Daniel Song was an average university student who had lived according to his parents¡¯ wishes until one fateful day when he joined a dance club at his university. After that point, Daniel couldn¡¯t get dance off his mind. He was always watching dance videos and wanted to talk to others about it. ¡°I¡¯d tried to do everything in moderation. I didn¡¯t push myself too hard because I¡¯d never found anything I really liked. Dance was a turning point in my life, though. That was when I felt in my bones what it means to pour your passion into something,¡± he says.

None of Daniel¡¯s friends or family members were very interested in dance. He got little more than a yawn when he showed them what he thought was an awesome dance video. He found himself dreaming of a place where dance enthusiasts could share their excitement with each other and tell others about the joy of dance. That dream was eventually realized in the form of a Facebook page that soon went viral and became an essential stop for everybody in the field of dance.

However, Daniel¡¯s Facebook page was shut down because of copyright complaints about songs featured in the videos. At that moment, he swore to develop the talents he would need to help his favorite dancers and the dance scene as a whole. The area he chose was video. He was confident he¡¯d be good at making dance videos because of the numerous videos he¡¯d watched and his personal experience with dance. So, he began working on videos with his dancer friends. But without any access to the pipeline of dance video production, he felt like he was banging his head against the wall.

1. TRI.BE¡¯s ¡®LOBO¡¯ choreography / 2. B.I¡¯s ¡®BTBT¡¯ live clip / 3. FEEDBACK ¡®YOUNGCLASSICFOREVER¡¯ TLC-CREEP / 4. Young K ¡®Letters with notes¡¯ live album sampler

Daniel didn¡¯t give up and kept thinking and studying about dance and video. When he got a video request from dancers, the first thing he asked for was a recording of their choreography. He would watch the video again and again until he¡¯d memorized the blocking, composition and every tiny gesture. For Daniel, a good dance is able to show off the moves. So, before giving any thought to the video itself, he first analyzes the choreography.

Once Daniel finished analyzing the choreography, he turned his attention to the editing. He worked out the concept of the video while searching for compositional approaches that wouldn¡¯t conceal the choreography. When no good ideas came to mind, he would comb the choreography and the song itself. Since those are the key elements of a dance video, he had to make sure he was in step with them. If he was still facing writer¡¯s block at that point, he referred to music videos and other materials.

Daniel also devoted a lot of attention to the filming location. He would match keywords with information from the song and choreography and then search for video concepts and suitable locations on the Internet. When few details were available, he used online maps, taking a virtual tour of locations on street view and aerial view. Once he¡¯d gotten a handle on the filming location, he made a preliminary site visit.

Editing was important, too. Each fleeting sound, each passing image, could be super-charged through Daniel¡¯s editing, setting off the beauty of the choreography. ¡°We¡¯d gone down to an area renowned for its tranquility for some filming, but it ended up swarming with tourists. It was so loud there that I figured the sound we captured on location would be usable and require editing. But when I started the editing process, I got the feeling that the ambient sound was actually needed to highlight the tranquil appeal of the choreography. So I added all the sound files that fit with the video and made it sound like we¡¯d recorded them on location.¡±

While keeping up with his studies, Daniel shot dance videos for numerous dancers including Yoonji of Mannequeen, Turns and Just Jerk Family. And now he¡¯s upping his game by landing jobs for K-pop acts such as Young K.

Even so, Daniel quickly passes any praise on to the dancers. He explains that his clients are quick to listen to his ideas, making it possible to put his talents to good use in the video production process. His attitude toward the dancers is one of obvious respect. It¡¯s the attitude of a man who has dedicated himself to something he loves while remaining profoundly humble both about the art and the people.

¡°Dance brings bliss and can be an immersive experience. That¡¯s why I like dance. You could call me a fan. I just enjoy the dance-related activity itself. So video is just a means. It¡¯s a way for me to enjoy dance and help dancers.¡±

Dance changed the course of Daniel¡¯s life. It helped him make discoveries about himself and prompted him to build a career. But in the end, Daniel was the one who decided to follow that course. That bold decision has made him what he is today―and it has helped the dancers he¡¯s filmed keep dancing. Daniel doesn¡¯t plan to set down his video camera anytime soon. He wants to share the joy of dance, which continues to enchant him today, with people worldwide. Which dancers will he film next? Keep an eye out for his next video.