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“I feel like this is my second home,” Korean actor-singer Kim Won Shik said of the Philippines, adding that his favorite Filipino dish is liempo (pork belly) with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili. “I have to mix them then put on [the] liempo.” He described it, sounding so used to how locals do it. He also recalled those times when he’d hear a familiar Filipino theme song as an ice cream cart would pass by, sharing how, apart from the ice cream itself, the sound would instantly calm and comfort him, too.
Won Shik (or Sam, his English name) has many memories of the Philippines because he not just visited the country but also lived in it for six and a half years. He and his sister studied in Davao and Manila. For this reason, he is fluent in English and can speak Filipino, too.
Without the language barrier, our shoot team could connect with him better, especially when we found out a number of us (myself included) went to the same university he attended; our building was the same too! As soon as he found that out, his face lit up! We were also delighted to have something in common with him. We all joked around and planned to take a photo altogether at the end of the shoot because we had the same alma mater.
This shoot was light and refreshing. After all, it’s not every day that we get to work with a Korean artist who we can chat with sans a translator. Won Shik picked up our creative directions quickly and would even express and verbalize his ideas so he could better pull off the poses. With one layout suggesting to have him lean by a window, the quick-witted Won Shik politely said he’d love to do as instructed but that he was worried the white pullover from the fashion stylist would get dirty. “It’s not mine,” he said charmingly, gently pointing to his top.
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Though fairly new in the entertainment scene, Won Shik was professional and natural in front of the camera. He knew his angles and transitioned from one pose to another so smoothly. His level of understanding of what goes on behind the scenes and what’s required for a shoot just goes to show that he has spent a lot of time in different sets, and like a sponge, absorbed the proper mindset towards work.
Won Shik took up entrepreneurship in college. “My dream was becoming the president of a car company,” he told Metro.Style. But the direction of his life rerouted when he was offered to become a trainee for an idol group.
What paved the way for that is interestingly Park Shin Hye’s fan meet in Manila. As the story goes, Won Shik’s sister was a huge fan of the Korean actress and wanted to go to the event. “I really wanted to bring her there,” he shared, adding that he even had to break the bank to afford the tickets for it. So after seeing a brochure for the event, he somehow got connected to the head of the event’s ticketing company and eventually met the manager of Park Shin Hye. Out of the blue, he got an offer from this manager for idol training in South Korea. Not one to let an opportunity like that pass, Won Shik packed his bags and left Manila to try out this career.
Won Shik trained for two years. Unfortunately, the company he joined shut down. And when his contract ended, he returned to studying in Korea. Once he was done with school, he realized he really wanted to be part of the entertainment industry.
But, Won Shik shared, “I had no one to, you know, push me or support me to pursue my dream.” So, he took it upon himself to learn the craft by enrolling in a school to learn film arts. Then, he narrated, “I got an opportunity to sing on the program, which is really famous in Korea, named I Can See Your Voice.” That stint led him to meet the people behind his current agency in Korea, Inn Company, the same agency that handles the career of top Korean actress Eugene of The Penthouse: War in Life.
Won Shik’s agency then gave him a chance to audition for the K-drama True Beauty, starring Cha Eun Woo, Moon Ga Young, and Hwang In Youp. “I got into that series. But, of course, that was my first time. I was so grateful. That was the role I have always dreamt of,” said Won Shik, who played the role of one of the students in the series. “But, you know, of course, to someone, it’s nothing because it was just [an] extra. They might think it’s an extra or a small role. But for me, it was a big stepping stone… to get to where I want to go.”
The next K-drama he had a stint in was Alchemy of Souls (Season 1). He only had a few lines there, so he said, “Somebody would say, ‘Oh, was he there?’ I was there actually. And we call it fixed extras… We always go there to shoot with the main cast. And I really learned a lot from the main cast when they were acting, I had the chance to see the monitors, how they act.”
What further proved to be a training ground and breakthrough project for him was the 12-episode reality dating show Love Like a K-drama, where four Korean actors lived together and paired up with four Japanese actresses as they all auditioned and tried to get lead roles in the show’s six mini K-dramas, each featuring a kissing scene. The show also aimed to present whether it is indeed possible to fall in love with a co-actor during shooting.
“That was the first time that I really talked a lot in a show, and I had my own role… with a lot of lines to deliver. It felt really good,” the Metro Man cover star said, smiling at the memories of a challenging yet fun learning experience.
Won Shik’s acting abilities, hardworking personality, kindness, and charisma shone in the show. In episode 2, for instance, Won Shik and his partner, Honoka, won the audition, landing them the lead roles in the mini K-drama “Two Kisses, One Love” which featured a love triangle. Seoul Institute of the Arts former professor Hwang Doo Jin complimented the pair and specifically commented on Won Shik’s acting: “I think Won Shik was the strongest of the men today. He was shy at the beginning, that was a nice choice. He built up the courage to invite her to share the ramen and his face lit up when she accepted. It was a clear journey for the character and supported the scene.”
