She debuted as a member of the girl group Girls' Generation in August 2007, which went on to become one of the best-selling artists in South Korea and one of the most popular K-pop groups worldwide. At the age of 11, she made history by auditioning for SM Entertainment through SM 2000 Casting System. Hyoyeon's formal dance training started in elementary school. At her neighborhood's small hip-hop school, she learned Hip-Hop, Jazz, and Latin dance.