‘Street Woman Fighter’ created dance boom in the country

An unprecedented dance boom hit the country last fall. It was due to Mnet’s dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter (SWF),” where female dancers competed against one another. There were two leaders behind the dance boom. They are Kwon Young-chan, the chief producer (CP) of the program, who planned and produced “Street Girls Fighter” and “Street Man’s Fighter” scheduled to be aired this summer, and Monica, the eldest dancer of the SWF who decided to appear on the show for all the dancers who have not been in the spotlight. This journalist met them in Seoul on Monday and talked about the dance fever they have created.

CP Kwon proudly said SWF made the public to recognize dancing as a profession. “Previously, dancers were not appreciated because people thought there are no dancers without music,” Monica said. “SWF helped to change that notion. The show taught us that dance and music exist for each other and that each area deserves respect regardless of which comes first.”

The two paid attention to each other’s strengths among many dance crews and producers. Kwon thought Monica’s charm was her confidence and Monica thought Kwon’s mild personality was his strongest suit. Kwon uses different communication skills for different program staff.

Monica, who was praised by Kwon as a “leader with talent and confidence,” became popular for her remark, “I never lose” in the show. With that mindset, Monica took the initiative in the survival show. However, she used to avoid competitions in her 20s.

“When I focused on winning, I used to feel pointless at the end. I hated myself for blaming everything on competition,” Monica said. But she realized that competition is not all about winning. “You can discover your abilities and make allies in a proper competition,” she said. “You get to have people you need to take care of. Now I understand the true meaning of competition in good faith.”


beborn@donga.com