Taiwanese dancer Pan Hung-ren (潘泓仁) experienced a monumental career highlight last month when he won the annual Changwon K-Pop World Festival in Changwon, South Korea.
Pan, 18, a freshman at National Chengchi University’s Department of Economics, won first place in the dance category.
The annual international K-Pop competition is organized by the Korean Broadcasting System, the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and South Korean embassies overseas. This year, eight groups of contestants from different countries and regions made their way to the finals in Changwon from Oct. 17 to 29.
Photo courtesy of Pan Hung-ren
After winning the preliminary round in Taiwan in August, Pan made it through the next two rounds and was invited to South Korea to compete for the title.
In the finals, each dancer had to dance to a K-pop song along with a crew, following guidance from an instructor.
Pan said in a recent interview that he had learned a lot from the experience.
Aside from the skills he gained, his biggest takeaway from the journey was how dance can cross borders and unite people from different countries, he said.
Dancers from other countries reached out to him when he was dining alone in a restaurant, in stark contrast to the relationship between competitors in Taiwan, he said.
That experience altered his mindset, Pan said, adding that he wants to become more active and outgoing, and enjoy the experience of performing, as foreign dancers appeared to, instead of only focusing on winning.
Pan began learning to dance at the age of four. He has been on multiple TV programs, starting when he was young, and now runs a dance studio in Kaohsiung.
He attends classes in Taipei on weekdays and returns to Kaohsiung to teach children to dance at the weekend.
Pan said that his mother first pushed him to learn to dance because she thought he seemed particularly happy when singing and dancing while watching cartoons.
Describing dance as a creative activity, Pan said that the freedom that comes with choreographing a performance allows people to develop their own style.
He said he hopes his success will encourage more parents to send their children to dance lessons.
Asked about his plans for the future, Pan said he once considered signing up with a famous agency overseas, but that hope was dashed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he is starting to dream big again and is considering either taking a year off or looking into student exchange programs so that he can return to South Korea.
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