Busan is good

“Busan Dances in May” … Heightened Excitement as the “2026 Busan Step-Up Dance Festival” Introduces Offline Preliminary Rounds

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Busan Metropolitan City, in collaboration with the Korea Youth Culture Promotion Association, announced that it will host the “2026 Busan Step-Up Dance Festival,” centered on street dance, a flagship content of youth culture.

This year’s festival has been enhanced with more professional and diverse programs compared to last year. Notably, the introduction of offline preliminary rounds stands out. The preliminaries, scheduled to take place at Millac The Market from April 25 to 26, are designed to ensure fairness in the competition while allowing audiences to experience the dancers’ energy firsthand.

The main programs of the festival will be held at Busan Cinema Center from May 9 to 10, featuring the World Street 1:1 Dance Battle (individual), World Street 2:2 Dance Battle (team), Dance Performance World Championship (group), and Junior Performance World Championship (group).

Applications were accepted through the official website (busanstepupfestival.com) until April 17, and finalists will be selected through judges’ evaluations in each category. In particular, the 1:1 battle will be divided into three categories—freestyle, hip-hop, and waacking—promising intense competition among highly skilled dancers.

To enhance professionalism and fairness, an Artistic Director has been appointed, and renowned experts in each dance category have been selected as judges.

For the Dance Performance World Championship, Aiki, leader of the runner-up team HOOK from “Street Woman Fighter,” along with Girin Jang, Black Q, and Minami and Ruu from Osaka Ojo Gang, will participate to determine the top team.

For the 1:1 battle, judges will include Cija, Iro, Jay Park, Jay Walk, Waackxxxy, and Poppin DS, while Firebak and Woong will serve as judges for the 2:2 battle, further strengthening the competition’s expertise.

In the Junior Championship, choreographers such as Mood Dok, Alex, and Youngbin will form a distinguished judging panel to evaluate the next generation of dancers.

The festival will also significantly expand its attractions and entertainment offerings. The opening performance will feature a 31-member mega crew performance by Busan-based dancers (AOP, Groovy), along with performances by rapper Jung Sang-soo and the youth band Market Groovy.

The newly introduced “Vibe On Stage (DJ Club Party)” will feature special performances by Vinxen, runner-up of “High School Rapper 2,” and Rohann, elevating the festival atmosphere to its peak.

In addition, various programs open to the general public—such as the DJ club party, Step-Up Random Play Dance, graffiti performances, pump zone, photo booth (four-cut photos), K-pop costume experience zone, and dance talk show—can be enjoyed on-site without prior registration.

The total prize pool amounts to KRW 35 million, with KRW 10 million awarded to the winner of the Dance Performance World Championship, KRW 3 million to the winning team of the 2:2 battle, and KRW 2 million to the winner of each category in the 1:1 battle.

The excitement will continue even after the event concludes. A post-event program, the “Champion Class,” will be newly introduced and operated between August and September. This program will feature this year’s winners conducting lectures at Sasang Indie Station (tentative), a youth indie culture hub, contributing to the revitalization of the local dance ecosystem.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This year, we have significantly strengthened the festival’s professionalism by introducing offline preliminary rounds and assembling a globally competitive judging panel,” adding, “We will continue to leverage youth-led cultural energy as a driving force to establish Busan as a truly global cultural hub.”