A2O LITE's 'NEON' choreographer J.Black: first draft done in 10–15 minutes, agency asked to make it harder

The choreography behind a viral debut

A2O LITE dropped their debut single NEON (니온) on October 13. The opening pair dance—performed by members Aizzing and Siri—went viral. A dance challenge swept social media. The nine-member multinational group (members from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, and the United States) hit first place on a music broadcast a week later, securing their first terrestrial broadcast win in the process.

Dancer J.Black choreographed that opening sequence. On October 26, J.Black sat down with Lee Ji-hye on her YouTube channel 밉지않은 관종언니, alongside dancer Mari. The episode broke down the creative process in detail.

10 minutes to a draft, then the hard part

The initial concept took 10 to 15 minutes. Everything after that—building something idols could actually learn and perform—was the real work. J.Black's starting point: "The first thing I thought of was a dreamy and eerie feeling."

Making the routine without meeting the members yet created real anxiety. Would it even work for them?

On difficulty, J.Black noted something unusual. Most agencies ask choreographers to pull back. Not this time. "It was the first time someone asked me to make it harder, so I raised it as much as possible." Lee Ji-hye flagged this on the show—the agency had specifically requested a more challenging routine.

Aizzing: under 20 hours of training

The standout detail: Aizzing's learning speed. J.Black said: "Aizzing was truly amazing. Her actual training time was less than 20 hours." Aizzing is 13 years old.

A2O Entertainment was founded by Lee Soo-man, 74, who personally taught Aizzing the back-kick motion that anchors NEON's key choreography. Lee signed a non-compete agreement in 2023 and spent that period developing trainees focused on overseas markets. He resumed domestic activities after the restriction period ended. Girls' Generation's Sunny has been supporting A2O LITE through trainee training and styling guidance. She posted on SNS on October 25 to mark the group's first terrestrial broadcast win.