Cheonan World Dance Festival celebrates creativity, diversity

The 20th edition of the Cheonan World Dance Festival showcased awe-inspiring performances by some 4,000 dancers and crew members from 54 countries, reaching an all-time high number of participants since its launch in 2003.

The event, which ran from Sept. 25 to 29, entertained 880,000 spectators from South Korea and abroad with diverse dance competitions, parades, cheerleading shows and more.

As the 28 dance troupes from around the world competed in the International Dance Competition at Cheonan Sports Stadium located in central Cheonan, the familiar streets in Sinbudong became stages for street dance parades, bringing a pleasant surprise to passersby.

Ranging from a street dance battle to a national collegiate cheerleading contest, and featuring contemporary dance competitions and random dance battles, the Cheonan World Dance Festival was not only filled with entertaining programs, but also with opportunities for cultural exchange.

The grand prize went to the Bulgarian dance crew, while Russia, Romania and Slovakia won the gold and silver prizes, respectively.

“Almost 88,000 people visited this year's festival. We hope to turn the Cheonan World Dance Festival into an event that leads dance trends around the world,” Cheonan Mayor Park Sang-don was quoted as saying in a city press release.

The Cheonan World Dance Festival has become one of the country's most iconic festivals after being named an honorary Korean representative festival, a representative local art festival and one of the grand festivals for six consecutive years since 2018.