The 6th Seoul International Dance Competition hosted by the Seoul International Cultural Foundation at the Towol Theater in the Seoul Art Center kicked off Tuesday and will end Monday next week with the award and closing ceremonies.

A total of 167 dancers from 15 countries who passed the domestic and overseas preliminary rounds in three genres -- ballet, contemporary, and ethnic dance -- are currently competing in the semifinals.

The SIDC has built up an international reputation over the years as prize winners in the junior ballet automatically qualify to compete in the Prix de Lausanne without having to go through the video screening preliminaries.

The semifinals last until Friday, and the finals take place on Sunday. The closing ceremony and gala performance of the prize winners will be held on Monday next week.

The dancers compete for a total US$76,000 of prize money, including $10,000 for the Grand Prix. Wayne Eagling, former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet and now artistic director of English National Ballet, is the head of the jury. For further information, go to www.sicf.or.kr.