Nam Hyun-joon (; born 30 January 1979), often referred to as Poppin' Hyun Joon (), is a South Korean dancer, rapper and singer. Best known for his

popping Popping is a street dance adapted out of the earlier Boogaloo (funk dance) cultural movement in Oakland, California. As Boogaloo spread, it would be referred to as Robottin in Richmond, California, Strutting movements in San Francisco and San J ...

techniques, he is considered a pioneer of South Korean

breakdancing Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...

Biography

Nam Hyun-joon is famous for his explosive popping moves including:ticking, animation, tutting, and gliding. He is considered to be one of the most well-known poppin dancers worldwide

breakdance Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in ...

leagues. Due to his well-known dancing abilities, he often trains stars and hired as a dance choreographer. He has been in several dance groups, including Cyborg G, FREEZE, and Newest35. Hyun-joon married Korean folk singer Park Aeri in December 2010.Hong, Tae (8 April 2014)
"Poppin' Hyun-joon pops into L.A"
''The Korea Times.'' Retrieved on 31 July 2014. He came back September 2015 in six years.

Fame

Following the disbandment of Young Turks Club, Hyun-joon made the decision to pursue professional dancing. His skill and smooth moves gained recognition from many Korean celebrities, most notably V.O.S member Choi Hyun-joon. Hyun-joon is influenced by the dance group

Seo Taiji and Boys () was a South Korean music group active from 1992 to 1996. The three members of the boy band, Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno, experimented with many different genres of popular Western music. Seo Taiji and Boys was highly successful ...

and was eventually featured in the music video "Amen" by Lee Juno. Hyun-joon released a song titled 'Lion's Roar' in 2005 which lyrically describes his hardship and determination for dance. He steadily gained popularity in Korea during this time and performed at the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host th ...

. He is involved in a dance group called Nam Hyun-joon and Kids, which is a play on the name Seo Taiji and Boys. Following the success of his previous single, Hyun-joon released his first hip-hop album, ''One & Only'', in 2007. A music video for the lead single, "Don't Stop", was released and the song was promoted on televised music shows. In late 2014 Hyun Joon won the National Creative-Economy Award for his artist entrepreneur company Poppin HyunJoon Art Company (PAC) and often appears in mainstream TV with his wife Park Aeri to promote the fusion combination of Arirang and Poppin. On 31 July 2014, it was announced that Nam Hyun-joon had parted ways with Star Empire Entertainment for

Happy Face Entertainment Dreamcatcher Company is a South Korean entertainment company established in 2008. History 2008–2010: Establishment, name change and mainstream breakthrough The label was established on August 15, 2008, as Harvest Entertainment (풍년 엔� ...

Filmography

Films

* ''

Fly, Daddy, Fly ''Fly, Daddy, Fly'' is a 2006 South Korean drama film. It is based upon a novel of the same name by Japanese author Kaneshiro Kazuki, where the Japanese version of the book was made into a Japanese film in 2005. It was directed by Choi Jong-tae a ...

'' (2006) * ''Kung Fu Hip Hop'' (2008) * '' The Wrath of Vajra'' (2013)

Dramas

* '' Over the Rainbow'' (2006) * ''Poppin Hyun Joon – Poppin Dance Lecture'' (2007) * '' Kungfu hip hop'' (2008)

Variety show

* ''

King of Mask Singer ''The King of Mask Singer'' () is a South Korean singing competition program presented by Kim Sung-joo, with introductions by voice actor . It airs on MBC on Sunday, starting from April 5, 2015 as a part of MBC's '' Sunday Night'' programming ...

'' (2020, MBC)

Discography

Singles

* Don't Stop (2005)

Albums

Award and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nam, Hyun-joon 1979 births K-pop singers Living people Popping dancers Hanlim Multi Art School alumni South Korean male film actors Rappers from Seoul Male actors from Seoul South Korean male television actors 21st-century South Korean male singers Singers from Seoul