Movement, expression

The Korean dance team Bumsup holds a press conference May 27 in Seoul, ahead of the airing of "World of Street Woman Fighter." Yonhap

As a casual fan of popular music, some songs can feel like a cry and written words can feel like a confession from deep down. What is dance, though? This thought has kept me glued to a recent survival battle television program. "World of Street Woman Fighter" on music entertainment channel Mnet shows women battling one another through dance — bodily movement combining grace and athleticism — in tune with DJ music.

The show is currently in its third season, having premiered during the height of COVID-19, in the fall of 2021. The first season had featured top Korean female dance teams that wowed an audience stuck at home under quarantine limitations and generally feeling isolated and disconnected. Over the years, the program has grown significantly, and the current season features diverse teams from around the globe: U.S.-based Motiv, Australian team AG Squad, The Royal Family from New Zealand, OSAKA Ojo Gang and RHTokyo from Japan, and Bumsup from Korea. The massive energy these teams bring from around the globe is brewing special chemistry.

These teams, who would have otherwise dance-battled on the streets or in clubs, met as strangers in the first episode of the season. Initially, their battles didn't seem to be about just dance, but contained a sharp undercurrent indicating their discomfort with the differences they saw in each other, including age and manner. The Korean team, composed of winners from earlier seasons and members of top dance crews, struggled to compete with the innovative skills and distinct techniques that the international teams displayed in their dances.

However, as the episodes continued, all the competitors seemed to reach a new level of understanding with each other and across teams, building the connection and sense of community that makes street dance battles interesting. More diverse styles of dance unfurled on screen, from freestyle hip-hop dance to waacking, heels dance, popping and powerful moves resembling krumping — all entertaining to this layperson's eyes. With only one elimination battle having taken place between the OSAKA Ojo Gang and The Royal Family--here the members from both teams made sure that their forte dance skills were shown including Royal Family's Moana--there are more battles and excitement coming ahead.

One of the standout rivalries is between the two Japanese teams, Ojo Gang from Osaka and RHTokyo. The Osaka team, made up of individual dancers working together such as Kyoka, Ibuki and Minami, offers a fresh contrast to the more group choreography-oriented and polished RHTokyo. Watching them, it is hard to remember that Japanese pop culture was only reallowed as an import just before the 21st century began, under President Kim Dae-jung in 1998.

Such cultural exchanges are significant for me as someone who was working on the frontlines of news during that era, and in consideration of this year marking 60 years of normalization of diplomatic ties between Japan and Korea. The two groups' energetic contributions to street dance culture should surely energize Korean street dancers. Also, while The Royal Family has become the first crew to be eliminated, its rivalry with AG Squad was just as memorable.

Individual dancers on all teams are earning rave reviews from around the nation for giving dancers often dubbed "back dancers" in Korea a center role. And if we are honest, we all know what being center stage in our own passions feels like. It feels joyful and good, emotions hard to come by this day and age.

According to Producer Choi Jeong-nam, "The program was not about selecting the best dance team. It is about creating a global stage where culture, language and emotions tangle and engage." So far, the goal seems within reach, and there are hopes that the third season will dance smoothly toward its finale.

The author is editorial writer of The Korea Times editorial board.