Archive of "The ascent of Goh Choo San", The Singapore Monitor, 5 June 1984

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The ascent of Goh Choo San

(Photos: Above: in the Glow of the Night - Goh Choo San's tribute to his father. Left: Choo San, hailed by the New York Times as “the most sought otter choreographer in America”. Below: Choo San demonstrating Fives, one of his own works)

SINGAPORE FESTIVAL OF ARTS 1984

GOH CHOO SAN left Singapore 14 years ago for a ballet career in Europe. Today, he is a choreographer of international standing who has been asked to create works for well-known companies such as the American Ballet Theatre, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Australian Ballet.

He hit the limelight when Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the leading male dancers in the United States, asked him to create a work for him in 1978.

The documentary, The Art of Goh Choo San, which will be re-telecast over Channel 5 this Sunday at 5.40 pm, traces the ascent of this artiste. It shows how a relatively unknown young dancer gained recognition as a major choreographer and was hailed by the New York Times as "the most sought after choreographer in America".

The 38-minute documentary was filmed in 1982 at the second Singapore Festival of Arts. It was first telecast on Aug 10, 1983, and is being repeated to coincide with the third Singapore Festival of Arts. Two of the dancers featured, Bonnie Moore and John Coding, will perform Choo San's Momentum at this year's festival.

The programme features interviews with members of the Washington Ballet Company, of which Choo San is the resident choreographer. One of those interviewed is Mary Day, founder and director of the company. A renowned teacher who has worked with outstanding professional dancers, Mary Day was the one who gave Choo San his lucky break.

Other interviewees include pioneer company members John Coding and Juli Miles and newer members, former American Ballet Theatre soloist, Janet Shibata, and Bonnie Moore, winner of the bronze medal at the 11th International Ballet Competition at Varna, Bulgaria, in 1983.

Choo San's ascent was not without its share of heartaches. The documentary delves into the conflict between Choo San and his father who objected to his making ballet his career. Choo San bowed to his father's wishes by studying chemistry at the then University of Singapore. But soon after he graduated, he left for a dance career in Europe. Within a year, his father passed away. The ballet, In the Glow of the Night, is a tribute to the father who never lived to see his son return.

Excerpts from some of Choo San's works - Birds of Paradise (performed by the Caracas Ballet), and Fives, Double Contrasts and In the Glow of the Night (by the Washington Ballet) - will be featured.

=See also=
 * Earliest cases of HIV/AIDS in Singapore
 * Archive of "Choo San leaps to new heights", New Nation, 15 August 1980
 * Archive of "Choreographer Goh Choo San dies in New York", The Straits Times, 1 December 1987
 * Archive of "The dance is over", The Straits Times, 1 December 1987
 * Archive of "Choo San’s million-dollar gift to young dancers and choreographers", The Straits Times, 17 January 1988

=References=
 * "The ascent of Goh Choo San", The Singapore Monitor, 5 June 1984[].

=Acknowledgements=

This article was archived by Roy Tan.