TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The top three winners of New Taipei's international street dance competition will head to South Korea this October to compete at a major championship — fully funded by the city government.
New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) announced the results Sunday (Aug. 2) at the 2026 New Taipei International Street Dance Competition (新北國際街舞大賽) finals, held at Chihlee University of Technology (致理科技大學). The competition, now in its 18th year, drew 258 dancers and 62 youth crew teams from Taiwan and abroad.
"The mayor will fully support this. No matter what happens in the future, New Taipei's international street dance will only continue to expand," Hou said, speaking at the awards ceremony. "Our top three this year will compete in South Korea. I believe they will achieve excellent results."
The winners in the All Style Unlimited category — Popping Kim, KAI and Da Yu (大雨) — will compete at the Cheonan International Dance Championship (天安國際街舞錦標賽, CIDC) in South Korea. Popping Kim successfully defended her title from last year.
This year's competition expanded its international footprint. For the first time, preliminary rounds were held in Malaysia. Dancers from Australia and Japan also traveled to New Taipei for the finals, which drew more than 1,000 spectators.
The competition also added a new under-18 category this year. Wei Wei (威威), 16, won the All Style U18 title. "I'm 16 now. I'll soon be too old for the under-18 competitions," Wei Wei said. "If there's a chance, I'm going to take it."
Chiu Chao-mei (邱兆梅), director of the New Taipei City Youth Department (新北市青年局), said the competition aims to help young people explore their interests and build physical fitness. It also seeks to develop their artistic expression while connecting them to international opportunities.
"Our goal is to help young people explore their interests, build physical fitness, and cultivate artistic expression," Chiu said in an interview. "We want them to find their future career direction through this — and even connect with the international stage."
The competition has attracted approximately 3,000 participants annually, according to the New Taipei City government. It has become a signature event for street dance enthusiasts. This year's theme was "Dance Bold, Dance Global."
Other winners included HRC BEAST CREW in the youth line dance category and Legacyroc in the breaking unlimited category. The judging panel featured past champions. They included Japanese dancer KAZANE, South Korean b-boy Bboy Madman, and Taiwanese dancer Diao (吊嘎), who placed second at last year's CIDC. ◼