Dancer Cha Hyun-seung, who was completely cured of leukemia last year, has returned to the stage with singer SUNMI.
Cha Hyun-seung appeared as SUNMI's partner dancer at "Waterbomb Seoul 2026," held on the 26th at the KINTEX Outdoor Global Stage in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
The two showcased a duet performance built on their long-term chemistry. Their seamless teamwork stood out during a move where Cha Hyun-seung lifted SUNMI with one hand and placed her on his shoulder. Immediately after the performance, Waterbomb's official social media posted a video of the stage along with the caption, "This is it! They met again! Waterbomb SUNMI X Cha Hyun-seung stage."
This performance carried even greater significance because Cha Hyun-seung was battling the illness until just a year ago.
He was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia in June of last year. He later detailed his diagnosis and chemotherapy process through his YouTube channel, unreservedly documenting the early stages of treatment such as sperm cryopreservation, catheter insertion for chemotherapy injections, and admission to a sterile room, as well as experiencing difficult conditions like a sharp rise in blood pressure during a blood transfusion and deciding to shave his head due to hair loss. After about six months of treatment, he was declared fully recovered on December 22 of last year, and subsequently shared updates of his recovery by posting videos of himself resuming workouts and choreography practice on social media.
Cha Hyun-seung previously made a name for himself as "SUNMI's dancer" by working alongside her during performances for her solo track "24 Hours" and the 2018 Waterbomb festival. Because the two have built a long-standing partnership, their reunion on the same stage after overcoming his illness drew even more attention.
Having gained public recognition as a dancer, Cha Hyun-seung later appeared on variety programs such as "Single's Inferno", "Physical: 100", and "Be Mbitious", and expanded his career from dancer to actor by starting his acting activities in 2024 with "Share House" and appearing in "Seduce My Husband".
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)
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