With Love Like a K-drama showing a marriage of cultures and consequently introducing him to the Japanese audience, Won Shik has shown how determined he is to establish himself as an artist not just in Korea but also abroad.
And with his strong connection with the Philippines, coupled with his striking appeal and talent, it was only a matter of time before he caught the attention of a management agency and record label. He’s currently under the roster of artists of Universal Records Philippines, thanks to its managing director, Kathleen Dy-Go, who saw a huge potential in Won Shik.
In February 2023, even before Love Like a K-drama was released later that year, Won Shik appeared in Universal Records Philippines’ first-ever mini series titled Pag-Ibig Na Kaya alongside Filipino artists Rayver Cruz and Julie Anne San Jose, and South Korean-German singer Jayden. Pag-Ibig Na Kaya marked the first time he worked with Filipino actors and a Filipino production team, and he loved the mood and energy on the set.
Fortunately for him and his fans, that won’t be the first and last time he is appearing in a Filipino series. Won Shik has been going back and forth between the Philippines and South Korea for various commitments. Recently, he was in Manila to work on new music, do shoots, and attend events to help promote the Philippine adaptation of the series What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim where he has a guest role. The project holds a special place in his heart because the late Dreamscape head Deo Endrinal was the one who handpicked him for this role that serves as yet another important stepping stone for him.
The experience was filled with a lot of memorable firsts again, starting with the opportunity to work with the show’s lead stars, Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino.
In What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, Won Shik plays the role of Daniel Park who he describes as a rival of Paulo’s character. He shared that he and his onscreen character are different from one another, further allowing us to get to know him better. Whereas Daniel Park is “intimidated,” Won Shik said he’s the type who’s more positive, active, and hospitable. And as we observed during this shoot, he is gentle yet passionate, confident, and meticulous.
“It was hard for me to act because it’s totally different. But I did my best… I put more effort into it… The whole What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim team/family helped me a lot to finish it,” he said.
His involvement in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, which started streaming on Viu last March 18, isn’t limited to the guest role. As a singer, he also contributed to the show’s OST with the soon-to-be-released song “To Be With You.”
During the media conference of the show earlier this month, Won Shik not only participated in the Q&A but also performed his song onstage for the first time, much to the crowd’s delight. Ever since the start of his career, his journey has always been marked by fate, and the story of how this song found the perfect singer in him and eventually the platform for the release is an example of that.
“My boss here, my manager in the Philippines, who’s Ms. Kathleen Dy-Go, just let me hear the track, and when I heard it, it was really good. And I told her, it’s really good. I can repeat it again and again. It’s really easy to memorize. And then she said, ‘We can record it,’” Won Shik narrated, adding how the track ended up in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim PH OST. “And then Ms. Kath was like, ‘Oh now, we have the song.’ And then she didn’t know where to use it. She was waiting for the time when we could use it. And then she met Ms. Garlic Garcia [head of Content Partnerships] from Viu… she let her hear the song and then she really loved it… That was how my song was chosen for the show.”
As of this writing, Won Shik would already be back in South Korea. But plans to return to Manila soon are already in place. He’s already dipped his toes in Philippine showbiz and his next goals include making waves here. With a country so supportive of the Hallyu wave and the Korean artists and culture, it’s a dream that isn’t far-fetched.
For this rising artist, the Philippines will always be a top-of-mind destination. His favorite spot in the country is Boracay because of the beautiful sunset there and how its skies are filled with stars. He has always loved the Philippines and its people, and more and more Filipinos are loving him back for who he is and what he does. It won't be surprising if, in the near future, he would finally be among the stars he would only look up to before. Who knows, headlining a fan meet event, where it all began for him, could also happen for him sooner than he thinks?! Really, nothing is impossible for someone who puts his mind, heart, and soul into his craft.
Welcome home, Kim Won Shik!
Photographer: Stephen Capuchino
Creative direction: Grace Libero-Cruz
Sittings editor: Red Dimaandal
Videographers: Ara Tanagon, Alain Capiral, Kris Blanco, and Dolly Hernandez of Spotlight Creatives Studio
Grooming: Team Muriel Vega Perez for NARS
Hairstylist: Jaaron Go of Culture Salon MNL
Stylists: John Lozano, Angelica Yabut, and Marlon Morelos
Editorial assistant: Mika Yusay
Photography assistant: Jobo Antonio Nacpil
All clothes by GUCCI
Special thanks to Kathleen Dy-Go of Universal Records Philippines, Grace Foronda, Nikki Sindiong, and Manam Comfort Filipino
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Renowned dancer and choreographer Martha Graham once said, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” Imagine three decades of speaking the hidden language of many souls who chose to pursue their passion for dancing at Steps Dance Studio.
