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ATEEZ’s Wooyoung is one of the most casual and daring members of the group, so it did not come as a surprise when he seemed to call out a plagiarism talk indirectly.
At KCON Saudi Arabia on October 6, 2022, the 22-year-old chose to perform the group’s 2019 hit Say My Name in his freestyle segment for The Real. Before starting the dance, he made a “biting” gesture and proceeded to showcase the signature dance from Say My Name.
The “biting” hand sign stands for calling out a dancer for copying or stealing another dancer’s moves. For decades, this gesture has been used in hip-hop culture and dance scenes, and is considered disrespectful within the community.
Street Man Fighter and We Dem Boyz’ leader VATA were swept up in a plagiarism copy regarding the very move that was representative of ATEEZ. VATA created choreography for Zico’s New Thing and incorporated the "driving dance" move, which was similar to ATEEZ’s Say My Name signature dance.
"Driving Dance Challenge," "Say My Name ATEEZ" takes over Twitter after Wooyoung seemingly calls out WDBZ’s VATA
A gesture from ATEEZ’s Wooyoung brought back the spotlight on the plagiarism controversy that arose surrounding We Dem Boyz’ VATA. Watching the latter's New Thing (aka Ssaebbing) challenge go wild on social media was upsetting for millions of ATINYs, who had called out the dancer for copying ATEEZ’s Say My Name move.
Despite weeks of chatter online, there was no official statement from We Dem Boyz, Street Man Fighter, ATEEZ, or the original choreographers Josh Smith, Anze Skrube, and Johnny Erasme at the time of writing. However, fans believe Wooyoung has indirectly hinted at their stance on their signature move being copied.
His performance clip went viral after an ATINY posted a screenshot from a K-netizen who asked why ATEEZ performed the New Thing challenge in their KCON Saudi Arabia performance. Global ATINYs quickly clarified that the move belonged to the Guerrilla group and the choreographers.
Fans took it upon themselves to take over the New Thing challenge and shed light on the Say My Name move, calling it the "driving dance" challenge. They posted past clips that showed the group practicing the dance movements, choreographers helping them out, behind-the-scenes making, and practice vlogs.
Meanwhile, some fans mentioned that none of the KQ Entertainment artists have yet to participate in the New Thing challenge. Instead, they have covered Yoon Mi-rae and BIBI’s LAW, produced by Czaer.
There has yet to be an official statement from any side about the plagiarism controversy. Despite the companies staying silent on the matter, ATINYs have made it their mission to continue talking about it and shedding light on the issue.
In other news, the Deja Vu group is scheduled to perform at KCON Japan 2022 Day 2 on October 15, 2022.
