KORUS Festival features high-energy entertainment

The annual KORUS Festival in Annandale last weekend celebrated Korean-American culture with music, dance, food, and much more.

Among the highlights of the two-day event at the K-Market parking lot: a talent contest, a concert by a Korean reality star, spirited K-pop performances, and an electrifying traditional Korean street dance by the JUB Korean Cultural Center.  

The grand prize winner of the KORUS Got Talent contest, the Lucky8 Dance Crew from Montgomery County, Md., took home $1,000.

The Gold Prize ($500) went to Elle Langley, a 15-year-old dancer from Maryland. The District Soul dance group won the Silver Prize ($300). K-pop dancer Lila Saidi was awarded $200 as the KORUS audience favorite, and the One of a Kind K-pop group from Howard University took home $200 as the KORUS popularity prize winner.

When the headliner, Gwang-Hyun Park, started singing, many in the crowd knew the words. Park appeared on “Mr. Trot 3,” a singing competition on Korean TV featuring songs in the Trot genre, a musical style that predates K-pop.  

There was much more, including a ceremony for the Chuseok autumn harvest holiday, a senior singing contest, rock bands, a dragon dance, a lion dance, international dance performances, food, crafts, martial arts demonstrations, many elected leaders, and local businesses and organizations.   

KORUS is an annual festival hosted by the Korean American Association of Washington Metropolitan Area.

Here are more photos from the event: