On the 18th (local time) at 7 pm (local time), the ‘K-Pop Cover Dance Festival in Canada’ was held at the ‘Meridien Theater at Center Point’ in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.
Hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in Canada (President Lee Eun-eun) and the Seoul Shimbun, this event is sponsored by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Tourism Organization, Korea Entertainment Producers Association, Korea Record Industry Association, All K-Pop, Pentacle, and New Era is a global K-pop cover dancer event. They are showing off their high-level dance skills and continuing their enthusiasm.
On this day, K-pop cover dancers from all over Canada, such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary, as well as near Ottawa, the capital, showed off their high-level cover dance skills. In addition, many fans from neighboring countries came across borders to hear the news that the popular K-pop idol P1 Harmony would be attending as a special judge in Ottawa.
In a congratulatory speech, Han Seong-won, Consul-General of Canada in Canada, emphasized that this is the first significant event to be held offline since the coronavirus pandemic and said, “With K-pop, we are forming a cultural consensus, where anyone can be friends and tell each other’s stories. . Thank you to all the fans who show love and passion for K-pop and Korean culture.”
After a stage full of enthusiasm, the mixed 7-member’ RPM Dance Crew’ perfectly covered OO (Oh) of the famous female idol group ‘Nmix,’ which has been hitting the world since their debut at the beginning of this year, won Canada’s championship.
The RPM Dance Crew was praised for being a team that kept the ranks from being disturbed and performed high-difficulty choreography with a light and strong beat, honed their skills by constantly practicing during the corona. Leader Mikhaila Tai (27, female) said, “I was apprehensive every time we practiced because the height difference between the members was large, but as a result of pondering and practicing together, it is an honor to represent Canada on a global stage and to strengthen the power of Canadian dancers. Therefore, I want to show you quickly,” he said.
Lee Seong-Eun, director of the Korean Cultural Center in Canada, said, “It was a scene full of enthusiasm more than ever with the idol group P1 Harmony. It was a real festival ground where they sang together, and all the audience danced in standing and enjoyed the performance,” he said. He added, “After the coronavirus, the winning team had an opportunity to visit Korea, and it was an opportunity to check the improved skills of all participating teams due to the spread of Hallyu in Canada.
The ‘K-Pop Cover Dance Festival, which marks its 12th anniversary this year, is the world’s first and largest K-pop online and offline Hallyu fan communication program. The winning teams from each country will be invited to the final finals of the World Finals to be held in Seoul in October. The festival was sponsored by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Korea Entertainment Producers Association, Korea Music Performers Association, Seoul Tourism Foundation, New Era, All K-Pop, and Pentacle.
On the other hand, ‘Rom After Dark,’ one of the famous representative programs of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, has been suspended for the past two years due to the coronavirus. Still, it is the first gateway to restart according to the recovery of daily life. It was held as a unique feature of Korean culture with the Korean Cultural Center, such as a fan talk, and powerfully captured the hearts of local Canadian fans.