Sofia Zobel Elizalde—the founder and director of progressive dance school and Royal Academy-certified Steps Dance Studio—couldn’t help but be in awe as the dance studio enters its 31st year.
“Opening the studio 31 years ago was a great milestone. So many things have happened in 31 years. But I think, in the end, it all boils down to all the kids that we have been able to produce through the years and some incredible dancers that we've been able to place in dance companies locally and abroad as well. Our milestones include the incredible teachers and the incredible choreographers we've worked with through the years and some of the great friendships we've made with local and foreign artists and choreographers,” she reflected, gracious and thankful for the decades-long existence of Steps Dance Studio.
Metro.Style delves deeper into Sofia Zobel Elizalde’s thoughts about her journey with Steps Dance Studio and how renowned choreographer Nicholas Palmquist has contributed to more milestones for the dance school.
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It started with a dream, and now that Steps Dance Studio continues its journey towards a new decade, Sofia Zobel Elizalde feels she has achieved what she initially set out to do and even went beyond it.
“I think I've surpassed the vision I had. When I first started my school, it was very basic. My dream was to put up a very good school that offered everything from classical ballet to contemporary dance to jazz to different kinds of movement. And then we sort of developed ourselves. We brought in the Royal Academy of Dance method, and we've done 30 years of that. But then we started developing very strong dancers, and we started performing a lot. We started competing, and then we started creating professional dancers. So, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would meet the incredible personalities that I have,” Zobel Elizalde shares.
“Being with the school for 31 years has helped me get in touch with teachers and meet very interesting artists from all over the world, and has allowed me to bring teachers here and be able to expose my students. I think it has definitely surpassed everything that I wished for. My students have soared high and made it to companies I would have never imagined. So, definitely, the dream keeps on growing and moving forward. The journey has continued to have wonderful surprises along the way,” she ruminates.
As the founder, the success and longevity of the dance school have had a profound personal impact on Zobel Elizalde.
“It's been an incredible journey. It's been very fulfilling, very enriching for me to be able to play a role in all the students that have come through my school to play the role in their lives and to be able to help them get to where they want to be. It's sort of being that person that helps them get the training that they want and helps them discover that they really want this as a career and help them get [there] whether it's locally or abroad. And, you know, in the end, helping them make their dreams come true,” she beams, looking even more inspired by the realization.
The beautiful thing about Steps Dance Studio is its evolution to being more than a dance school, expanding into philanthropic efforts with The Steps Scholarship Foundation. The non-profit organization gives free dance education to gifted young Filipino dancers regardless of their socio-economic background.
“About 10 years after I started my school, I felt the need to start the scholarship foundation because I had a lot of kids who wanted to take a class. But for them to be able to reach a certain level in dance, they really needed to come almost every day. And, of course, as we know, things cost a lot of money. It can be very expensive. So that's when I really felt I need to put a foundation together that can help support children from difficulties, financially, and to be able to give them equal opportunities. The Steps Scholarship Foundation was born, and basically, the thrust of my foundation is to really give free dance training to very talented Filipino children. It's been incredibly successful, and I would say that a lot of our kids who have been in the program have really gone on to professional careers, and it's been very fulfilling for me,” she says, smiling.
Zobel Elizalde continues to share what the foundation meant to her and how it impacts young Filipino talents: “It's one of my favorite parts of the school that we do this because in the end, you know, you just never know where good artists are going to come from and I just love the fact that we welcome young dancers from anywhere. As long as they want to dance and as long as they have the discipline and they want to really work hard, learn, and develop themselves, this is the right place for them,” she declares, supportive of the dreams of young dancers.
Never resting on its laurels, Steps Dance Studio looks forward to an exciting future and is bent on continuing the tradition of producing world-class talents. One way of doing this is by flying in internationally recognized choreographers as teachers.
Nicholas Palmquist visited the Philippines to mark Steps Dance Studio’s 30th anniversary last year. He is a renowned professional dancer and choreographer, working on a wide variety of dance genres, and has worked on commercial projects such as Baz Luhrmann’s The Get Down, The Tony Awards, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show. This 2025, he found himself back in the country again to fulfill his mission as a dance educator.
Interestingly, the collaboration between Palmquist and Steps Dance Studio began during the pandemic, the lockdown, and when all people turned to social media. No less than Sofia Zobel Elizalde herself slid into the DMs of the choreographer to pitch a partnership.
“All our classes here at Steps for almost three years were online. I was trying to find ways to keep my school very exciting for the kids, which was very hard because nobody could leave their homes. I was going through my social media, and I came across Nicholas teaching dance classes at Steps on Broadway. I thought he was a fascinating choreographer. His musicality was incredible. His movement was very different from what I had normally seen. Just his whole vibe, his whole energy was different. So, believe it or not, I reached out to him on social media, and I said, you know, ‘Nicholas, I'm a fan of your work. I've been seeing all your classes. Would you be willing to teach for me?’ And, incredibly enough, he answered me right away, and we agreed to meet online. And so he taught, I believe, it was two or three classes [on Zoom]. I was so impressed,” Zobel Elizalde narrates.
