Seoul International Dance Competition discovering young Korean dancers
- 5 years ago
Time now for our "Life & Info" segment... where we focus on information that is useful in everyday life, whether you are in Korea or elsewhere around the world.
Today, we turn our focus to culture
To tell us more about what's popping in South Korea right now,... we have our Won Jung-hwan here in the studio with us.
So Jung-hwan, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, I'm in the studio today to tell you about a dance competition that is held every year... right here in Seoul.
The Seoul International Dance Competition first began in 2004... and has discovered many young and talented artists from around the world.
The feast of dance competition, which is held from Friday this week until the 27th,… will provide a platform for young dancers to compete in their own genres,... including ballet, contemporary dance, ethnic dance, and choreography.
Some hundreds of young and talented dancers from 9 countries are participating this year.
Also, the largest-ever number of dancers from abroad are taking part,... with some 30 percent of the total participants being foreigners.
The competition is neither the largest in the world,... nor the most prestigious,... but for over 15 years,… it has served as a gateway to success for many aspiring young dancers in Korea.
It has produced world class talent such as Kim Ki-min,... who became the first Asian ballerino to join Russia's Mariinsky ballet group,… and Lee Sang-eun,... a ballerina in Germany's Dresden ballet group.
And the executive director of the competition... hopes to expand its reputation further.
"We'll continue to invite foreign judges who lead and dance for the world's most renowned dance institutions so they can meet the best young dancers in Korea."
And she says that there is no better time than now to gather talented young Korean dancers at the competition.
"We have to follow the global trend,... and that trend right now is K-pop. I'm trying to include K-pop dance in our competition so it can be open to everyone. We have a lot of room to showcase our young talent."
It would be nice if the competition could become global,… tell us how people can apply to take part in the competition?
Why, are you planning to compete next year?
Anyone can apply without restrictions, but first you have to have some background on dancing,... and you have to pass the preliminary stage to compete at the main event which begins this Friday.
In fact, there were more than 500 people who applied this year,... and only some 350 are left,... and that shows the intense level of competition, even in the preliminary stage.
But there are some dancers who can bypass the screening process altogether.
If you received an award in a major dance competition,… such as the National Young Dancers' Competition, the Korea Ballet Association Competition or the Dong-A Dance Competition,...
Today, we turn our focus to culture
To tell us more about what's popping in South Korea right now,... we have our Won Jung-hwan here in the studio with us.
So Jung-hwan, what do you have for us today?
Hi Mark, I'm in the studio today to tell you about a dance competition that is held every year... right here in Seoul.
The Seoul International Dance Competition first began in 2004... and has discovered many young and talented artists from around the world.
The feast of dance competition, which is held from Friday this week until the 27th,… will provide a platform for young dancers to compete in their own genres,... including ballet, contemporary dance, ethnic dance, and choreography.
Some hundreds of young and talented dancers from 9 countries are participating this year.
Also, the largest-ever number of dancers from abroad are taking part,... with some 30 percent of the total participants being foreigners.
The competition is neither the largest in the world,... nor the most prestigious,... but for over 15 years,… it has served as a gateway to success for many aspiring young dancers in Korea.
It has produced world class talent such as Kim Ki-min,... who became the first Asian ballerino to join Russia's Mariinsky ballet group,… and Lee Sang-eun,... a ballerina in Germany's Dresden ballet group.
And the executive director of the competition... hopes to expand its reputation further.
"We'll continue to invite foreign judges who lead and dance for the world's most renowned dance institutions so they can meet the best young dancers in Korea."
And she says that there is no better time than now to gather talented young Korean dancers at the competition.
"We have to follow the global trend,... and that trend right now is K-pop. I'm trying to include K-pop dance in our competition so it can be open to everyone. We have a lot of room to showcase our young talent."
It would be nice if the competition could become global,… tell us how people can apply to take part in the competition?
Why, are you planning to compete next year?
Anyone can apply without restrictions, but first you have to have some background on dancing,... and you have to pass the preliminary stage to compete at the main event which begins this Friday.
In fact, there were more than 500 people who applied this year,... and only some 350 are left,... and that shows the intense level of competition, even in the preliminary stage.
But there are some dancers who can bypass the screening process altogether.
If you received an award in a major dance competition,… such as the National Young Dancers' Competition, the Korea Ballet Association Competition or the Dong-A Dance Competition,...