VATA says his move is “completely different” than ATEEZ’s, addresses plagiarism allegations

VATA of We Dem Boyz finally addressed the allegations about him copying ATEEZ. The dancer was accused of imitating ATEEZ's signature move from their 2019 song Say My Name for his New Thing challenge.

On October 14, the We Dem Boyz leader uploaded an apology post on his personal Instagram. He shared pointers explaining the differences in the moves and their distinct context. As per him, the New Thing move signifies the motion of starting a vehicle's engine, adding a kick, and eventually dismounting it. He said,

“I think that it is completely different from the intent and connection between the movements of the choreography to which it is currently being compared.”

VATA added that, as a lover of dance, he found it "unfortunate" to see artists and choreographers disrespect each other.

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We Dem Boyz' VATA speaks up about plagiarism allegations after ATEEZ's biting signs enrage fans

On October 14, Street Man Fighter fame VATA, leader of the dance crew We Dem Boyz, finally addressed the plagiarism allegations surrounding his choreography. The dancer created a dance for New Thing (aka Ssaebbing) which instantly went viral. He posted an official statement for the first time since the controversy arose a few weeks ago.

The post was prompted by ATEEZ's Wooyoung and Seonghwa gesturing a "biting" sign, considered disrespectful in the dance community, on public platforms. VATA began the letter by informing fans that the post was a step towards clearing misunderstandings. As per translation via Soompi:

“This is Vata. I thought that this was merely a cold breeze that would pass by, but I decided to write this post in order to prevent further misunderstandings from growing.”

He then explained the motive behind the particular move. He said that the music initially reminded him of "wilderness" and that his moves present an entire story. He elaborated:

“First, about this controversy, when I first heard the music, I was reminded of a plain in the wilderness, and I created the intro choreography to depict arriving on a motorcycle or horseback. That’s why I used the motion of starting an engine at the beginning, followed by a big kick and a dismount after driving, and there is a story with a beginning, middle, and end.”

VATA mentioned that "the intent and connection" of the two dance moves are entirely different. He then talked about his love for dance, but suggested that artists do not seem to respect each other in this case. He further said:

“As a person who loves the culture of dance, I think it’s admirable when artists and choreographers respect one another. However, it seems like that isn’t the case [right now], which I find very unfortunate.”

This particular line angered fans. They said he had indirectly called ATEEZ's Wooyoung, Seonghwa, and choreographer Anze Skrube disrespectful. Skrube had previously addressed the controversy by posting a video message.

He ended the letter by mentioning that he felt apologetic toward Street Man Fighter viewers and the people supporting We Dem Boyz. He mentioned:

“Regardless of the reason, I feel apologetic to the viewers of “Street Man Fighter” and everyone who has been cheering for We Dem Boyz about the fact that I caused a controversy. I will repay your love with even cooler performances. Thank you.”

If VATA's post was expected to do some damage control, it ended up doing the opposite. ATEEZ's fandom remained disgruntled, dismissing the apology post.

Fans continued trending #Driving_Dance_Challenge and #RESPECTATEEZ to showcase their anger. While 'Apologize to ATEEZ' is trending, 'Apologize to Josh' is creating a buzz and is expressing solidarity to Josh Smith, one of the co-creators of Say My Name's driving dance move.