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Kang Daniel to host 'Street Man Fighter'

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Singer Kang Daniel / Courtesy of CJ ENM

By Kim Rahn

K-pop star Kang Daniel will emcee “Street Man Fighter,” the male version of the dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter,” to be aired next month.

CJ ENM said, Friday, that Kang will host the survival dance program on cable channel Mnet, which already gained a lot of public attention and brought a dance boom to Korea with its two previous shows last year, “Street Woman Fighter” and “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” On both shows, Kang was also the emcee.

With the programs, the former B-boy has been dubbed a “dance-specialist host,” helping viewers better understand dance moves and rules of dance battles with easy explanations. He also danced with the contestants to draw cheers and reactions from the audience.

“It is an honor to be an emcee of a dance program again with 'Street Man Fighter.' The upcoming show will be more exciting and more dynamic (than the previous ones), and I'll be the link between the dancers and the viewers. You can expect hotter dance battles,” Kang said in a release.

Kang, who himself rose to stardom after winning the audition show “Produce 101” (2017), is also writing lyrics for the main theme song of “Street Man Fighter.” The song will be a ballad that will give courage to dancers who have done it rough and faced obstacles, according to CJ ENM.

The leaders of eight dance crews that starred in “Street Woman Fighter,” a 2021 dance competition show on Mnet / Courtesy of Mnet

“Street Man Fighter” producer Choi Jung-nam, who also took charge of “Street Woman Fighter,” said, “Kang is almost the only artist here who has a deep understanding of the street battles, so we believe he is the perfect emcee for 'Street Man Fighter.'”

On “Street Man Fighter,” eight dance crews will compete ― 1 MILLION, WeDemBoyz, EODDAE, Banktwobrothers, PRIME KINGZ, YGX, JustJerk and Mbitious. In the case of Mbitious, dancers who do not belong to a crew competed in the program “Be Mbitous” in May and the winners formed a new crew, thereby becoming the last team of “Street Man Fighter.”

“Street Man Fighter” will go to air with its first episode on Aug. 16.