Vata Of "Street Man Fighter" Responds To Allegations That He Plagiarized ATEEZ's Choreography

Vata of Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter” has denied the growing allegations that he plagiarized ATEEZ’s choreography.

Vata, who is currently appearing on the Mnet survival show as the leader of dance crew We Dem Boyz, won a challenge on the program in which all of the crew leaders were tasked with coming up with original choreography for Zico’s new song “New thing.” Since then, his “New thing” challenge has become a massive trend, with countless artists attempting his choreography for the track.

However, many people soon noticed that the beginning of Vata’s choreography was similar to the main dance move used in the chorus of ATEEZ’s 2019 hit “Say My Name,” which has since become one of the group’s most recognizable signature moves.

Notably, Zico chose not to dance that particular move when he posted his own version of the “New thing” challenge, suggesting that he may have noticed the similarity as well.

ateez atz vata say my name smn clearly plagiarized copied choreography smf pic.twitter.com/zYrsRr9wsV

— ?¿ (@kjsltyftw) October 14, 2022

Anze Skrube, one of the three choreographers who came up with the original choreography for “Say My Name,” spoke up about the controversy on social media earlier this week.

The dancer reposted numerous posts by ATEEZ fans accusing Vata of plagiarism, including one that requested an apology, and he also wrote in a comment, “This looks like ATEEZ ‘Say My Name’ Challenge. Original choreography was made by Josh Smith, Johnny Erasme, and myself. The particular gliding move was made by Josh Smith.”

Fans also speculated that several members of ATEEZ, particularly Wooyoung, had expressed their feelings on the controversy by doing a “biting” sign that dancers use to call out a fellow dancer for copying or stealing someone else’s moves. During a recent performance of “The Real,” Wooyoung seemingly used the biting sign on stage before dancing the key move from “Say My Name.”

As Vata is personally acquainted with ATEEZ’s San and is also following the “Say My Name” choreographers Josh Smith and Johnny Erasme on Instagram, many believed it unlikely that he would not have been aware of the similarity between ATEEZ’s choreography and his own.

On October 14, as the controversy continued to grow, Vata finally took to Instagram to deny the allegations of plagiarism.

Vata’s full statement is as follows:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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