ABOUT THE KDC 2026
Dear dancers, dear community,
We are incredibly grateful and very happy to now be hosting the KDC together with you for the fourth year already.
What started as a space for K-pop cover dance has, over the years, become so much more — a place where we celebrate dance together and support each other, no matter the genre or the language of the music!
K-pop has always been our foundation. The starting point through which so many of us found each other!
At the same time, we are changing. As dancers, as artists, as people who have in part been moving within the same bubble for over a decade. And that is exactly what we want to reflect with the KDC as well.
We are allowed to grow. To appreciate what came before, to look back on it with care, and still move forward. To discover new possibilities without letting existing structures hold us back.
For me as the organizer of the KDC, K-pop no longer stands only for the most perfect possible cover, but for inspiration, freedom, and a way to express yourself — but also to find who you are and who you want to be!
For me, K-pop cover stands for the freedom to be inspired by something and to create something of your own from it.
That’s why this year we are consciously opening up new possibilities:
Whether it’s a detail-accurate cover with a focus on precision, performance or completely original artistic approaches — I want to encourage you to bring your very personal connection to dance onto the stage.
Furthermore, we invite you to spend a second day with us to dance together at our KDC workshop day
The KDC should be a place where we meet once a year in a healthy competition, but also take the time to appreciate the art of every single dancer and take something away for ourselves.
I’m looking forward to filling the stage with you. 🤍
– Alena
CATEGORIES
You can partake in the following categories:
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Explorers Stage
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Solo K-Pop Cover and Remix
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Solo Choreography
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Group Choreography / from 2 persons
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Small Group K-Pop Cover / 2 to 4 persons
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Large Group K-Pop Cover / from 5 persons
Dancers may participate in a maximum of 2 categories (see “Multiple Participation”).
We offer you three different ways to participate, which mainly differ in their judging criteria:
Explorers Stage, K-Pop Cover and All Style Choreography
Explorers Stage:
The Explorers Stage is the perfect place to try yourself out freely without evaluation. When allocating stage slots, we place special emphasis on “rookies” — dancers who want to take their first steps on stage, regardless of the type of performance. Whether it’s a K-Pop cover or your own choreography, the focus here is on exploring.
K-Pop Cover
In this category, it’s about the highest art form of K-Pop cover — reflecting the original as perfectly as possible. Everything has to be right: outfit, lip sync, and concept. But technical skill and knowledge should not be neglected either!
All Style Choreography
This category especially challenges your creativity and artistic vision! Present your self-conceived stage show, whether as a solo or in a group. Outfit, music, and choreography — everything is in your hands, no matter what music you choose!
MULTIPLE PARTICIPATION
Dancers may only participate in two categories, meaning they may only perform twice.
Here are some examples for clarification:
Allowed would be participation:
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as a solo in Cover and as a solo in Choreography Show
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as a solo in Cover and as part of a Cover group
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etc.
Not allowed would be:
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as a solo in Cover, as a solo in Choreography, and as part of a Cover group
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as a solo on the Explorers Stage and as part of a Cover group
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etc.
However, it is still allowed to register for more than 2 categories in the preliminary round and make a final decision afterward if you are accepted in more than one category.
Participants of the Explorers Stage may only perform in this category.
RULES: K-POP COVER
When deciding on your final stage song, you must choose whether you want to present a Full Cover (100% accurate covering) or a Remix Show (50% cover, 50% own ideas), so that we can evaluate you correctly.
These rules apply to the Cover category:
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One full song! Intros, dance breaks, etc. are allowed as long as they originate from the artist themselves and have a source (e.g. fancams) — therefore, a music cut is also allowed.
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The number of members of the original performers is not relevant.
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Any song that you interpret as K-Pop is allowed. Please contact us if you have any questions! This can include:
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Japanese and Chinese songs by K-Pop groups
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English-speaking groups such as XG, K-Pop Demon Hunters, Katseye
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Songs that were produced for casting shows or similar
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etc.
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English-language songs and performances with a supposed K-Pop connection are not allowed, such as covers and performances by K-idols to English-language songs.
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There must be a YouTube video of the chosen cover choreography, which must be provided as a source
The maximum length of the show is 3:30 minutes for groups and 3 minutes for solos.