The Steps Dance Studio director liked how Palmquist was attentive to his students even when the dance classes were online.
“One thing that impressed me was the way he was able to communicate with each and every student through a computer screen and managed to give corrections to every single student in his class. He was even able to pick out and immediately saw the incredibly talented students, gave them incredible corrections, and it was like a full-blown class online. I was so impressed by that,” she shares, adding that she vowed to invite the choreographer to the Philippines once the pandemic was over. And the rest, as they say, is history.
This year is Palmquist’s second time visiting the Steps Dance Studio. “His classes were so successful. What's wonderful about Nicholas’ class is his style is very sort of jazz contemporary. He's open to all body types, all kinds of dancers—from classical dancers to contemporary dancers to jazz dancers to actors. Everyone's welcome,” Zobel Elizalde begins.
“He is just such an amazing teacher. I’ve never seen the classes so full. I’ve never seen students that are so inspired. It was such a wonderful experience last year. We fell in love with him as a teacher. He fell in love with Filipinos as students. He’s a teacher that inspires. He pushes the kids to move in different ways that they're used to. His musicality is difficult but so dynamic in the pieces. And his choreography is just very unique. It’s been a real pleasure working with him,” she continues.
Similarly, Palmquist is happy and satisfied with his work with Steps Dance Studio. “Every facet of Steps takes such good care of me and the students, so it's very easy to return here because I feel well taken care of. But the work ethic, I think, of the culture and the students is just so fun to experience. I don't feel like I have to pull emotion out of them. I don't have to pull discipline or hard work out of them. It's really baked into their approach, I think, to life. It's a joy for me to take all of my different experiences from different parts of the world and bring them here so that you can maybe speak to something that a student doesn't have access to as a guest teacher. I get to come in, and it's kind of nice to be the guest and have really rapt attention for two weeks. And yeah, I think as a teacher, you can't really ask for more than effort, and I get a lot of effort here from everyone,” he says.
Palmquist is deeply passionate about dancing, especially since he started doing it at 10. While he has done a lot of activities based on coordination, like gymnastics and taekwondo, he goes back to dancing and even developed a love for teaching dance.
“I think there was something about music and the expression of emotions that just kind of clicked for me,” he smiles.
“It's been really fun to transition into the educational side of dance. I think being a part of projects where there's a lot of money, or there's a lot of tension, is really exciting for a dancer. But I think it's been equally rewarding to kind of transition a little bit more internally and to explore with students why they dance on a really fundamental level and what makes it joyful for them and then how they can translate that into industry-related projects,” he states, explaining his turn as a dance educator.
He particularly cherishes a standout and favorite moment as a teacher in this year’s visit to the Philippines.
“I think what I've really enjoyed is the more mixed classes. We've offered advanced and intermediate. And in the intermediate classes, there have been dancers in their ’50s mixed with dancers who are 9 and 10 years old. I think it's a really wonderful opportunity for young dancers to be inspired by professionals and also for professionals to see how much fun non-professionals are having with dance. Sometimes, when you are working towards a really specific goal, you can lose that spark or that joy. And so I think to mix the classes has been really fun, I think, for everyone involved to see just a different intention and priority,” Palmquist pensively shares.
As Sofia Zobel Elizalde continues to bridge the gap between world-class Filipino dancers and amazing opportunities through Steps Dance Studio and The Steps Scholarship Foundation, she says everything begins and ends with the love of dancing she has nurtured in her heart. This is how she defines dancing.
As Sofia Zobel Elizalde continues to bridge the gap between world-class Filipino dancers and amazing opportunities through Steps Dance Studio and The Steps Scholarship Foundation, it all begins and ends with the love of dancing she has nurtured in her heart. This is how she defines dancing.
“Dancing is not only an art form, it's also a form of expression. And, each and every one of us finds our own voice in dance, and I think if that artist and dancer is in you, it's a very fulfilling art form to be in, and it's a self-expression that is unique to each and every person,” she declares.
“I think that when you're in a studio, and you're doing what you love, and you're being able to communicate through your body and through movement, it's a very enriching feeling. I think that a lot of artists actually find their voice through movement rather than speaking… for anybody who's a dancer, it's healing. It's expression. It's joyful. It's demanding. It's hard work. But it feels so good. And in the end, when you see a good dancer on stage, there is nothing better than paying for that ticket to watch that incredible dancer on stage, and that's what we try to do here. We try to bring out all that talent in these kids and allow them to do what they love and create incredible dancers for the world to see,” she concludes.
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