would know that Bada created the choreography for ‘Smoke’, and since then, it has gone viral. Not only have people from all over the world participated in the dance challenge on social media, but big names like BTS’ Jung Kook and V have also uploaded videos of themselves doing the dance. In fact, Bada also joined V in doing the challenge.
It is easy to assume that tall people have a harder time dancing well, but Bada proves that height isn’t a factor. Standing at 175cm, she shows how is capable of executing dance steps sharply, and creating choreography that amazes many.
P.S.: Previously in a YouTube video, Bada mentioned that many people have asked her about her height.
It is hard to believe that a confident person like Bada is actually nervous before conducting dance classes. In an interview, Bada revealed that she is conscious of the expectations her students have of her, and as such, it creates pressure on herself.
Although it is something that she can’t help, Bada also mentioned that she always tries her best to lessen the nerves by switching up the mood through her teaching methods.
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Similar to how we get close to colleagues after working with them for a while, Bada also developed a close friendship with the artistes she was working with. To name a few, she is close to K-pop idols like EXO’s Kai and NCT’s Tae Yong after choreographing for them.
According to her interview on Rain’s YouTube video, Bada revealed that she initially danced as a hobby when she was a primary school student. She only began to take things seriously after a dance studio opened up in her neighbourhood during her high school days.
Who knew that the first dance class she attended was taught by Just Jerk’s J-Ho? Seeing how cool he danced, Bada was then inspired to become a dancer.
Despite her success and rising popularity as a dancer, Bada Lee shows a humble and genuine side of herself. Her passion for dance and creativity when it comes to creating choreography also suggests that she is someone meant to dance.
Hopefully, in the future, she will continue to create catchy dance moves and inspire other young dancers.
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