Blonde Beauty Dancing to 'Ppikki Ppikki' Sparks Buzz... "Compared to US Cheerleading"

NYT "Compared to Thunderstruck"

Photo by Kylie Dixon, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader member, Instagram capture

The cheer dance 'Ppikki Ppikki' of the Korean professional baseball team KIA Tigers is gaining popularity worldwide. From American pop star Olivia Rodrigo to the cheerleaders of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL), many have joined the Ppikki Ppikki trend.

Photo by Dallas Cowboys cheerleader member Kylie Dickson Instagram

Kylie Dickson, a member of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, posted a video on her TikTok account on the 18th (local time) dancing to the Ppikki Ppikki song with her colleagues. Dickson commented on the video, saying, "It's harder than it looks."

Olivia Rodrigo, the 'MZ pop star' who recently held a concert in Seoul's Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, also joined in on the dance. She parodied KIA Tigers cheerleader Lee Joo-eun by pretending to fix her makeup and then performing the 'Ppikki Ppikki' dance. Rodrigo captioned the video with "Love you Korea."

The New York Times (NYT) already highlighted the popularity of this dance last month in an article titled "Who are these Korean cheerleaders taking over TikTok?" The article noted, "The moves are simple and repetitive but have caused a sensation with millions of views across numerous TikTok accounts." It added, "The gesture of raising two thumbs up is not complicated. It contrasts with the Dallas Cowboys' Thunderstruck, a symbol of American professional football and cheerleading." Thunderstruck is a spectacular cheer style featuring a large group of cheerleaders performing acrobatic synchronized routines.

KIA Tigers team cheerleader Lee Joo-eun

This dance, introduced by the KIA Tigers cheerleaders two years ago, is also known as the 'Strikeout Song.' It is performed when a KIA Tigers pitcher strikes out an opposing batter. The simple move of raising thumbs and shaking the body is intended to tease the opposing team and their fans after a strikeout. A video of KIA Tigers cheerleader Lee Joo-eun sitting and fixing her makeup, then standing up and casually performing this dance after the pitcher strikes out a batter, gained popularity and became a hot topic.