Goh Ballet Academy is a school of

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, founded in 1978 by

Chan-hon Goh Chan Hon Goh, C.M. D.Litt (simplified Chinese: 吴振红; traditional Chinese: 吳振紅; born in 1969 in Beijing, China), is a Chinese-born Canadian ballerina. Goh was most notably a principal dancer with The National Ballet of Canada before go ...

and Lin Yee Goh.

History

The Goh Ballet Academy was founded in 1978 by Choo Chiat Goh and Lin Yee Goh after they immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada from China. Choo Chiat Goh trained on scholarship at London’s

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

, the Beijing Dance Academy and in 1959 joined the

National Ballet of China The National Ballet of China (NBC), known in China as the Central Ballet Troupe was founded on 31 December 1959. It is the national ballet company of the People's Republic of China. The ballet company works from the Tianqiao Theater, this was spe ...

. His wife, Lin Yee Goh also trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and eventually became one of the National Ballet of China’s ballet mistresses. At the academy, she incorporated

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

curriculum into the academy and studied and taught the

Vaganova method The Vaganova method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951). It was derived from the teachings of the ''Premier Maître de Ballet'' Marius Petipa, throughout the late ...

, studying technique and teaching elements under Russian master

Nikolai Romancheva Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Niko ...

. The Gohs' daughter,

, was principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada for 20 years and is the current director of the academy. Chan Hon Goh was also a recipient of the

Prix de Lausanne The Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition held annually in Lausanne, Switzerland. The competition is for young dancers seeking to pursue a professional career in classical ballet, and many former prize winners of the competition a ...

, an annual international competition for youth in Switzerland who seek to pursue professional careers. As the academy's director, Chan Hon Goh has introduced a master class series for aspiring dancers seeking to enhance professional training and receive coaching and provide opportunities for featured artists to mentor participants and focus on artistic elements not typically featured in standard ballet classes.

Tours

Goh Ballet has toured Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, and the United States. In 1994, the youth company was the first Canadian institution to be asked to perform at Rencontres Internationales de la Danse Festival in La Baule, France. While at the festival, the performance received eight curtain calls.

Performances

Since 2009, the Goh Ballet has produced its own performance of ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

'' with commissioned choreography by

Anna-Marie Holmes Anna-Marie Holmes (born April 17, 1942) is a Canadian-born ballet dancer, educator and choreographer. Holmes received an Emmy Award in 2000 for her staging of Le Corsaire for PBS. She was the founder and co-artistic director for the International Ac ...

. Executive producer of Vancouver's ''Nutcracker'' ballet, Chan-hon Goh described the show as "Its own entity...meant for the city."Deborah Meyer
"Sweet Nutcracker"
, ''The Vancouver Sun'', December 12, 2013

Awards

*Outstanding School Award (Youth America Grand Prix 2008) *Outstanding Champion for the Arts (Arts and Culture Week 2008) *Solo Seal Award (

) (20 students have achieved the highest examination honour) *Canadian Immigrant Top 25 Award 2017

Founders awards

*YWCA Women of Distinction Award (2013) *Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2013) *FMA Vancouver Art Achievement Award (2010) *National Association of Asian American Professionals 100 Award (NAAAP) (2010) *Genée International Ballet Competition – Silver Medal (1988) *Illustrious Prix de Lausanne – Prize (1986)

Notable alumni

* Frances Chung, principal dancer of

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

* Yuka Ebihara, principal dancer of

Polish National Ballet The Polish National Ballet (PNB) is the largest and the most important ballet company in Poland. It continues a national ballet heritage, which dates to the 17th century. Modernly it was known until 2008 as the ballet of the Teatr Wielki - Poli ...

Céline Gittens Céline Gittens is a Trinidadian ballerina. She is a principal dancer at the Birmingham Royal Ballet, in Birmingham, England. Life Gittens was born in Trinidad, where her mother was a ballet teacher; her father was an accountant. She bega ...

, principal dancer of

Birmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB) is one of the five major ballet companies of the United Kingdom, alongside The Royal Ballet, the English National Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Founded as the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the company ...

, director of Goh. Ballet Academy, former principal dancer of

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 as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

References

External links

* * https://web.archive.org/web/20140703205813/http://www.gohballet.com/news_media.html {{Authority control Ballet schools in Canada