The minimum length of the show is 3 minutes for groups and 2:30 minutes for solos.
A music cut is allowed as long as it remains one song. This means:
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Rearranging, omitting, or repeating parts, also to reach the required song length
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Adding intros or remixes of the same song
Points will be deducted for exceeding the time limit by +10 seconds as well as for performances that are shorter than the minimum by -10 seconds.
RULES ALL STYLE CHOREOGRAPHY
These rules apply to the All Style Choreography category:
Song Selection
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Both a single song and a mix are allowed — therefore, a music cut is also permitted.
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Any song from absolutely any genre is allowed!
Choreography
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It is not allowed to copy existing choreographies.
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Any creative work of other choreographers, whether from the internet or from classes, may NOT be used.
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Choreography shows must consist of 100% your own ideas!
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Any props require prior registration and may not be permitted.
The maximum length of a choreography show is 3 minutes for groups and 2:30 minutes for solos.
The minimum length of a choreography show is 2:30 minutes for groups and 2:00 minutes for solos.
Points will be deducted for exceeding the time limit by +10 seconds as well as for performances that are shorter than the minimum by -10 seconds.
RULES EXPLORERS STAGE
Selection of Participants:
We reserve the right to use the truthful information provided in your application as the basis for the final selection of participants. The Explorers Stage is an open, non-judged stage where newcomers can gain their first stage experience, and not an additional performance opportunity for experienced performers.
Rules
All songs and all performances are allowed. There are no restrictions regarding genre, music cuts, cover, or choreography.
The maximum length of an Explorers Stage show is 3 minutes for groups and 2:30 minutes for solos.
Participants of the Explorers Stage may only perform in this category.
JUDGES
The KDC aims to establish a high-quality, fair competition that recognizes the effort and talent of all participants.
A fundamental part of this is our five-member expert jury.
Important selection criteria for deciding who will be on the panel this year include covering a wide range of disciplines, as well as many years of experience in Germany’s K-pop scene, and experience working as commercial dancers and coaches.
Our judges will be announced gradually during the preliminary round.
Don't forget to check out our KDC Workshop Day happening the sunday after!
AWARDS AND SPONSORING
We are happy to once again offer great sponsors, as well as trophies and certificates as rewards and recognition :-)
We are still in discussions and will present the prizes to you soon!
JUDGING CRITERIAS FOR THE FINALE
The KDC is divided into a preliminary round via video submission and a live on-stage final. The criteria for the preliminary round can be found below.
The judging criteria differ depending on the category. The general criteria are:
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Quality of movement
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Stage presence
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Facial expressions
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Use of stage, formations
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Musicality, synchronization
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K-Pop feeling
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Accuracy of covering
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Composition, creativity
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Outfits
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Level of difficulty
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Dance education level
The weighting of the judging criteria for this year will be adjusted together with the jury and published once finalized.
The scoring sheet will be published for all participants after the contest.
PARTICIPATION FEES
As is often the case, nothing in life is free. Since Konnecting e.V., as a community-oriented association, does not aim to and is not allowed to make a profit, we charge a reasonable participation fee to make such a large event possible <3
The collected funds are used exclusively to cover the four-digit costs of such an event, which include, among other things:
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Venue rental
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GEMA
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Fair compensation for the jury + travel costs
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Professional lighting technology
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Professional photographers and videographers
The participation fees are:
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Solo
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20€
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Groups – per dancing person
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18€
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Explorers Stage Solo
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15€
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Explorers Stage Group – per dancing person
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12€
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JUDGES WORKSHOP DAY
Even though we spend the entire contest day dancing, it often still feels like it wasn’t quite enough in the end. :-)
And that’s exactly why we don’t just want you to experience our judges through a short demo performance. We want you to see them as more than the people sitting at the jury table, giving scores and handing out awards — but as dancers you can actually get to know and experience beyond that.
Because in the end, we’re all dancers — and what’s better than taking workshops together, learning something new, and simply moving together?
That’s why, for the first time this year, we’re introducing the KDC Workshop Day!
All KDC participants can attend the workshop day at half price.
