‘World Of Street Woman Fighter’ Dance Competition Is A Must Watch

It’s been a while since shows like America’s Best Dance Crew, World of Dance, and So You Think You Can Dance have showcased the world’s best dancers and dance crews. It’s about time we have a good dance battle competition. Well, look no further than Mnet’s World of Street Woman Fighter.

Based in South Korea, the home of K-pop’s synchronized groups, Street Woman Fighter enters its third season with an International Dance Battle between crews and individual dancers from Korea, Japan, the U.S.A., New Zealand, and Australia. It’s truly a battle between the best of the best.

The first season centered on crews based in Korea, which later expanded to include international crews in the second season, resulting in several viral moments and dance challenges. This season goes even bigger to see who is the world’s best dance crew, including well-known groups like RHTokyo, Royal Family, and Motiv. Several iconic dancers from Season 1 returned to represent Korea in their group Bumsup. World-renowned choreographer Riehata, who served as a guest judge during Season 2, is leading the team, RHTokyo.

“Legendary,” says judge Mike Song during the show’s press conference. “This season is going to have absolutely legendary battles, but there are also legendary collaborations. Having all these dance legends in one place at the same time is miraculous.”

Song is joined by judges – JYP Entertainment CEO J.Y. Park, a.k.a. JYP, and professional dancer and choreographer Aliya Janell – to select the winners for each challenge. So far, three episodes in, the show is becoming even more intense with its challenges and battles.

“This show is the only way that you can bring this level of dancers to compete against each other,” says Song. “It’s so big for dance culture because if you look at these crews, these are people that are deep into their dance careers. They would never, in any other situation, compete against each other. So I feel like, especially for the dance culture, this is a very, very rare celebration of dance.”

JYP, known for discovering K-pop groups such as Stray Kids, TWICE, and ITZY, had been a fan of the series and wanted to be part of the action as a judge. He says during the press conference, “Although I wear many hats in the entertainment industry, dance has always been the most instinctive part of who I am. I started my career as a backup dancer. That’s how I first stepped into this field. Dance has been second nature to me since I was young. What made me so happy about this show was being able to feel and react with just dance along, putting aside everything else, like singing and other things. It was truly exciting to watch all the best dancers from around the world gathered in one place.”

The series premiered in Korea on May 27th, with the first two episodes available on the Mnet Plus app and their YouTube dance channel, The CHOOM. Other episodes will be available on Prime Video and Apple TV+ via the CJ ENM Selects add-on, a week after broadcast. So far, three episodes have been released, and they’re filled with intense drama and dancing. The finale is set to air on July 22nd.

World of Street Woman Fighter has performed well throughout Asia, ranking Number 1 on the global OTT streaming service iQIYI and in the Top 20 Overall on Japan’s streaming platform ABEMA, while holding the #1 position in their K-Pop category. In the U.S., the series has the highest viewership on CJ ENM’s premium SVOD add-on service on AppleTV+ and Prime Video.

Let’s get to know the crews:

Team USA: MOTIV

Led by Marlee Hightower, the Orlando-based crew has headlined the World of Dance in New York this year. With the U.S. being the birthplace of hip-hop, Motiv plans to show the other crews what that truly means. The team is also the only one to have an Olympian as part of their crew – Logan Edra, also known as Logistx. Logistx participated in the 2024 Paris Olympics breakdancing competition. She previously won the Red Bull BC One World Final in 2021.

Team Korea: BUMSUP

Led by Season 1 winner Honey J, the Korean crew have all been part of the competition before. With the competition being on their home turf, they’re more determined than ever to take home the trophy, but have been seen as both the most experienced and the weakest of the crews. But many are proving to their young competitors that age is just a number.

Team New Zealand: Royal Family

One of the most legendary crews founded by Parris Goebel is finally making its appearance on the show. But it’s not the dancers you have come to expect from the crew. This is a new generation of Royal Family members, led by Teesha Taulepa. The pink-haired beauty is recognizable as one of Goebel’s right-hand dancers. She’s ready to show the world that the new generation is the best.

Team Australia: AG Squad

Many will recognize the members of AG Squad as former or inactive members of the Royal Family. Leader Kaea Pearce, Kyra, Ruthybaby, and Kaleece are all first-generation Royal Family members. There’s some tension between TRF and AG Squad, but that makes the competition even more exciting. It’s hard not to be impressed with AG Squad, as they’re considered icons in their own right in the dance world.

Team Japan: Osaka Ojo Gang

Leader and waacking legend, Ibuki, is a well-known face in the dance and competition scene. She won 3rd on Street Dance of China Season 6. The team is comprised of experienced, battle-ready dancers, including Kyoka, whom all the teams have praised. The crew is a force to be reckoned with. Even when watching, there were moments that I, as a viewer, felt intimidated.

If you are wondering why hip-hop dancer Hana looks familiar, she bears a striking resemblance to her little sister, TWICE’s Momo.

Team Japan: RHTokyo

Yes, there’s ANOTHER Japan team. It’s hard not to include multiple Japanese crews as Japan has been dominating the hip-hop dance scene. Led by Riehata, RHTokyo consists of dancers who have been under the guidance of the successful choreographer for years. Many competitors call the crew: the teacher and the students. But many of the RHTokyo members have accomplished so much on their own. Rena was part of last season’s Japanese crew, Tsubakill.

The most interesting battles have been between the two Japanese crews as they are determined to be the ones to represent Japan best. Though the competition is intense and there can only be one winner, in the end, we, as viewers, are the real winners.

New episodes of World of Woman Street Fighter drop every Tuesday.

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