The origins of K-pop battles: a challenge for the K-pop community

A K-pop battle is the concept that K-Showtime has brought to Belgium for the first time. A portrait of Anne, Diane and Jun, our members who actively participate in (krump) battles.

A dance battle is two dancers facing off, freestyling in front of an audience. It became popular in the 80s and 90s with hip-hop, and is now practiced competitively.

When K-Showtime was created, the idea was to create an event around dance and K-pop. But the question was, what could K-Showtime bring to K-pop? K-pop has become very popular, and many fans now perform covers to perfection! So something had to be added: a challenge that would bring a bit of street dance culture to Belgium's K-pop community.

So why not K-pop dance battles?

In 2021, K-Showtime launched the first K-pop battles in Belgium. An initiative that aims to introduce the K-pop community to the dance culture in which many of its idols have immersed themselves, and still do.

The "Freestyle" category is the one that retains most of the codes of dance battles. The only constraint is to never dance a step sequence that already exists.

And of course, the "Boybands" and "Girlbands" categories have been kept, so as not to lose the fun of reproducing dances!

It pushes the K-pop community to go further. - Junlin

Three members of the dance crew Chicken Squad are experienced dancers who have taken part in battles and they share their ways to tackle it and what these battles brought to them. More than a simple face-to-face, it’s a way to outdo and learn more about oneself. Anne, Diane and Jun confide about their feelings on this interview.

K-Showtime wants competitive participants, but it's also a safe space for fans who want to discover or rediscover dance. A great opportunity to discover it in a different way!

Register here; only a few places left!