Goh Soo Khim
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Goh Soo Khim () is a
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
an
ballerina A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancer ...
and a
doyen A doyen or doyenne (from the French language, French word ''wikt:doyen#French, doyen'', ''doyenne'' in the feminine grammatical gender) is the senior ambassador by length of service in a particular country. In the English language, the meaning ...
in Singapore’s dance scene. She is also the co-founder and artistic director of
Singapore Dance Theatre The Singapore Ballet (formerly known as Singapore Dance Theatre) is Singapore's national dance company, founded in 1988 by Anthony Then and Goh Soo Khim. The Artistic Director of the company is Janek Schergen. History It made its debut in J ...
. She is also credited for the development of
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
in Singapore, and for nurturing many successful dancers under her tutelage, to become successful dancers, soloists and even choreographers over the years.


Early life

Goh was born into a family of well-known dancers and choreographers and received early training at the Singapore Ballet Academy under one of the Academy’s founders, her elder sister Goh Soo Nee (吴素妮), and the other founding directors, Frances Poh and Vernon Martinus. In 1964 Goh furthered her professional training in Australia, as the first Asian to be admitted into the all-white
Australian Ballet School The Australian Ballet School is the premier ballet training facility in Australia, located in Melbourne. History The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scot ...
in Melbourne. Returning to Singapore upon her graduation from Australian Ballet School, Goh joined her sister as a principal trainer at the Ballet Academy. She was also a principal dancer of the academy and performed many solo performances.


Career

In 1971, Goh assumed the responsibilities of director and principal of the Academy. In 1977, Goh represented Singapore in the 2nd ASEAN Radio and Television Cultural Exchange Programme, and in 1978 choreographed the performance ''Temple Tone Poem''. It was her maiden choreography, and in 1980 choreographed again in the ''Goodbye Again'' (1980). Her specially commissioned works, ''Dilemma'' and ''Five Emotions'' were premiered at the 1982 Singapore Arts Festival. Goh was appointed co-artistic director by the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
in 1984, to nurture the Ballet Group of the National Dance Company. The group performed her specially commissioned ballet, Environmental Phases, which won acclaim for its originality in the 5th ASEAN Festival of Performing Arts in 1985. Goh collaborated with
Anthony Then Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the ''Antonia (gens), Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman naming conventions, Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii ...
to produce ''At The Ballet'' and ''Ballet Premiere'' for the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1984 and 1986. In 1988, Goh and Then co-founded the Singapore Dance Theatre. Her first choreography for the Singapore Dance Theatre was Brahm’s Sentiments, which premiered in the company’s second season. In 1990, she restaged Environmental Phases for Singapore Dance Theatre in a celebratory concert for Singapore’s 25th Anniversary. More recently, Goh has been actively providing opportunities for dancers to develop their potential as choreographers. She had been invited to adjudicate ballet competitions in Malaysia, Indonesia and is also on the international panel for the Asia Pacific Ballet Competition in Japan since 1991. She became the first Asian representative to be invited as a jury member for the prestigious ''Benois de la Danse Prix'' in Moscow in April 2003.


Personal life

Goh was born into a family of 10 children. Goh's elder brother, Choo Chiat Goh, founded the Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, B.C., while his daughter, Chan Hon Goh, was a principal dancer with the
National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...
and the
Suzanne Farrell Ballet The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company housed at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., and founded in 2000 by Suzanne Farrell, one of George Balanchine's most celebrated ballerinas, and a former New York City Ballet principal dancer. Unt ...
, Washington, D.C. Her elder sister, Soo Nee Goh, taught ballet in Vancouver, B.C. Goh is also the elder sister of ballet maestro
Goh Choo San Goh Choo San (; 14 September 1948 – 28 November 1987) was a Singaporean ballet dancer and choreographer whose decade-long association with The Washington Ballet brought that company international acclaim. Childhood The son of Goh Kim Lok (190 ...
.


Awards

Goh was awarded the
Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion () is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, Literature of Singapore, literature, Music of Singapore, music, photography, art and Cinema of Singapore, film ...
in 1981 and the
Pingat Bakti Masyarakat The ''Pingat Bakti Masyarakat'' (English: Public Service Medal) is a Singaporean orders and decorations, Singaporean national honour. It was instituted in 1973. The medal may be awarded to any person who has rendered commendable public service in ...
(Public Service Medal) in 1989 for her outstanding contributions to the development of dance in Singapore. In 2002, she was awarded a Fellowship of LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts. Goh was inducted into the
Singapore Women's Hall of Fame The Singapore Women's Hall of Fame is a virtual hall of fame that honors and documents the lives of historically significant women in Singapore. The hall is the creation of the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO), and grew out of an ...
in 2014.


References


See also

*
Goh Choo San Goh Choo San (; 14 September 1948 – 28 November 1987) was a Singaporean ballet dancer and choreographer whose decade-long association with The Washington Ballet brought that company international acclaim. Childhood The son of Goh Kim Lok (190 ...
*
Singapore Dance Theatre The Singapore Ballet (formerly known as Singapore Dance Theatre) is Singapore's national dance company, founded in 1988 by Anthony Then and Goh Soo Khim. The Artistic Director of the company is Janek Schergen. History It made its debut in J ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goh, Soo Khim 1944 births Singaporean people of Chinese descent Singaporean chief executives Singaporean choreographers Living people Singaporean ballerinas Recipients of the Cultural Medallion for dance Australian Ballet School alumni