Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival starts on Tuesday

원주 다이내믹 댄싱 카니발... 화요일 개막

The southeastern Korean city of Wonju is hosting a festival of dance this week.
All kinds of dancing... by performers from around the world... in the form of a carnival.
Our Kim Bo-kyoung tells us more.
Over a hundred local dance teams and 34 foreign teams have gathered in Wonju, Gangwon-do province to show off their dance skills.
The Wonju Dynamic Dancing Carnival opened its doors this Tuesday, and teams from as far afield as Russia, Taiwan and Singapore have made the trip to Korea to show off their cultural performances in an attempt to win the grand prize.
The participants will first need to go through two preliminary rounds to be one of the best 12 teams that will compete in the final on Sunday.
"We arrived to South Korea to dance. I wish other participants good luck."
All kinds of dance are allowed, but dancers must perform them in a parade.
These dances can be seen mainly in the Ttattu Performance Hall and along Wonil-ro Street in the north of the city.
Visitors come to this carnival not only to watch the global dances but also to learn from the performances.
"I came here to watch with my daughter even though it is a weekday because I heard it is a global carnival. I also thought this would be a nice opportunity for my daughter who is preparing to study ballet."
"According to the Wonju Cultural Foundation,... the theme of this year's opening ceremony is ‘Beyond 100’,... commemorating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Korea's provisional government.
The ceremony reflects South Korea’s aspirations to promote its cultural identity and become one of the world's leaders in cultural soft power."
Marking the opening ceremony,... a choir of one-thousand citizens along with a classical musician sang Korea's traditional song 'Arirang', and the flying performance group 'Nalda' made the national flag of Korea.
The main ceremony each day until the festival ends on Sunday will feature renowned singers like Davichi and Guckkasten, who will also meet and greet the visitors at the Ttattu Performance Hall.
Visitors can also enjoy a flea market, food trucks, and a Fringe Festival where professionals perform mimes, theater, musicals and bubble shows.
Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News, Wonju.