Five years after "Street Woman Fighter" ignited a nationwide dance craze and turned choreographers into household names, Mnet is once again reinventing its hit franchise — this time by putting performance directors at center stage.
Premiering Aug. 18, "Street World Fighter: Directors' War" marks the latest evolution of the "Street Fighter" franchise, which began with "Street Woman Fighter" in 2021 and has since expanded to feature male dancers, teenage dancers, professional contemporary dancers and global competitors.
Mnet on Wednesday unveiled individual profile posters and introductory statements from the show's 10 performance directors.
The lineup spans generations and styles, bringing together veteran choreographers, K-pop performance directors and internationally recognized dance creators.
Among them are veteran K-pop choreographer Kooyoung Back, better known as Mihawk; Street Woman Fighter 2 champion Bada; Japanese choreographer and performance director behind many of Aespa's performances, Renan; We Dem Boyz director Ingyoo; veteran waacker Babyzoo; and Street Dance Girls Fighter winner Jo Nain, who contributed to the choreography for "Golden" from Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters."
The format also arrives as Korea's dance industry continues to evolve, bringing renewed attention to questions that have long been debated within the community — including the recognition of choreography credits and the often-blurred boundaries between dancers, choreographers and performance directors.
The teaser opens with Ingyoo declaring, "Just because you're a good dancer doesn't mean you're a good director," underscoring the competition's premise.
The contestants echoed that message in their introductory statements.
Bada, who gained widespread public attention after winning "Street Woman Fighter 2," said she wanted audiences to see "Bada the director," rather than "Bada the choreographer," and vowed to create performances she can look back on without regret.
Simeez, a member of dance crew La Chica and performance director for K-pop groups such as Ive, said she hopes more people would come to appreciate the role of performance directors. Hash, performance director of junior dance crew FMC Korea, which finished runner-up at the global dance competition Vibe Junior earlier this year, said her ultimate goal was for audiences to want to see her next production.
The directors will also hold dance classes from Aug. 1 to 15, giving the public an opportunity to learn from them in person. Applications opened Wednesday and run through Sunday, with 80 participants to be selected.
tammy@heraldcorp.com
