Korea Dance Awards Finals to Be Held in Cheonan on October 2... Nine Companies to Compete

Top Two Teams to Compete in Grand Finals at Arko Arts Theater in December

The finals of the "2026 Korea Dance Awards," Korea's representative dance competition for professional dance companies, will be held on October 2, 2026, on the main stage of the Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival. The 2026 Korea Dance Awards are co-hosted by the Korea Dance Association and Cheonan City and organized by the operating committee of the Korea Dance Awards.

This year, nine dance companies have advanced to the finals and will compete for top honors. The two groups that place first and second in the finals will advance to the grand finals, to be held at Arko Arts Theater Grand Hall on December 10, 2026, where they will compete for the President's Award and the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award. The third and fourth place winners in the finals will receive the Chairperson of the Arts Council Korea Award and the Cheonan Mayor's Award, respectively.

The Korea Dance Awards selects its final winners through a three-stage judging process: preliminary, finals, and grand finals. In the finals, seven professional judges and ten public judges—excluding dance majors—will evaluate the performances using an online judging system. The results are tallied in real time on-site, with final scores and rankings released to the public.

The nine companies that have advanced to the finals will present works on themes such as humanity and nature, relationships and community, anxiety and alienation in modern society, and the intersection of tradition and modernity.

Muyeondan Ultimate (choreographer Suh Hyeon Jeon) explores the connection and cyclical process between humanity, nature, memory, and culture in "Gongmyeonggwa Sinbi (Resonance and Mystery)." Soo d Art & Co (choreographer Soo Dong Jeong) presents "SABRASABRA," using the resilient cactus "Sabra" that flowers in harsh environments as a metaphor for humanity to express both the strength and vulnerability of humans living amid war, competition, and severed relationships.

Mu:on Movement Lab (choreographer Minji Kim) delves into the inner world and movement of humans experiencing moments of change and instability in "Byeonggokui Jeom (Point of Inflection)." Project-S (choreographer Namgeun Ahn) illustrates the anxieties of falling behind and the obsession with constant forward motion in modern society through repetitive movement in "Tahyobeuui Biyong (The Cost of Compromise)."

JUBIN Company (choreographer Jubin Kim) depicts people leaning on each other in a personalized modern society, inspired by the "Gwishinnal" of late Joseon in "Gwishinnal: The Night of the City." The piece combines the breath and emotion of Korean dance with movements from contemporary circus. Meta Dance Project (choreographer Young Eun Kwak) conveys alienation, isolation, disconnection, and anxiety of modern people using travel, landscapes, and stations as motifs in "Off Station II."

Taehye-sin Karma-Free Dance Company (choreographer Taehye-sin) addresses human relationships in modern society by combining big data and dance in "GanDa-ON: Data Dances, Choreography Emerges." The performance expresses concerns and desires about relationships through movement and imagery, utilizing survey data and sentiment analysis. JH C-Wave (choreographer Junghoon Kim) demonstrates in "Misreading" that the same scenes and movements can be interpreted differently, depending on the observer's perspective. Minae-kyung Dance Group (choreographer Min Ae-kyung) presents "Do Not Forget Ver.3," reinterpreting the calm within motion of traditional Korean dance in a contemporary way, showcasing geometric group choreography and dynamic movement.

The organizing committee announced plans to operate the event in an eco-friendly manner. To reduce paper use and printed materials, leaflets and program books will be provided as QR code-based digital content, and only the necessary number of posters, banners, and other offline promotional materials will be produced for event operation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.