I was associated with Ballet for many years. I attended the dance performances staged by the early ballet schools conducted mainly by British teachers like the Taylor Dance School. Later, Singaporeans like Goh Soonee, Francis Poh, and Maureen Yap started schools.
I became more involved when I worked part-time as a pianist providing music for ballet classes for Soonee’s school, held at a hall within the St Andrew’s Cathedral. Subsequently, when the school combined with Francis Poh and Vernon Martinus, the classes were held in a building near Newton. I think it was at Peck Hay Road off Clemenceau Avenue. I discontinued my work as an accompanist for ballet dance when I had to prepare for my final examination at Singapore University.
Little did I expect that I would become closely associated with dance and Ballet again many years later. While working full-time for the Ministry of Health and part-time for the Singapore University’s Biochemistry Dept, I was given additional appointments by the Cabinet to work for the National Theatre and the Festival of Arts for more than ten years.
We invited many large foreign dance companies: the Royal Festival Ballet of London, Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet Companies from Russia, Caracas Ballet from Venezuala, Paris opera House Ballet, Central Dance Company of China, Bayanihan Folk Dance from the Philippines, Martha Graham Dance, and Paul Taylor Companies, Merce Cummingham modern Ballet, Washington Ballet, Paco Pena Spanish Dance Company, Montreal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Mexican Dance Company, Japanese traditional dances, Noh Theatre, Cloudgate Dance Theatre from Taiwan and an Eastern European company which perform the story of Dracula in the form of a ballet.
When the first Singapore professional dance company, the Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT), was established by Soonee’s younger siblings Soo Khim, Choo San with Anthony Then. I became a Board Member of the new company chaired by the late Justice Lai Kew Chai. President Ong Teng Cheong was the Patron. I had a most pleasant and rewarding time serving for over ten years on the Board and attended almost all the performances staged by the company.
Please enjoy these Spanish bronze sculptures of ballet dancers I acquired some years ago, as well as a large metallic sculpture of a pair of skaters for the 2022 Winter Olympics in China
Tan It Koon
Before retirement, Dr Tan It Koon was, among many appointments, Head of Clinical Biochemistry at SGH’s Dept of Pathology. He was the Deputy Chairman of the National Theatre Trust and Chairman for Grants and Scholarships of the Spore Cultural Foundation. He received the National Day Awards, PBM, and PPA, for his contribution to cultural and community development and excellence in Public Administration.
