The world's top dance crews are coming to Seoul — in another step toward establishing dance as a global professional sportThe world's first professional dance league is coming to Seoul on Saturday, as the International Dance League brings its inaugural season to Korea, its only Asian stop.Six prominent teams from around the world — Korea's 1Million, New Zealand's Royal Family, Canada's Brotherhood, Los Angeles-based GRV, Norway's Quick Style and Singapore-based Jam Republic SEA — will face off in the league's Pro Division at Kyung Hee University's Grand Peace Palace in Seoul. Canada's Brotherhood performs on IDL's New York Series on May 2. The crew arrives in Seoul unbeaten after winning each stop of the league's inaugural season. (Mon Millena/IDL) Founded by the team behind dance platform Steezy, IDL bills itself as the world's first professional dance league, offering an alternative to traditional one-off competitions with a seasonlong format modeled after professional sports, in which teams compete for points, rankings and the overall championship. Seoul is the fourth of six stops in the inaugural season -- following New York, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Sydney -- as the league's only Asian destination.For IDL co-founder and CEO Connor Lim, Korea's influence on the global dance industry made Seoul an obvious stop for the league. Announcing the Seoul Series, he highlighted the country's track record of producing internationally influential choreographers. The sentiment is echoed by Clay Boonthanakit, IDL's director of content, who described Korea as "an absolute central place for dance in the world." Korea's 1Million performs in the Sydney Series on June 20. (Mon Millena/IDL) That influence extends beyond dance studios. Several dancers competing in the IDL have deep ties to K-pop. "GRV has their hands in a lot of the K-pop choreography world as well," IDL Director of League Operations Alec Albright said on the league's podcast, suggesting the Los Angeles-based crew could enjoy strong support from Korean fans. GRV's Nick Joseph has choreographed for BTS, Enhypen, TXT, Shinee and SuperM. Los Angeles-based GRV performs in the Sydney Series on June 20. (Mon Millena/IDL) The league also features several choreographers with extensive K-pop credentials. Brotherhood's Scott Forsyth has collaborated with BTS and Stray Kids, while Jam Republic SEA's Julian DeGuzman choreographed NCT 127's "Kick It" and TXT's "Loser=Lover." Royal Family has long been associated with K-pop through founder Parris Goebel's collaborations with Big Bang and Blackpink, and Quick Style has built an elaborate resume that includes creating the choreography for BTS' "Save Me," "Blood Sweat and Tears," and "Boy With Luv." Norway's Quick Style performs in the Sydney Series on June 20. (IDL) New Zealand's Royal Family performs in the Sydney Series on June 20. (IDL) Singapore-based Jam Republic SEA performs in the Sydney Series on June 20. (Mon Millena/IDL) Beyond the Pro Division, Seoul will host a Community Division, giving local dance crews the opportunity to compete on the same stage. Similar competitions have accompanied every stop of IDL's inaugural season as part of the league's effort to create a pathway from grassroots dancers to the professional ranks.Among the Korean entrants are FMC in the junior division and The Stories in the adult division, both of which earned international recognition after winning the Vibe Junior on Jan. 31 and Vibe Competition on March 1, respectively. The Stories (left) and FMC celebrate after finishing first at the 2026 Vibe Competition and second at the 2026 Vibe Junior competition, respectively. (Vibe) Brotherhood leads the packBrotherhood emerged as the team to beat, remaining unbeaten after winning IDL's first three stops in New York, Vancouver and Sydney.Led by director Scott Forsyth, the Canadian crew went viral with its Vancouver performance to 'N Sync's "I Want You Back," which spread rapidly across social media before later being covered by J-Hope and Jungkook of BTS.In Seoul, the Pro Division matchups will see Brotherhood face Quick Style, while home team 1Million will meet Jam Republic SEA and Royal Family is to take on GRV. Brotherhood's choreography to 'N Sync's "I Want You Back" (left) was later covered by J-Hope and Jungkook of BTS. (IDL/BTS) Beyond the competition, several IDL dancers will lead workshops at 1Million Dance Studio on Sunday, giving participants a chance to learn directly from members of each of the six teams.IDL shows are available on ESPN2 and ESPN+ in the US, while the upcoming Seoul stop will also stream on Disney+ in South Korea and several other Asian markets. A packed crowd watches the International Dance League's Sydney Series on June 20. (IDL)