The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service announced on September 12 that they have finalized the selection of 15 preliminary hub institutions for the "Dream Arts Troupe" that will serve as new regional hubs in 2026.
The "Dream Arts Troupe" (Orchestra, Dance Troupe, Theater Company, Studio) is a flagship cultural and arts education policy project. It provides long-term support for more than five years to ensure that children and adolescents across the country can continuously experience a variety of art genres, including orchestra, dance, theater, and visual arts, and grow up in a healthy way. The Dream Arts Troupe began in 2010 as the Dream Orchestra and later expanded into dance and theater. This year, the Dream Studio, focusing on visual arts, is being piloted. Currently, more than 110 institutions nationwide operate the program.
2025 Dream Arts Troupe Joint Camp 'Dream Festival' Performance Photos [Photo by Korea Arts & Culture Education Service]
The newly selected preliminary hub institutions include six for orchestra, three for dance troupe, and six for theater company, totaling 15 institutions. For the Dream Orchestra, the selected organizations are Gwangju Cultural Foundation, Geumcheon Cultural Foundation, Seocheon Culture & Tourism Foundation, Yeongdeok Culture & Tourism Foundation, Ulju Cultural Foundation, and Paju Cultural Foundation. For the Dream Dance Troupe, Suseong Cultural Foundation Suseong Artpia, Gangdong Cultural Foundation, and Incheon Seo-gu Cultural Foundation were selected. For the Dream Theater Company, the National Asia Culture Center Foundation, Guri Cultural Foundation, Dobong Cultural Foundation, Yeongwol Culture & Tourism Foundation, Pocheon Culture & Tourism Foundation, and Jeju Culture & Arts Foundation were chosen.
Preliminary hub institutions are in the preparatory stage before being converted to new hub institutions. They focus on building an operational foundation that reflects the characteristics and conditions of their local areas, with key activities including preparing for member recruitment, developing curricula, and establishing local cooperation networks. This year marks the first time that dance troupes and theater companies are participating in the preliminary hub stage.
The preliminary hub institutions will enter a three-month preparation period starting in September 2025 and will each receive 10 million won in government funding for operations. The outcomes achieved during this preparation phase will be reviewed by the transition review committee and used as a basis for confirming the final selection as new hub institutions.
Once converted to new hub institutions, they will begin full-scale educational operations in 2026. Orchestras will receive government funding ranging from a minimum of 100 million won to a maximum of 180 million won, while dance troupes and theater companies will each receive a fixed amount of 100 million won. These funds will support sustainable educational activities such as joint camps, performances, and community-linked programs.
Park Eunsil, President of the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service, stated, "The Dream Arts Troupe is Korea's leading cultural and arts education program, helping children and adolescents expand their senses and experience cooperation and growth through the arts. I hope that the newly selected preliminary hub institutions will establish themselves stably, transition successfully to new hub institutions, and, based on achievements rooted in their communities, lead the advancement of arts and culture education nationwide."
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