Mavin Khoo (Mavin Khoo Bu-Aun) is

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

n dancer of the Indian classical dance form,

Bharata Natyam Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...

Early life and education

Born on 30 April 1976 born in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, a youngest son to Tan Sri and Puan Sri

Khoo Kay Kim Khoo Kay Kim (; 28 March 1937 – 28 May 2019) was a Malaysian historian and academic of Chinese descent. He was honoured with Emeritus Professor title by the University of Malaya in 2001. In January 2011, Khoo was appointed Chancellor of KD ...

. His father Tan Sri Khoo Kay Kim is a national leading historian. Mavin began his training in

under Vatsala Sivadas and Vasuki Sivanesan at the Temple of Fine Arts, Kuala Lumpur. He also studied

Odissi Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is confe ...

Adyar K. Lakshman Adyar K. Lakshman (16 December 1933 – 19 August 2014) was a noted Indian Bharatnatyam dancer, choreographer and guru. Early life Born on 16 December 1933, Adyar K. Lakshman hails from Kuppam in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. His fath ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

, India. Khoo also trained at the Cunningham Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in the Cunningham technique and furthered his ballet training with Michael Beare, Marian St. Claire, Nancy Kilgour and Ayumi Hikasa in London.

Career

He has collaborated and danced with some of the major choreographers of today including Akram Khan, Wayne McGregor and Christopher Bannerman. He has danced as guest artist with Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, Ballet de Zaragoza, Ballet Regensburgh and Sankalapam. He has been commissioned by the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

(ROH2), Akademi, National Youth Dance Company, The Jazz Company, South Bank Centre in the UK to create work. He has also made commissioned work for the

Canada Dance Festival The Canadian Dance Festival is an annual Ottawa, Ontario event founded in 1987. Held in June, it sets the stage for Canada's most contemporary, innovative and leading edge dance choreographers and dance companies. The festival includes events at ...

. He stands today as one of the leading international male solo

performers dancing in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and throughout the world. He also creates new work that challenges notions of gender and ambiguity. He has been a British Council scholar having studied his postgraduate studies in choreography at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries o ...

, London. He is one of few leading performers today that has developed academia alongside practice in performance.

External links

Official websiteAll the world's a stage - allmalaysia.info
1976 births Living people People from Kuala Lumpur Peranakan people in Malaysia Malaysian people of Hokkien descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian male dancers Malaysian dancers Odissi exponents Bharatanatyam exponents Alumni of Middlesex University 21st-century Malaysian people {{Malaysia-bio-stub