Back in 2022, director Park So Yeon, who oversees LE SSERAFIM’s performances, admitted, “Even … I can’t say just how far they’ll go.” Three years later, LE SSERAFIM became the first K-pop girl group to perform on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” in the United States. As each year comes to a close, they put on a series of expertly choreographed, attention-grabbing performances that span a range of genres and styles, constantly pushing the limits of the stage. We asked Park about the group’s most memorable shows from the end of 2025 and the beginning of the new year.
1. “America’s Got Talent”
Park So Yeon (head of SOURCE MUSIC Performance Directing Team): “America’s Got Talent” is an incredibly popular show. We were so proud to be invited to such an amazing venue and prepared accordingly. Since HUH YUNJIN’s American, she grew up watching the show, so she in particular saw it as an honor. We wanted to showcase songs that were already well-known in the US and that were particularly well-suited for performing, so we led with “ANTIFRAGILE” and paired it with the English version of “HOT.”
It’s a part of American concert culture for the audience to get into the moment whether they know the songs or not, and they really were pretty expressive. The group always says that whenever they perform in the States, they really feel like they’re partying with the crowd, so we felt it was important not only to put on a great show, but also to really enjoy interacting with the audience. Once we actually got there, it was clear how present the crowd was and how much fun they were having together. It kept the group from getting nervous and they really enjoyed performing.
2. Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange launch ceremony
Park So Yeon: Being at such an important event as representatives of not just K-pop but pop culture as a whole was a lot of pressure at first, to be honest. Since it was a state-run event, it had a different feel from the shows we’d done up to that point. But still, once the group truly felt how significant the show was, they took the weight of that and put just as much effort into getting ready for it. We were in the middle of a tour at that point, so we didn’t have much spare time, but we chose songs based on what they felt most confident with and had the most fun with on tour. And because it was such an important occasion, we also gave the music a new arrangement with a Korean flair to show a different side of the group. We also included a performance of their debut song, “FEARLESS,” in hopes that we could use the event to show off the core of what LE SSERAFIM’s all about.
3. 2025 Asia Artist Awards (AAA)
Park So Yeon: The person in charge of filming our “EASY CRAZY HOT” concert also happened to be in charge of it at AAA. They really liked the stage direction for “Ash” and “HOT” at the concert and said they wanted to try and convey that at AAA, too. That was right in line with what we’d been thinking, too, so we built the performance around “Born Fire,” “Ash,” and “HOT.” It was the same combo that led the concert set list, so we focused on how to differentiate things for AAA. We wanted to really maximize how poetic and emotional the music is this time, while also maintaining a focus on conveying the lyrics’ meaning. We were particularly interested in giving things a modern edge with “Born Fire,” where we positioned each member of the group based on the voice-over and worked in a hint of Korean imagery alongside the tutting. Early after debut, when it came to specific dance styles like tutting, the girls would worry and ask, “Do you really think we can do this?” With the experience they’ve gained performing on all kinds of different stages, though, they’ve gotten good at taking on new styles. Now, no matter what choreography we suggest, they’re like, “Okay!” and they get it right away. They’re all incredibly skilled at absorbing choreography.
4. “2025 KBS Song Festival Global Festival”
Park So Yeon: When you hear the word “spaghetti,” you usually think of an Italian restaurant, but if you look at the official photo for the Vol. 1 WEIRD GARLIC version of “SPAGHETTI” (feat. j-hope of BTS), they’re in a market with seafood spaghetti. We wanted to draw on that concept for this performance to convey the song’s bouncy, straightforward vibe. The crew that worked on the “member version” choreography video we shot in the market is actually called Susang Movement. That’s when we said, “Let’s have them all move in susang [strange and suspicious] ways!” And that idea became the starting point for the performance.
For SAKURA, we focused on isolation moves so she’d look like someone moving in a weird way, almost like a mollusk. Isolation is one of the most basic elements of choreography, but for people who aren’t familiar with it, it can look a bit strange. It also kind of calls to mind tangled strips of spaghetti noodles. The backup dancers become ingredients in the performance, and for KIM CHAEWON, we wanted it to look like she was slicing and stabbing them with a giant fork. HUH YUNJIN wields these giant chopsticks, as if she’s stir-frying something in a wok. When you’re cooking spaghetti, you have to keep stirring it in the wok, so we drew inspiration from house choreography and gave her repetitive arm and leg movements to mirror that motion. Her hands and feet are going everywhere, but on her face she looks serene as anything, like she’s cooking up spaghetti to perfection. For KAZUHA, we used popping to make it feel really energetic, and instead of a regular knife she comes out with a saw and cuts all the dancers up. You should pay close attention to the tomatoes being sliced on the screen during that part. Finally, for HONG EUNCHAE, we centered things around basic hip hop moves and added the famous throwing-up motion from the main “SPAGHETTI” choreo to give it a playful twist. All the food they’ve been cooking throughout the whole thing is laid out on a massive table, and then the girls suddenly appear from underneath it. And that’s LE SSERAFIM’s take on spaghetti. (laughs)
5. “2025 SBS Gayo Daejeon”
Park So Yeon: The yoga scene of the “SPAGHETTI” music video has people of many different genders and races, including drag queens. Usually, when you plan for a big stage, you cast dancers with a similar physique or image to make it feel unified, but for this concert, we wanted to show a wide range of people like in that scene, so we brought in lots of dancers who really stand out. No matter what you look like, it’s important to love yourself, acknowledge who you are, and live your life that way. In my interpretation, “SPAGHETTI” says the same thing—that who you are deep inside is what really matters. We wanted to convey this unapologetic attitude of confidence, being true to yourself no matter what other people think, and that’s why we did the performance with drag queens. LE SSERIFIM as a group even came out of being open about the five of them—KIM CHAEWON, SAKURA, HUH YUNJIN, KAZUHA, and HONG EUNCHAE—just the way they are. So we felt that “Born This Way,” the theme of this performance—about not denying your own identity, true nature, or values, and always being yourself—really aligned with LE SSERAFIM.
