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Jiwon Park

You may have seen them if you are in Hong Kong – six young women performing in some of the busiest and most scenic spots in the city, their dance moves slick and stylish.
The women make up Chocomint HK, a K-pop cover dance crew who are taking part in “K-pop in public”, a popular trend on social media platforms such as YouTube.
Two of the group’s most recent videos have gone viral – their covers of Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” have, as of October 31, had 191,000 and 738,000 views respectively.
Considering the fact that many K-pop cover dance videos made in Hong Kong attract, on average, hundreds to thousands of views, these numbers are phenomenal.


The videos have drawn Blackpink fans from all over the world and have bumped their subscriber numbers to 7,700 from some 4,000 over the past month.
“We didn’t expect that [success],” Pearl Chan Pui-yee, a member of the group, says of the two Blackpink videos.




















View this post on Instagram























A post shared by CHOCOMINT HK (@chocominthk)



“The number of compliments and views of our videos flattered us,” Isis Lai Yin-yu adds. “We didn’t expect viewers globally to be so supportive and encouraging. The likes from our videos and Instagram are definitely why we continue filming dance covers.”
One comment in Cantonese reads: “I am happy to see the night view in the background, and the way you matched your clothing to the background for the cover deserves praise.”
Another comment, in English, praises the resemblance of the dancers to the K-pop girl group, from their hair and clothes to their facial expressions, “and of course the work of cameraman, video shooting and editing is also very good, background, locations, scenery behind girls as well”.

Chocomint HK are riding on the rising popularity of K-pop in Hong Kong. A search on YouTube brings up more than 10 cover dance crews in the city, such as Stunning Dance HK with 61,400 subscribers and Saga Dance Crew with 11,700 subscribers.
These crews regularly upload skilfully choreographed K-pop dances, new and old, often filming them in one take. The groups film in various parts of the city, wearing outfits similar to those worn in the original videos by the singers.
Chocomint HK is made up of six friends – Lai, Pearl Chan, Charlotte Chan Lok-yee, Vicky Wong Ming-yan, Jammie Tsang Hoi-ling and Cherry Lo Ching-ting. Most of them were at university together and they share an “incredible” love of K-pop.




















View this post on Instagram























A post shared by CHOCOMINT HK (@chocominthk)



They had already been dancing together for years before they started uploading videos online. After graduating, and feeling the lack of offline venues to show off their talents during the coronavirus pandemic, they created a YouTube channel to upload their cover dance videos in January 2021.
It is not just the moves they focus on, either – the group put a lot of energy into getting the perfect costumes, practising lip-synching to the lyrics and matching their facial expressions to the original videos.
It takes almost a month to make one video – one to two weeks are used to discuss and buy costumes and it takes one to two weeks to practise and film it. The video is released a few days after shooting.
“We make our own costumes and give comments on dance steps and costumes to each other,” Charlotte Chan adds.


Their efforts have borne fruit – the group’s cover of Kard’s track “Ring The Alarm” came second in a dance cover contest, and they have been invited to perform at multiple K-pop events.
For the team, being part of a dance crew is more than just imitating K-pop acts; it is about friendship.
“We do the cover dances as our hobby, as we all love K-pop and dancing so much,” Lai says, but they also do them to improve themselves and to strengthen their bonds with one another. “We get to experience every up and down with our friends, which is unforgettable and precious.”

The team have no end goal – they are simply doing what they are good at and enjoy, while hoping to find more chances to perform and see their favourite K-pop acts through their activities.
“For now, we only wish [to] bring good covers to others and gain more attention,” Charlotte Chan says, adding that they would love to be noticed by the singers they are emulating. “For me, my end goal should be dancing with my favourite idol.”
Editor’s note: Chocomint HK were scheduled to appear at the K-pop Community Festival held by the Korean Cultural Centre in Central, Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong on November 5 but after this story was published, the centre announced its cancellation.


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So good they could be Blackpink – meet the women of cover dance crew Chocomint HK,   whose ‘K-pop in public’ videos have gone viral on YouTube

Chocomint HK are a Hong Kong-based cover dance crew who are taking part in “K-pop in public”, a popular trend on social media platforms such as YouTube. Photo: Chocomint HK

Chocomint HK is made up of six friends – most of them university students with an “incredible” love of K-pop. Photo: Chocomint HK

For the members of Chocomint HK, being part of a dance crew is more than just imitating K-pop acts; it is about friendship. Photo: Chocomint HK

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Lifestyle

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Two of Hong Kong cover dance crew Chocomint HK’s videos recently went viral online – their covers of Blackpink’s tracks Pink Venom and Shut Down
The six-member crew share an ‘incredible’ love of K-pop, and say they make the videos not with an end goal in mind – they just love to dance



Two of Hong Kong K-pop cover dance crew Chocomint HK’s Blackpink cover videos recently went viral. The women talk about their success and their ‘incredible’ love of K-pop.


Hong Kong

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YouTube and YouTubers

So good they could be Blackpink – meet the women of cover dance crew Chocomint HK, whose ‘K-pop in public’ videos have gone viral on YouTube

Two of Hong Kong cover dance crew Chocomint HK’s videos recently went viral online – their covers of Blackpink’s tracks Pink Venom and Shut Down The six-member crew share an ‘incredible’ love of K-pop, and say they make the videos not with an end goal in mind – they just love to dance

Two of Hong Kong cover dance crew Chocomint HK’s videos recently went viral online – their covers of Blackpink’s tracks Pink Venom and Shut Down

The six-member crew share an ‘incredible’ love of K-pop, and say they make the videos not with an end goal in mind – they just love to dance