September 24, 2024
SEOUL – In the middle of a bustling ballgame, a cheerleader casually fixes her makeup, seemingly preoccupied and unbothered — until a catchy beat suddenly brings her to her feet. She seamlessly launches into a dance routine, swiveling and swinging her thumb up and down to the bouncy, squeaky rhythm.
This is not your typical cheerleading performance full of energy and acrobatics. Instead, the cheerleader maintains a cool, nonchalant expression as she throws her elbow up in place. The transition from touch-up to dance is exceptionally smooth, as if nothing out of the ordinary has occurred.
Such is the essence of the “Pikki Pikki dance,” a routine performed by the cheerleaders of the Gwangju-based KBO League’s Kia Tigers. Named after the onomatopoeia for the beat’s characteristic creaking sound effect, the dance is played whenever an opposing batter strikes out, as a playful jab at the opposing team. The laid-back, deadpan vibe coupled with the quirky sound effects and catchy dance moves have taken social media by storm.
It all began in June when a 19-second clip from a fan featuring Tigers cheerleader Lee Ju-eun showed up on YouTube. The video quickly went viral, spreading to other platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and has since amassed over 80 million views. Other clips of fellow Tigers cheerleaders performing the dance also gained hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms, fueling the ongoing hype.
The dance routine has been commonplace for some time in South Korea, where baseball is enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to a new generation of social media-savvy fans. Now, it is making ripples across the world, with TikTok influencers, pop stars and other sports teams joining in by posting their own renditions.
On Thursday, Kylie Dickson, a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL, shared a video of herself and two colleagues performing the routine on TikTok. Fans were quick to note the stark contrast between the Cowboys’ signature mass-choreographed, acrobatic “Thunderstruck” routine and the nonchalant cool of the Pikki Pikki dance.
Two days later, pop star Olivia Rodrigo posted her own version of the dance on TikTok, making her the most influential figure to join the fun so far. The 13-second clip, apparently filmed backstage after wrapping up the first of her two concerts in Korea, had already amassed over 14.3 million views as of Monday afternoon, with many comments expressing disbelief that Rodrigo would partake in what was once a meme known only within Korea.
The key element tying all these imitations together is the art of changing gears – a nod to the abrupt yet nonchalant transition from resting to dancing so apparent in the original. The Cowboys cheerleaders can be seen fiddling with their hair before the beat kicks in, while Olivia Rodrigo and her best friend, actor Madison Hu, fix their makeup before launching into the routine with a cool, sassy shrug, only to soon return to their seat and continue touching up.
In Korean baseball, “cheer culture” is just as integral to the game as the sport itself. Fans sing personalized chants for each player and bang inflatable sticks together to create a lively atmosphere. At the heart of this spectacle are the cheerleaders, who energize the crowd every inning with their eye-catching dance routines and performances.
While the cheerleaders have amassed considerable local fandoms over the years, racking up millions of views on YouTube, the Pikki Pikki dance marks the first time they’ve achieved fame on such a global scale.
Previously, only a handful of individual cheerleaders had gone viral among K-pop fans, but never before has a global social media phenomenon like this emerged from the Korean cheerleading world.