Judges
Here you will find the judges of the NärCon Kpop Championship 2026
Collaboration with K-Pop artist: Luhan, Jay Park, The Boyz, and More.
Former: 1Million Dance Studio Instructor in South KoreaMillennium Dance in Singapore InstructorLoen Entertainment Dance Trainer in South KoreaForest Entertainment Dance Trainer in South Korea
International Workshops: 167 cities in 61 countries
Judge: Battlegrounds Philippines Qualifier in ManilaUDO Asia-Pacific Championships in ChongzuoWorld of Dance TurkiyeWorld of Dance BulgariaWorld of Dance SerbiaWorld of Dance MacedoniaWorld of Dance MoldovaAll Dance Portugal
2021 K-POP World Festival in PeruAll India K-POP Contest 2022 Final in India2022 K-POP World Festival in Nigeria2023 K-POP World Festival in Nigeria2024 K-POP Nordics Festival in SwedenK-POP Cover Dance Festival 2024 in Mexico2024 K-POP World Festival in IrelandAll India K-POP Contest 2024 Semi-Final in IndiaK-POP Dance Fight Fest European Finals2025 K-POP World Festival in LatviaCentral Asia K-POP Cover Dance Champion2025 K-POP World Festival in Spain2025 K-POP World Festival in UK2025 K-POP World Festival in Austria
Ada Ristimäki
Ada Ristimäki is a long-time K-pop fan and dancer, and has been practicing with her own group since 2012. She has a background in competing and performing, as well as organizing dance programs. Although she originally started dancing through show and street styles, she has been fully committed to K-pop covering for the last years.
Already a veteran judge at NärCon, Ada is excited to be back once again to witness the level of commitment and enthusiasm always present on the main stage!
Cherie Sabrie is the Artistic Director & Lead Instructor at Kpop Nonstop Dance Studio and has 15 years of experience in K-pop cover dance, stage performance and dance education.
She has been dancing K-pop since 2011 and is especially drawn to powerful, hip-hop-based choreographies. During her travels to South Korea, she has deepened her style by taking dance classes across different genres and has also participated in busking on the streets of Seoul.
Cherie has been a central part of Kpop Nonstop since 2015 and has since coached dancers, developed teaching methods and prepared groups for stage performances and competitions. She leads several of the studio’s most advanced classes, including Level 4, and plays a key role in the development of choreography, performance and student growth.
She has competed at a high level herself, and as an active member of the group IDNTITY, she and her group placed third at Kpop Nordics Festival 2025, in addition to several other competition placements.
Cherie has also served as a judge at several K-pop dance competitions and was a jury member at Kpop-SM 2025.
Cherie was also a lecturer at the kick-off event for Europe’s first K-pop symposium at Uppsala University, where she shared knowledge about the history of K-pop dance and the development of choreography, as well as leading a dance workshop.
As a jury member for NärCon Kpop Championship, Cherie brings deep knowledge of K-pop cover dance from both a practical, educational and analytical perspective. Her experience as a performer, instructor, judge and lecturer gives her a strong understanding of technique, choreography, stage presence, group dynamics and how K-pop performance has developed as a global dance culture. She looks forward to seeing strong stage performances and giving constructive feedback that helps dancers grow.
• Teaches: Level 2, Level 3, Level 4
• Favourite groups: ATEEZ, HIGHLIGHT and VIXX
• Favourite K-pop choreography: “Creep” – San, ATEEZ
Alexander, also known as Alex, is a dance instructor at Kpop Nonstop Dance Studio and an active dancer with broad experience in both K-pop and other dance styles.
His interest in dance began at a young age, with street dance as his first main focus. He started dancing K-pop in early 2016 and took his first class at Kpop Nonstop Dance Studio during the spring term of 2018, where he continued to develop as a dancer until the spring term of 2019.
Alex also chose to take his interest in dance further by studying dance technique in high school. There, he had the opportunity to explore a wide range of styles, from heels and vogue to popping, which also sparked a strong interest in contemporary dance and stage expression.
Today, Alex is part of the instructor team at Kpop Nonstop Dance Studio, where he teaches several of the studio’s higher-level classes, including Level 3 and Level 4. He is also an active member of the dance group PSYQE. Together with the group, he won 1st place at Battle of K-pop 040 in Malmö in August 2025.
In 2026, Alex also served as a jury member for The Heroes K-pop Dance Contest, a contest hosted by Comic Con and Kpop Nonstop. This gives him valuable experience from both sides of the competition scene — as a competitor, performer and judge within the K-pop cover dance community.
As a jury member for NärCon Kpop Championship, Alex brings a sharp eye for technique, musicality, energy and overall performance. With his background as a dancer, instructor, competitor and judge, he has a strong understanding of what it takes to create a powerful stage performance within K-pop cover dance.
• Teaches: Level 2 Boyband, Level 3, Level 4, KNS Adults
• Favourite groups: ATEEZ, Stray Kids and SHINee
• Favourite K-pop choreography: “Spider” – HOSHI
"Dance was part of my life early on, but nothing really stuck, until I found kpop! With it's many different genres and and styles I was instantly hooked! Not only for the music, but the variation in art that kpop is!
Since 2016 I've danced in many different cover groups, where I've competed and havr gathered many pedestal prices, even been a judge for several dance competitions myself, one example being Närcon K-pop-SM 2025 and 2026! And for the last 7 years I've worked as a dance teacher for kpop dances and worked with different levels of knowledge, from beginners to advanced dancers where we work on groups dynamics, charisma and and presentation!"
"Kpop has pretty much always been a part of my life, and when I started dancing at 16, I was instantly hooked. For the past eight years, I’ve been working as a dance instructor, which has given me some amazing opportunities, like choreographing for commercial projects in South Korea and competing both here in Sweden and internationally. I’ve also had the honor of being a judge at Närcon Vinter 2026s Kpop-SM!
As a judge, I’m a sucker for performance. I’ll be observing your musicality, attitude, and those extra details in both expression and movement that truly brings a choreography to life.
I can't wait to see you at Närcon Sommar 2026!"