Schedule:
10:45 Check In
11:00 - 12:00 CLASS 1 - Judge 1
12:15 - 13:15 CLASS 2 - Judge 2 & 3 Collabo
13:15 - 14:15 BREAK
14:15 - 15:15 CLASS 3 - Judge 4
15:30 - 16:30 CLASS 4 - Judge 5
LOCATION TBA
LOCATION AND STAGE
Yay! This year, the KDC will once again take place in the auditorium of the IGS Mühlenberg. With its huge stage, as well as professional lighting and technical equipment, we felt very comfortable there!
The stage measures 10 meters in depth and 12 meters in width. This year, entrance is only from the left side (from the audience’s perspective), and exit is to the right side.
SCHEDULE
The current schedule is as follows. Please note that delays may occur due to unforeseen circumstances!
SCHEDULE
11:00 – 11:35
Choreography Solo
11:35 – 12:20
Choreography Group
12:30 – 13:15
Explorers Stage
13:30 – 14:20
Solo Cover
14:20 – 15:30
Break
15:30 – 16:30
Small Group Cover
16:30 – 17:30
Large Group Cover
17:30 – 18:30
Special Event
18:30 – 19:00
Random Play Dance
From 19:00
Award Ceremony
PRELIMINARY VIDEO
Within the community, there are now many K-Pop competitions tailored to different skill levels. Our Explorers Stage offers a perfect entry point for all rookies who would like to try performing on stage!
For the categories Cover and Choreography, however, we have chosen a pre-selection via video in order to bring the best 10 to 12 acts per category onto the stage.
It is a preliminary round! The contest has already begun!
We ask you to treat your video with the same quality and effort as your stage performance. We want to communicate this clearly, as it hurts us every year to reject talented dancers because we cannot ignore factors such as poor lighting or the use of very old videos.
We also want to compare all submissions FAIRLY. This is only possible with your most current performance!
Therefore, it is mandatory to submit a current video that was filmed
specifically for the KDC preliminary round 2026.
To ensure this, an uncut INTRO must be spoken for your video!
Preliminary Round Video Intro:
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Solo: Briefly say your name, where you are from, and what you will perform, as well as “This is my preliminary round for KDC 2026.” Then take your position, start the music, and dance. ONE TAKE.
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Group: One person briefly states the group name, where you are from, and what you will perform, as well as “This is our preliminary round for KDC 2026.” Then take your positions, start the music, and dance. ONE TAKE.
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The intro does not count toward your performance length. We start counting the 30 seconds from the first move!
What we need in your video:
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Cover category: Present a K-Pop cover of your choice. Please follow all our cover rules.
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Choreography category: Present your own choreography to a song of your choice. Please follow all our choreography rules.
The dancers in the video may differ from the final line-up upon prior agreement.
Your application video does NOT have to show what you will present at the contest.
What we need for the Explorers Stage:
Say “This is my application for the Explorers Stage at KDC 2026". Tell us your name, where you are from and in under 1 minute what your stage experiences have been so far and why you want to be on the Explorers Stage and what you would like to show us! No dancing is required.
The spots for the Explorers Stage will be decided by lottery!
Your video has to be:
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Length of 30 seconds of dancing (+/- 5 seconds). Extreme deviations will be disqualified.
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One take, no cuts.
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HD or higher + sufficiently bright lighting.
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Appropriate choice of vertical or horizontal format (e.g. vertical for solo = cool / for a 10-person group = no).
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Upload only on YouTube + unlisted (not private!).
We will choose the finalists by these criterias:
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Technique
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Synchronization
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Quality of movement
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Facial expressions
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Formation (for groups)
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Accuracy of covering (for Cover)
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Dance education level
Additionally for Choreography:
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Creativity of the choreography
The spots for the Explorers Stage will be decided by lottery!
WHAT WE DO NOT EVALUATE:
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Outfits
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Video quality in terms of location, sound, etc., as long as it meets the framework conditions
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Previous performances
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Reasons such as lack of time, injuries, etc. to receive a softer evaluation
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Connections to the organizers or the jury
The application videos will be evaluated by the jury, and the finalists will be determined through a scoring system.
We kindly ask you not to inquire about the status or the final results of the evaluation.