Soo Khim
Goh
Jury member of Benois de la Danse
Goh, who comes from a family of well-known dancers and teachers, received her early training at the Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA). She then perfected her professional training in Australia in 1964, becoming the first Asian dancer to be admitted to the Australian Ballet School. On her return to Singapore, Goh taught at the SBA and was a soloist and principal dancer in all its performances. In 1971, Goh assumed the responsibilities of Director and Principal of the Academy and has since trained, guided and inspired many young talents. In 1977, Goh represented Singapore at the 2nd ASEAN Radio and Television Cultural Exchange Programme and in the following year, revealed another facet of her artistic personality — her creativity as a choreographer, first with Temple Tone Poem (1978) and then with Goodbye Again (1980).
Goh was then appointed Co-Artistic Director by the then Ministry of Culture 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 also collaborated with Anthony Then to produce At the Ballet and Ballet Premiere for the Singapore Festival.
Her first choreography for the SDT was Brahms' Sentiments, which premiered in the company's second season. In 1990 she re-staged Environmental Phases for SDT for Singapore's 25th Anniversary. Goh has been actively providing opportunities for dancers to develop their potential as choreographers. She has 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.
Goh was awarded the prestigious Cultural Medallion in 1981 and the National Day Public Service Medal in 1989 for her outstanding contribution to dance in Singapore. In 2002, Goh was awarded a Fellowship of LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts.
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