2025 Busan Step-Up Dance Festival Confirmed! Held from May 16 at the Cinema Center
‘2025 Busan Step-Up Dance Festival’, a leading street dance festival in Korea led by youth, is set to take place at Haeundae Cinema Center from May 16 to 18.
This third edition of the event is growing into a global festival themed around street dance and plays an important role in invigorating youth culture and expanding the base of K-dance. A high level of participation and interest is anticipated.
‘Step-Up Dance Festival’ Established as Busan’s Representative Youth Culture Festival
This festival is organized in collaboration with the Busan city and the Association for Youth Culture Promotion, following the second basic plan for youth policy. The event focuses on providing opportunities for young artists to perform and offering citizens diverse cultural experiences.
This year, it features even more diverse programs compared to last year, including the preliminary competition with a total prize of 38 million won, K-pop cover dance, Junior Street Championship, Step-Up Concert, dance classes, and Random Play Dance. It is expected to be a festival where many can enjoy various entertainment and opportunities for cultural enjoyment.
Key Program Information and Application Method
This festival in Busan is made up of three major programs: ▲‘World Street 1:1 Battle’ ▲‘Dance Performance World Championship’ ▲‘Busan Representative Selection’. Those wishing to participate can apply through the official website (busanstepupfestival.com) until April 7. All competitions will proceed to the offline finals after passing the online preliminary rounds.
The ‘World Street 1:1 Battle’ will be held in three categories: freestyle, hip-hop, and waacking on May 17 at the Cinema Center. In addition, 15 teams from around the world will compete in the finals of the ‘Dance Performance World Championship’ on May 18. Lastly, the ‘Busan Representative Selection’ will provide opportunities to discover outstanding dancers in the region for youth residing in Busan.
This festival is expected to be an important venue to celebrate the diversity of dance and culture.
Newly launched this year, the ▲‘K-POP Cover Dance Championship’ (May 18) and ▲‘Step-Up Concert’ (May 17-18) are generating high levels of interest.
Famous idols such as Infinite's Dongwoo and ASTRO's JinJin are scheduled to participate in the performances, and active participation from the audience is expected.
Top Judges and Impressive Lineup
This year's event is drawing significant attention due to its impressive panel of judges.
In the ‘Busan Representative Selection’, singer Seven, 2PM's Jang Wooyoung, and choreographer Choi Youngjoon will be participating as judges. Additionally, internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Ohchen, Lenan, Hani, and Jayho will judge the ‘Dance Performance World Championship’ category.
For the ‘World Street 1:1 Battle’, renowned dancers like Poppin Jay, Wackqueen, Tajo, and Jemin will also be judges, adding fairness to the competition.
In particular, in the junior category and K-pop cover dance category, Jonain, leader of the winning team of ‘Street Woman Fighter’, choreographer Jung Gu-seong, and Just Jerk's S1 will serve as judges, focusing on discovering the next generation of dance talents.
Pre-Event Activities with Citizens... From Random Play Dance to Small Competitions
The ‘Random Play Dance’ will be held every weekend starting March 23 in Busan. It will take place in various locations, including Haeundae Beach, Oncheoncheon, Songdo Beach, Seomyeon Car-Free Street, and Sajik Sports Complex, allowing citizens to participate in a street performance format. Anyone interested in this event can participate for free. This event is scheduled for May and will present an opportunity for many to enjoy together.
Two small-scale events organized by young dancers will take place. The first is 'DOPI Vol.6', to be held on April 19 at Beacon Ground, and the second is 'Groundy Competition', scheduled for April 26 at Yeongdo Piark. These competitions will provide opportunities for youth organizations and dance teams to actively communicate with the community.
The World Street Dance Fever in Busan
The ‘2025 Busan Step-Up Dance Festival’ is a dance festival where everyone can participate, from professional dancers to general citizens, youth, and foreigners. This event is establishing itself as a cultural content for Busan's youth and offers a good opportunity to prove the global competitiveness of K-dance.
Everyone who loves dance can now apply for participation through the official website. How about joining to create colorful dance stages together in Busan?
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