SEOUL: The world's top dance crews are coming to Seoul in another step towards establishing dance as a global professional sport.
The world's first professional dance league is coming to Seoul on Saturday, as the International Dance League brings its inaugural season to South Korea, its only Asian stop.
Six prominent teams from around the world - South Korea's 1Million, New Zealand's Royal Family, Canada's Brotherhood, Los Angeles-based GRV, Norway's Quick Style and Singapore-based Jam Republic SEA - will face off in the league's Pro Division at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in Seoul.
Founded by the team behind dance platform Steezy, the International Dance League (IDL) bills itself as the world's first professional dance league, offering an alternative to traditional one-off competitions with a season-long format modelled after professional sports, in which teams compete for points, rankings and the overall championship.
Seoul is the fourth of six stops in the inaugural season, following New York, Vancouver and Sydney, and is the league's only Asian destination.
For IDL co-founder and chief executive officer Connor Lim, South Korea's influence on the global dance industry made Seoul an obvious stop for the league.
Announcing the Seoul Series, he highlighted the country's track record of producing internationally influential choreographers.
The sentiment was echoed by Clay Boonthanakit, IDL's director of content, who described South Korea as "an absolute central place for dance in the world."
That influence extends beyond dance studios.
Several dancers competing in the IDL have deep ties to K-pop.
"GRV has their hands in a lot of the K-pop choreography world as well," IDL Director of League Operations Alec Albright said on the league's podcast, suggesting the Los Angeles-based crew could enjoy strong support from South Korean fans.
GRV's Nick Joseph has choreographed for BTS, Enhypen, TXT, Shinee and SuperM.
The league also features several choreographers with extensive K-pop credentials.
Brotherhood's Scott Forsyth has collaborated with BTS and Stray Kids, while Jam Republic SEA's Julian DeGuzman choreographed NCT 127's "Kick It" and TXT's "Loser=Lover."
Royal Family has long been associated with K-pop through founder Parris Goebel's collaborations with Big Bang and Blackpink, while Quick Style has built an extensive résumé that includes creating the choreography for BTS' "Save Me", "Blood Sweat and Tears", and "Boy With Luv."
Beyond the Pro Division, Seoul will host a Community Division, giving local dance crews the opportunity to compete on the same stage.
Similar competitions have accompanied every stop of the IDL's inaugural season as part of the league's effort to create a pathway from grassroots dancers to the professional ranks.
Among the South Korean entrants are FMC in the junior division and The Stories in the adult division, both of which earned international recognition after winning the Vibe Junior on Jan 31 and the Vibe Competition on March 1, respectively.
Brotherhood emerged as the team to beat, remaining unbeaten after winning the IDL's first three stops in New York, Vancouver and Sydney.
Led by director Scott Forsyth, the Canadian crew went viral with its Vancouver performance to 'N Sync's "I Want You Back", which spread rapidly across social media before later being covered by J-Hope and Jungkook of BTS.
In Seoul, the Pro Division match-ups will see Brotherhood face Quick Style, while home team 1Million will meet Jam Republic SEA and Royal Family will take on GRV.
Beyond the competition, several IDL dancers will lead workshops at 1Million Dance Studio on Sunday, giving participants a chance to learn directly from members of each of the six teams.
IDL shows are available on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in the United States, while the upcoming Seoul stop will also stream on Disney+ in South Korea and several other Asian markets. — Korean Herald/ANN
