K-Interview: Silvio Franceschinelli aka DJ Shiru talks about Organizing The European K-Pop Dance Fight Fest

Interviewer: Nikhat Parveen, Delhi
Editor: Jayati Bhardwaj, Delhi

Meet Silvio Franceschinelli aka DJ Shiru, who’s a distinguished K-pop event organizer in Europe and is also the creator of The K-pop Dance Fight Fest (KDFF). He has established himself as a major contributor to the European K-pop circuit during 2022/23. He is in charge of the Music at Comicon Napoli (a festival), one of the first events to introduce a revolutionary K-pop dance experience for European enthusiasts. The event stands apart through detailed evaluation criteria, which measure dancers based on their skills in execution, choreographic complexity, costume design, and stage performance elements. The initial K-pop dance cover competition in Italy transformed into an extensive European-wide competition, including France, Spain, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Latvia, and Italy. The championship enables winning crews to get immense visibility and participate in performances at European festivals.

_{Picture Credits: djshirukj}

At Hallyuism, we had the opportunity to interview him. In our discussion, Silvio shared his insights about creating Europe’s first coordinated K-pop dance championship and explored his future plans for KDFF. Read ahead to know more:

What is the motivation behind the beginning of the K-pop Dance Fight Fest? How did this idea of establishing a European K-pop dance championship come to you?

Initially, it was just a small contest for crews and solos in Napoli, organized by Comicon in collaboration with the NPO called Coreapoli. However, as time passed, it started attracting more and more people. Hence, other festivals were influenced by our event and started having their contests, often inviting me to organise them, either as a judge or as a DJ for the after-festival parties.  And suddenly, I was travelling all over Italy to help with these smaller contests, and then I had the idea to have all the winners meet in Napoli to decide which was the best Italian crew.

I have always loved large international events, such as the Olympics. The idea behind such events fascinates me. laughs I have worked at the World Cosplay Summit and other global events, so I decided to organise something similar for K-Pop with the confidence I gained through that experience.

Is this your first experience working with the Asian music industry?

Not at all! I’ve been involved with the Asian music industry for decades now. I have collaborated with many Japanese artists as a DJ and producer for a project called K-ble Jungle. I have toured Europe and the USA. I have had a few shows in Malaysia and Japan, which is why I have such an extensive network of events to work with. I still perform as a DJ, playing Japanese, Korean, and Thai music. And hopefully, India will invite me one day. I’d love to have a show with Bollywood dancers!

What sets your competition apart from all other dance competitions?

There are a few unique things about KDFF. For example, the Italian finals are held in an arena with a stage measuring 1,000m2 and 6,000 seats. Very few festivals have such facilities. One thing I am proud of is how I managed to get different associations, groups of fans, and agencies to work together for a common aim. It’s very common for associations that do similar things to end up competing rather than collaborating, but in this case, it didn’t happen, except for a couple of organizations.

Which factors determine your selection process for judges at the European finals?

I like to have a variety of professionals on the jury. Naturally, there must be at least one professional dance teacher. However, we strive to include other specialities in every jury, such as make-up artists, cosplayers, and events organisers or stage directors–at least one of each category. Because K-pop is a fusion of arts, there must be a synergy between the costumes, make-up, stage presence, and music. Oftentimes, I believe that the quality and idea behind the presentation are as crucial as the music, and they can add more to the performance than one can expect. For the Italian national selections and European finals, we endeavour to include a renowned Korean choreographer in the jury each year.

What stands as the largest hurdle when organising a worldwide K-pop dance event?

It’s not worldwide (yet). We are currently holding this competition in Europe alone. (as of now)

Well, the most challenging aspect of organising any competition is the rules; what should be included, how to draft the selected rules, the sub-rules, etc. We have always consulted with experts before drafting these rules. However, at each contest, the dancers pose questions we never anticipated. For instance: “If a song can be sung in Korean by a Japanese idol group, or in Japanese by a Korean idol, can it compete?” or “If the choreography we selected was performed only once at a concert and there are only fan-made videos, can we still use it?” It is always an experience. [laughs] I learn new things, and we add them to the next set of rules revisions.

You must have encountered several challenges while moving from an Italian to a European championship format. What are the major changes that will take place in upcoming events?

Not really. Once we established a good framework for the system that worked at an Italian level, it wasn’t so difficult to extend it further, as all the participating festivals cooperated and helped out a lot. Also, a big thank you to the team that helped me in Italy, including the associations DASK, Coreapoli, OK-B3ATZ, and the KJ Girls, and to the people who supported me in finding accommodation for all the dancers coming (Federica and Alexandra!).

Global teams must adhere to specific criteria and regulations as they prepare for this competition. Can you share about the steps they take to prepare?

Certainly! They practice diligently, and the competition is extremely fierce. Their dedication is evident through their dance performances as well as in their costumes, social media presence, etc.

Given that this is a major dance event, what opportunities does the KDFF offer to new and emerging dance talents?

By participating in KDFF, new talents can gain the required visibility, which can also lead to their being hired to perform at other festivals. We also help them grow, not only inside the KDFF. I timely organise workshops and sessions to help them with basic things, such as how to get a manager, decide on an image and concept, and contact an event where they want to work as guests, etc.

What are your plans for the future development of the K-pop Dance Fight Fest? Does KDFF identify future growth opportunities beyond European markets?

To be honest, we want to grow slowly because the challenges are significant, and we can’t risk failure. Hosting 50 to 70 dancers, judges, and staff is already quite a handful, so our current aim is to add a maximum of two new countries each year. Expanding beyond Europe would be a dream for me, but it’s better to keep it as just a dream until the entire organising structure is more robust. Additionally, we must obtain more sponsors since as we expand, costs will increase!

On behalf of the entire team at Hallyuism, we would like to extend and express your precious time and share insights about your journey, Silvio. We wish you all the best for your future projects. And lots of love from India!

_{Picture Credits: Japan Travel}

We hope you all loved reading this interview as much as we loved conducting it. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!