The 23rd Seoul International Dance Competition wrapped up with a Grand Prix for Jeong Geun-se — 1,259 dancers, 10 countries, four divisions.
The lights went down on the 23rd Seoul International Dance Competition, and when they came up, Jeong Geun-se of the Korea National University of Arts was holding the Grand Prix.
Hosted by the Seoul International Cultural Exchange Association and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Council, this year’s competition brought together 1,259 dancers from 10 countries — including Korea, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States. The breakdown: 509 domestic and 750 overseas participants. After overseas and domestic preliminaries from May 14 to June 1, the finals ran from July 10 to 23 at the Grand Theater of the Naru Art Center in Seoul.
Four divisions were on stage: ballet, contemporary dance, folk dance, and choreography. The top honor went to Jeong Geun-se, a fourth-year student at the Korea National University of Arts, for 1st place in senior men’s contemporary dance.
There were standout winners across every category. In traditional folk dance, Lee Yeo-won (Korea National High School of Traditional Arts) took junior 1st place, and Qing Xin (Beijing Dance Academy) won senior men’s 1st place. In creative folk dance, Yuan Yuyang (Minzu University of China) won junior 1st, while Kim Sung-ho (Hanyang University) claimed senior 1st. Contemporary dance senior women’s 1st place went to Xu Tianhui (Shenzhen Song and Dance Theatre, China). In ballet, Lee Jin-ho (Korea National University of Arts) placed 1st in senior men, with Kim Ho-yeon in 2nd, and Park Ha-min (Korea National University of Arts) won senior women’s 1st place.
All told, 83 dancers and artists received main prizes, including Sun Xuguang (Jiangnan University, China) as 1st place professional choreographer and Zeng Baisheng (Shenzhen Song and Dance Theatre, China) as 1st place young choreographer.
There’s also a career-changing bonus for Korean winners: Korean nationals who placed 1st or 2nd in the ballet senior men division, or 1st in contemporary dance senior men, can be incorporated as arts and sports personnel under Article 33 of the Military Service Act — letting them keep building their artistic careers without interruption.
Executive committee chair Heo Young-il summed it up: with 1,259 participants from home and abroad, this year’s edition uncovered plenty of fresh new dance talent.
The awards ceremony takes place at 3 p.m. on the 23rd at the Grand Theater of the Naru Art Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Then, on July 24, the Naru Art Center hosts the 2026 Seoul International Dance Competition Gala Performance, and on August 8, the Special Junior Gwangju Gala lands at the National Asia Culture Center.
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Jeong Geun-se, a fourth-year student at the Korea National University of Arts, won the Grand Prix with 1st place in senior men’s contemporary dance.
The finals were held from July 10 to 23 at the Grand Theater of the Naru Art Center in Seoul.
