People say that a singing heart is a carefree heart. At least for a moment, while the song lasts, the music carries away any worries and dark thoughts. In the seemingly endless 2020, the need for such moments is everywhere and any opportunity to embrace them is priceless.
The finalists of this year’s edition of the annual K-pop contest, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, expressed their gratitude for receiving exactly such an opportunity to return to music and dance. As one of the biggest events among the k-pop society in Bulgaria, every year the contest fills the halls with performers and fans while bringing great excitement to all. Although this year, in the situation of a global pandemic, such a format is impossible, the organizers found a way not to leave the fans of K-pop culture disappointed, transforming the event into a completely online one.
Thus, forty-seven K-pop enthusiasts took part in the competition individually, sending recordings of their vocal or dance performances online. The responsible task to assess their skills fell on Kang Sung Hyo and Lee Me Yeon, professional dancers and choreographers who have worked with a number of world-famous K-pop idols and who already have experience with the Bulgarian K-pop scene, as they judged last year’s contest. The participants are of all ages and backgrounds, yet for all of them, the love of music and dance goes hand in hand with the love of Korean culture and language.
On October 2, 2020, on the eve of the national holiday of the Republic of Korea, marking 4,352 years since the founding of Korea, HE Jinkyu Jeong presented the awards to the ten finalists of the competition. The big winner is Katina Nikolova with her dance on “Thunder” by Verivery. Katina Ploshtakova, Alexandra Grebenarova, Pavlina Mitreva, Katerina Gidulska and Penelope Tsatsaku share the second place. And Elena Sviracheva, Kalina Sofronieva, Tsvetalina Vladimirova and Yordan Nguyen took home the special prizes. Congratulations to all!
