JBNU College of Arts, Department of Dance (Department Chair Inahyun Lee), which operates the '2026 Dream Dance Troupe' in collaboration with the Jeonju Cultural Foundation, is continuing to provide arts education in which participating children discover and express one another's differences through dance amid positive responses from the children.

Now in its fourth year, the Jeonju Dream Dance Troupe is held under the theme 'DA - Difference Project: Unexpected Discoveries' for children in grades 3 to 6. Each week, participating children freely express their senses and thoughts through movement and various artistic activities. They respect different personalities and modes of expression and are building a unified community. Twenty-seven students from JBNU's Department of Dance are participating and gaining hands-on experience in field education.

This program is characterized by combining the Jeonju Dream Dance Troupe's educational philosophy, 'Think like a freak!,' with the values of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion). It frames each person's 'difference' not as something strange but as the starting point for new discoveries, and focuses on providing experiences in which individuality is respected through creative bodily exploration and collaborative work.

The Dream Dance Troupe is a flagship arts education program promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service. JBNU's Department of Dance has operated dance arts education for local children with the Jeonju Cultural Foundation since 2023, and in 2025 the two institutions signed an official memorandum of understanding, further strengthening the public–private–academic cooperation framework.

Linked with the National University Development Project, the initiative has established itself as a regional win-win education model that expands opportunities for community arts education while providing JBNU Department of Dance students with practical field experience in educational planning, performance management, and stage and media production.

This year, the troupe is newly attempting site-specific dance performed in various everyday spaces across Jeonju, as well as citizen-participation play busking performances. Now in its tenth run, participating children are leaving conventional venues to communicate through dance close to citizens' daily lives, continuing to break down the boundaries between art and everyday life.

The program began in April and runs through November 8 at the Jeonju Palbok Art Factory, with a total of 25 sessions held every Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On October 30 at 7:00 p.m., a final presentation performance will be held at Deokjin Arts Center to share the learning and growth accumulated during the course with the public.

"The Dream Dance Troupe is a program that provides local children with experiences to understand themselves and others through the arts, and offers university students the opportunity for field education to grow together with the local community," said Inahyun Lee, Department Chair of JBNU's Department of Dance. "We will continue to work closely with local cultural and arts organizations to expand a sustainable model of arts education."

Meanwhile, linked internships for enrolled students under the National University Development Project have seen a cumulative total of 12 JBNU Department of Dance students participate over the past three years. Student satisfaction was 97%, and the need for program continuation was recorded at 100%, earning high marks as a field-based educational program that helps strengthen major-related competencies and career exploration.