Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival 2024: A Celebration of Dance and Culture

The opening of ‘Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival 2024’, Korea’s representative dance festival, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is only 20 days away.

Cheonan City in South Chungcheong Province and Cheonan Cultural Institute announced that they will be holding a festival at Cheonan Sports Complex and the city area for five days from the 25th to the 29th.

A Brief History of the Festival

The Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival started as the ‘Cheonan Samgeori Cultural Festival’ in 1987, changed its name to the ‘Cheonan Heungtaryeong Festival’ in 2003, and changed its name to the current ‘Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival’ in 2011, celebrating its 20th anniversary age a year.

The Biggest Dance Festival in Korea

This is the biggest dance festival in Korea that was started to revitalize the city by using the regional characteristics of the dance theme and to unite dance, culture and arts from around the world.

International Participation

This year, over 1,000 foreign dance companies and groups visiting from 55 countries, including Mexico, France, Malaysia, Germany, South Africa, and Poland, will participate and present performances of various genres over a period of five days.

Festival Programs

Starting with the opening ceremony on the 25th, a variety of dances, performances and music will be held, from traditional dances from around the world to modern dances, and street dances such as popping and b-boying, through various programs such as the National Dance Competition, Street Dance Parade, International Dance Competition, and International Street Dance Championship, showcasing the costumes.

New Changes and Enhancements

This year’s festival seeks a new change with the concept of ‘dance combining challenge and creative spirit.’

The main programme, the International Dance Competition, further enhances its status as a global festival.

The international dance competition, in which 16 countries took part last year, is the largest scale this year with 30 teams from 29 countries taking part.

Globalization of K-Dance

We also aim to globalize K-dance.

This festival will establish a new International Street Dance Championship.

It competes against the time-honored skills of street dancers, including popping, whacking, rocking, cutting, and hip-hop.

Street Dance Parade

A total of 31 teams, including teams participating in the international dance competition and the joint street dance team of international street dance participants, will also take part in the street dance parade, the representative program of the festival, held on the 27th.

National Dance Competition

In the National Dance Competition, the categories of the competition were reduced and the participation targets were partially adjusted in order to encourage participation and ensure fairness.

International Dance Festival Federation (FIDAF)

The International Dance Festival Federation (FIDAF), in which 83 countries participate, is holding a global general meeting and looking for ways to establish and develop a system of cooperation among world festivals.

Family-Friendly Events

The Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, which has established itself as an urban festival, also prepares various performances and experience events, such as children’s performances, tomb exhibitions, and media experience booths, for the increasing number of family and children visitors every year.

Visitor Convenience

For the convenience of visitors, large shade canopies and parasols will be installed, and 10 food trucks and 10 convenient food booths will be operated.

For the convenience of transportation, free shuttle buses were operated to three courses in the Cheonan area during the festival period to allow visitors to visit the festival site and return home more easily.

Security Plan

Cheonan City and the Cheonan Cultural Institute plan to establish a security plan for the safety of visitors and establish a cooperative system with related organizations such as the police and fire departments.

Dong-soon Ahn, CEO of the Cheonan Cultural Foundation, said, “The Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival, now in its 20th year, is a world-class dance festival that attracts attention and participation from all over the world. end to give everyone opportunities to enjoy various culture and arts, and to ensure that visitors are satisfied “We will maintain it,” he said.

The Cheonan Heungtaryeong Dance Festival has been selected as a regional representative performing arts festival, the best festival, and the honorary cultural tourism festival for six consecutive years.