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A veteran choreographer’s first-place finish
SEOUL, South Korea — Baek Koo-young, a veteran choreographer whose work has helped define performances by some of K-pop’s biggest acts, won Mnet’s dance competition “Street World Fighter: Directors’ War.”
Baek, 41, reflected on the victory on the 27th at CJ ENM Center in Seoul’s Mapo district. The program, which ended on the 20th, tested contestants not only on choreography but also on storytelling and overall stage direction. Ten K-pop choreographers competed, including Bada, Babyzoo, Nain and Shimizu.
Baek was the oldest and most experienced contestant. He previously led the dance crew 1Million to a fifth-place finish on Mnet’s “Street Man Fighter” in 2022. His family urged him not to push himself too hard before the latest competition, but Baek said he believed it might be his final opportunity to have his work fully judged by the public.
“It took quite a long time for me to hold a trophy like this,” Baek said. He said his tears after the winner was announced came not from remembering past hardships, but from gratitude toward himself for enduring so long in the profession. On social media, he compared the honor to a perfect-attendance award presented after running a marathon without stopping.
Making choreography accessible
Throughout the competition, Baek combined choreography with narrative concepts. For a mission built around NCT member Taeyong’s new song “WAKA WAKA,” he created a move inspired by a Korean forehead-flicking game. Baek considered dropping the playful gesture after it received a poor response during an interim review, but kept it after Taeyong encouraged him to develop it.
Baek said successful popular choreography should have a universal quality. Many dance challenges are now difficult for anyone other than skilled dancers, he said, arguing that choreography needs a more approachable, playfully unconventional sensibility. “If more members of the public are going to enjoy it together, the choreography has to be easy,” he said.
He named Jung Min-jun and Ingyoo as the competitors who left the strongest impressions. Baek said Jung’s dancing made him want to test his own physical limits, while Ingyoo commanded the stage so effectively that he transformed the tension of the final into a festival-like atmosphere.
Recognition and dancers’ rights
Baek is a director at the 1Million dance studio and has created choreography for major K-pop performers, including EXO’s “Love Shot,” “Ko Ko Bop” and “Monster,” as well as songs by TVXQ and BoA.
He credited Mnet’s “Street Fighter” dance programs with changing how the Korean public views professional dancers. Greater recognition, he said, has given dancers more power to speak about working conditions and copyright protections for choreography.
Baek began dancing in elementary school and has remained active for more than 30 years, including 24 years as a professional choreographer. Comparing his career to the traditional four-part structure used in Korean storytelling, he said he believes he has reached its concluding stage. Rather than trying to return to the beginning, he said he hopes to extend this phase as long as possible and continue presenting work he can be proud to show the public.
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