A 'Golden' Performance

In March, "Golden" from the film "KPop Demon Hunters" became the first K-Pop song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. Celebrating that moment at the 98th Academy Awards was DaEun Jung, a UC Riverside assistant professor of dance, who participated in a live performance of "Golden" as a Korean cultural consulting choreographer and dancer.

Released in 2025, the film took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. "Golden" is also the first K-pop song to win a Golden Globe and Grammy.

Preparations for the performance began two weeks before the Oscars. Mandy Moore, a choreographer known for her work on Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour and movies such as "La La Land," was searching for an expert in Korean culture who could join the performance as a dancer and Jung was the perfect fit.

"The production team was curious about traditional Korean dance, so they wanted someone who could help them with those cultural elements," Jung said.

DaEun Jung, assistant professor of dance at UCR, dancing in a hanbok paired with pants (Stan Lim/UCR)

During their initial meeting, Jung and Moore choreographed an opening ancestral demon hunter dance. Rehearsals began immediately, and, over the course of a week, Jung taught the dance to the other performers and reviewed the wardrobe, hair, and makeup for accuracy and authenticity.

On the day of the Oscars, the atmosphere was positive as the group prepared for the performance and watched the ceremony backstage.

"I think many of us have experienced marginalization in this industry, but during this production, being Korean or Asian was something to celebrate," Jung said. "So, it was very exciting for us to see traditional Korean culture on stage at the Oscars for the first time."

The performance opened with a choreography inspired by mudangchum, a traditional Korean shaman dance, accompanied by drummers and singers showcasing pansori, or musical storytelling. Jung portrayed one of the three previous generation demon hunters, using long white scarves to draw a parallel with the curvilinear lines that appear in the film. The scarves referenced a cleansing dance called salpuri, with "sal" meaning to release or wash away, and "puri" meaning negative energy.

Dancers, drummers, and singers take the stage in the first half of the "Golden" performance at the 98th Academy Awards (Wally Skalij/The Academy)

The stage then transitioned into "Golden," with singers EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami joined by dancers wearing costumes inspired by Korean hanbok. They carried golden flags representing the Honmoon, a magical barrier that protects humanity from demons in the movie.

Born in South Korea, Jung received early conservatory training at the National Gugak School and earned a bachelor's degree in dance from Ewha Womans University in Seoul. After graduating, she toured in Asia and Europe with the Gyeonggido Dance Company before moving to the U.S. and completing a master's degree in dance at UCLA. In 2025, Jung joined UCR as an assistant professor of dance.

Jung wearing a white hanbok and performing movements from salpuri (Stan Lim/UCR)

At UCR, Jung teaches dance techniques and somatics focusing on the principles of traditional Korean dance. She also shares performances from K-pop groups and K-indie musicians to illustrate how contemporary artists are incorporating traditional elements into their music.

"Some students enroll with the expectation of learning K-pop dances," Jung said. "But I tell them that they're going to learn contemporary and traditional Korean culture through classical and folk Korean dance."

As a dancer with roots in traditional Korean dance, Jung appreciates how UCR''s dance department provides opportunities for students to explore diverse dance styles.

"I don't think this is common in other dance programs because Western dance forms are often more dominant," Jung said. "But here, we have faculty members who teach Western African dance and hula dance and Latin social dance, so I think this is one of UCR's strengths because it creates an inclusive community."

Jung is currently working on a solo project called "Jakdu: Contempolytemporal Dance." Drawing inspiration from characters in Korean folk paintings known as pungsokhwa, the piece merges traditional Korean dance, everyday gestures from her ancestors, and her own body memories to reflect how movements from the past can be connected to the present.

Jung will be performing "Jakdu" at Grand Performances, a non-profit organization that provides access to global performing arts, in downtown Los Angeles on June 26 as part of the live showcases by the 2026 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Artist Fellows.

Header image by Trae Patton/The Academy

Share this Article

Arts / Culture