novelraw Chapter 243 - 236: Superb Performance
Chapter 243 - 236: Superb Performance
"Please give a round of applause to welcome Jiang Mengqi and her team." Tian Jiaxuan said passionately.
Amidst captivating music and dazzling lights, Jiang Mengqi and her four teammates stepped out.
Today, they were all dressed in brightly colored casual clothing, short skirts, radiating youthful energy as they took the stage.
Their makeup was particularly striking, resembling the abandoned wooden dolls from the USA horror film "Annabelle."
Especially Jiang Mengqi in the center—her makeup was downright eerie: blood-red lips, bold blush, dark eyeshadow, and coupled with her smile, it exuded a full medieval gothic vibe.
The self-introduction segment from Jiang Mengqi’s group didn’t evoke much cheering; they truly seemed like "forgotten people," as they themselves had described it earlier.
In the audience, only two or three people held banners for Jiang Mengqi, while the others had none at all.
As the stage lighting changed, the group began posing according to their rehearsed choreography.
Their opening stance was impeccable: the five of them appeared as though standing in a cold, desolate world, emanating an evil yet fatal charm.
Jiang Mengqi leaned against a large red gift box, seemingly foreshadowing their destiny.
Xiang Sixing and Wu Qian’s faces were eerily pale, coupled with their chilling eye makeup and lean physiques, they resembled ghostly dolls.
Luo Tiantian and Su Ruiqi looked like lifeless marionettes with broken limbs, hanging limply.
Around each of their wrists were bands of white matte paper, resembling the control strings on puppet dolls.
Wow!
I love this group’s styling!
Oh my goodness! This group really stands out!
The audience erupted with exclamations of wonder.
The unconventional and unique opening visuals immediately captivated everyone in the auditorium.
All preconceived notions had been shattered; this was no traditional Korean or Japanese group introduction, but one imbued with truly international flair and imagination.
The song’s prelude began with piano notes.
The sound mirrored that of a music box opening.
The group extended their arms and swayed like marionettes in time with the song’s rhythm.
The magnetic, slightly languid voice of the singer gave the song an air of alienation and loneliness, perfectly complementing this dance routine.
The group slowly rose to their feet with outstretched arms, the white matte paper falling away, seemingly restricting their movement and making them appear like zombie dolls.
This moment completely drew the audience in, with some frightened girls instinctively covering their mouths with their hands.
The music grew increasingly high-pitched and haunting; the group fiercely tore off the long strips of matte paper on their wrists, symbolically breaking free from their "strings."
Their synchronization was remarkably precise; while the five weren’t elite-level dancers, they undoubtedly demonstrated idol-worthy skills.
As they shifted positions, Luo Tiantian, Xiang Sixing, and Wu Qian stood around the gift box, making agonized, struggling movements with their arms as if their joints were immobilized.
When the song reached its chorus, Luo Tiantian executed a sideways handspring off the gift box onto the stage.
The crowd burst into cheers upon witnessing the move.
Bear in mind the gift box was at least 30 centimeters high; leaping onto it and performing a clean, swift descent required great skill.
Before the audience could recover from that spectacle, Su Ruiqi emerged from the back, performing a side ballet spin, "flying" forward.
The pink skirt she wore unfurled like a windmill in her spinning motion.
This move would require at least three to four years of training to perfect.
As she landed accurately in her intended spot, the other four girls sprang into action almost simultaneously, their bodies vibrating in sync with the rhythm.
The burst of energy was extraordinary, brimming with strength, leaving the audience dazzled.
Compared to Wu Zixuan’s group’s earlier "wavering" performance, this one was evidently far superior.
This was the difference between a 90 and a 60 score; even a layperson could distinguish that this group’s dance was better.
The group rearranged into a triangular formation, with Jiang Mengqi at the forefront as the center. Each member raised their right arm, their hands limp and weak as if controlled by puppet strings.
The music’s tempo suddenly sped up, and Jiang Mengqi’s body started contorting wildly in sync with the melody, as though under some external control.
The others mimicked her moves, though their overall intensity and expression management couldn’t compare to hers.
Jiang Mengqi’s styling was an impeccable match for her—her face, typically glowing like a Rainbow when she smiles, now transformed into an eerie yet artistically mesmerizing visage.
Li Ke almost lost his mind while watching from below; this stage was simply phenomenal.
Jiang Mengqi was impossibly beautiful, striking directly at the audience’s hearts.
Facing the stage from the waiting room, Meng Meixuan and Wu Zixuan’s regretful expressions were plain to see.
This dance was just too captivating, far more engaging than their previous performances.
Initially, Jiang Mengqi’s self-introduction had garnered only polite applause, but now it roared like a tsunami.
This was a demonstration of pure skill, a show that truly moved the audience, much like Li Zimeng’s previous music performance.
Lv Fangxin was equally stunned, completely immersed in the dance; without her own act to focus on, she was just another audience member.
The group completed four measures of dynamic movements before changing formations again; this level of formation changes was unprecedented since the show’s premiere.
Even if other groups wished to mimic them, they lacked the dancing prowess to do so.
The audience beneath the stage was fully enraptured, raising their glowing sticks to cheer in rhythm with the melody; the five performers onstage fed off this passion, dancing with even greater abandon.
The formation transformed again as the five converged, with Su Ruiqi and Xiang Sixing kneeling on the floor, while Wu Qian posed in a low horse stance behind them, and Jiang Mengqi and Luo Tiantian stood behind Wu Qian.
Under the pulsing lights and climaxing music, the group executed extraordinarily complex moves.
The choreography was distinctly Western, visually dazzling yet disciplined and brimming with power.
Following the volcanic explosion of synchronized dancing, Jiang Mengqi finally enacted her solo performance.
Her body appeared as though its limbs were broken, seemingly devoid of strength, yet she displayed intricate body movements full of graceful aesthetics, showcasing her exceptional control over muscles and limbs.
The group suddenly dispersed, leaving the stage center to Luo Tiantian, who performed the same contortion move "folded hand twist" that Ju Lin had executed in the earlier round.
She then lay flat on the stage, her body rising and falling like waves before becoming motionless.
Over there, Jiang Mengqi and Wu Qian sat back to back, resembling conjoined dolls from an ancient European mechanical clock, struggling briefly before gradually going still.
Meanwhile, Xiang Sixing and Su Ruiqi mimicked decorative figurines from a music box, moving in harmony with the final notes of the melody before slowly stilting.
Just when the audience thought the performance was winding down...
The five suddenly sprang out like agile cats, forming two rows, and danced in a half-horse stance to the heart-pounding chorus.
Their arms, moving like willow branches swaying in the wind, fluidly created moments of sheer beauty.
At this juncture, even Wang Junhe at the mentor panel couldn’t resist subtly shaking his shoulders along with the dancers.
Center stage Jiang Mengqi’s smile grew eerier, her eyes gleaming with a hellish allure, as though she were a resurrected "Alice" from the depths of a graveyard.
This burst of energy was remarkable; after over three minutes of intensely demanding choreography, all five performers still exhibited such stamina—it was truly awe-inspiring.
With the final beat of the music, the five simultaneously sat down, resembling cabinet dolls bathed in the cold moonlight of a dark night.