In the intro, they come out with their faces covered, and every time they close and open a magazine, there’s a different face there. That was designed to say, “It doesn’t matter what I look like on the outside—look at the real me.” With that intro, if even one person messed up, the faces on the poster would be different and the whole picture would fall apart, so they pumped themselves up right before getting onstage by yelling, “If even one of us messes up, we’re done!” (laughs) It wasn’t easy keeping so many people in sync, but it sure was a lot of fun rehearsing it. We got to see the drag queen KYAM for the first time since being on set for the music video and we talked about how it’d be great to do a year-end performance together. And after the offer to do this concert was met with a resounding yes, what we had talked about became reality. I want to say that that performance was made possible thanks to the 20 backup dancers, drag queens NANA Youngrong Kim, KYAM, and RingRing, and the LE SSERAFIM members—all 28 of them gave everything they had.
6. “2025 MBC Gayo Daejejeon”
Park So Yeon: For year-end performances, we try to show fans as many different things as possible. When I first heard “Game Over,” I thought about how fun it would be to work on a performance of it with dancers waacking, and I was determined to make that happen this time around. Our aim with that choreography is already clearly expressed in the “MOVE TO PERFORMANCE” video, so now we wanted to explore the genre of waacking in a multifaceted, musical way together with the dancers. With that basic idea in place, we first locked in the location and then built a fitting performance around it. We took cues from the fundamentals of waacking, leaned into a funky disco vibe, and tried to make the whole thing feel like one coherent show.
7. “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” 2026
Park So Yeon: When the group first heard the news, they were like, “We’re performing there?” They were totally shocked. Our baseline philosophy for any performance is to have fun with it and give the people what we always do, making sure it looks impressive, and that was no different. It was, “Let’s have fun, no mistakes. Let’s go in with the intention of crafting a performance that everyone out on the streets of New York can enjoy all together, even people who don’t know LE SSERAFIM.” It was freezing that day, but all five members of the group still put on a fantastic performance, and the production crew had been carefully double-checking the camerawork and angles for “SPAGHETTI” from rehearsals onward, so everything went smoothly. SAKURA wrote on Instagram that performing there was something she never could have imagined for herself. I think the others probably felt the same way. I actually think they were less nervous because it didn’t even feel real. (laughs) When something you never could’ve imagined suddenly happens right there in real life, it’s hard to believe it’s real. It must’ve felt like a dream—like, “Did we really perform there?”
8. 40th Golden Disc Awards
Park So Yeon: We built the set to bring out one of LE SSERAFIM’s signature concepts, the runway, and took inspiration from the official photos for the Vol. 2 KNOCKING BASIL version of “SPAGHETTI,” where the members are delivery workers. Whether it’s a bike, a car, a motorcycle, or what, delivery vehicles always carry this image of constantly being on the move. To express that, we created choreography with a lot of footwork, incorporating house steps. All the backup dancers wore yellow wigs so they’d look like spaghetti noodles. We used HUH YUNJIN’s bright, playful “HOT” remix to end on a note like a party where everyone could just have fun together.
Sending off 2025
Park So Yeon: As someone who’s been working with the group for a long time, I can’t help but worry about them, even when they’re doing well, and so I’m always watching out for them. But I could really feel in 2025 how much they’ve grown—way more than I expected, and enough that I think I can finally let go of most of that worrying. For 2026, I hope they all believe in themselves even more and have a healthy, grounded year. I see LE SSERAFIM not as a group that only works with specific themes or genres, but as one that expresses who they truly are through song and dance. At the same time, you always have to keep changing, and I think they’re in a place where they’re actively thinking about how they want to evolve moving forward. We’re going to keep thinking it through together and figure out what kind of challenges we want to take on next. And most importantly of all, if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that we’re committed to continuing to try new things, so I hope everyone keeps following LE SSERAFIM as they both evolve and stay true to themselves. And we’ll keep working hard and putting in the effort to keep giving you something new.
