From Ulsan to America: The Making of a Dance Prodigy
Tarzzan Lee Chae-won was born on September 27, 2002, in Ok-dong, Nam-gu, Ulsan, a port city in southeastern South Korea. During his second or third year of elementary school, his family moved temporarily to the United States—a formative period that would shape his artistic sensibilities in unexpected ways. As the only Asian student in his class, the young Tarzzan found connection through music, gravitating toward hip-hop artists like Lil Wayne and A$AP Rocky who dominated the American charts at the time.
Upon returning to Korea, Tarzzan carried with him a newfound passion for hip-hop culture and the English fluency that would later prove invaluable. His entry into formal dance training came through family: a cousin who trained as a ballerina suggested contemporary dance as a way to channel his natural physicality and love of movement. By middle school, Tarzzan had committed fully to the discipline, enrolling at Busan Arts High School where he majored in modern dance.