Will 'Street Woman Fighter 2' outperform debut season?
The dancers and judges of the upcoming dance competition show, “Street Woman Fighter 2,” pose during a press conference at DMC Tower in Mapo District, northern Seoul, Thursday.
'Street Woman Fighter 2' to premiere on Aug. 22
By Dong Sun-hwa
Will Mnet's new dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter 2” outdo its previous season and create another dance boom?
The upcoming program, which is scheduled to hit the air on Aug. 22, will pit eight female dance crews against one another. Unlike the first season which only featured the crews based in Korea, “Street Woman Fighter 2” aims to go global by inviting additional dancers from various countries. The contestants are JAM REPUBLIC (U.S., New Zealand, Australia and China), TSUBAKILL (Japan), 1MILLION (Korea), BEBE (Korea), Deep N DAP (Korea), LADY BOUNCE (Korea), MANNEQUEEN (Korea) and WOLF'LO (Korea).
Asked about the unique edges of the second season, producer Kim Ji-eun said there will be special judges.
“From choreographer Bae Yoon-jung to dancer Mike Song, the special judges will join us for every mission, utilizing their expertise to evaluate our contenders,” Kim said during a press conference at DMC Tower in Mapo District, northern Seoul, Thursday. “'Street Woman Fighter 2' also introduces global dance crews, so that we can showcase something new to the public.”
She continued: “We have been striving to highlight the new and raw sides of our dancers, just like we did for our previous season.”
Monika ― the leader of PROWDMON that appeared in the first season ― and Shownu of K-pop boy group Monsta X are the main judges for the upcoming show.
“It feels so different to assume the role of a judge,” Monika said. “I often cried after filming the show, feeling guilty of assessing the dancers whom I respect … I believe the second season of 'Street Woman Fighter' should be as successful as its predecessor so that we can roll out more seasons for our younger dancers. I hope this dance boom continues since this is a matter of survival for us.”
“Street Woman Fighter,” which premiered in 2021, propelled a crop of female dancers to stardom, providing them with a platform where they could show off their dancing prowess while building global fandoms. The show has many sequels including its male version “Street Man Fighter” (2022), and was named the Best Variety Show at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards last year.
The jaw-dropping performances of dancers combined with nail-biting competition are believed to have played a pivotal role in driving its success. And its second season is expected to be another hit since it has attempted to intensify the already-fierce competition by bringing in internationally acclaimed crews like JAM REPUBLIC and TSUBAKILL. In the case of the former, the team has worked with numerous top-tier pop stars including Justin Bieber and Jennifer Lopez.
“I think we can add an international flavor to the show,” JAM REPUBLIC's leader Kirsten said, adding that it is a great platform to demonstrate the power of women.
TSUBAKILL's leader Akanen said, “The debut season of 'Street Woman Fighter' was a hot talking point in Japan as well. In our country, the social status of dancers is not that high and we have no program focusing on us. By appearing on 'Street Woman Fighter 2,' I hope we can get a chance to promote talented dancers in Japan.”
1MILLION's leader Lia Kim, who chose not to appear in the first season, revealed that she changed her mind after watching the program.
“Back then, I was not confident that I would perform well on a competition show,” she recalled. “However, I decided to join 'Street Woman Fighter 2' after watching some riveting performances of the dancers in the debut season … Now, I feel like this program has given me an experience that I will never have again in my life.”