An Unlikely Beginning
Like most Chinese families, Goh Kim Tak, a merchant, and his wife, Ch’ng Siew Han, raised their ten children with traditional values. Surprisingly enough, whilst growing up, Choo San had three siblings who were studying or have studied ballet - a Western art form that appeared to be vastly different to the Chinese identity.
His elder sister, Goh Soo Nee, trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and returned to Singapore to co-found the Singapore Ballet Academy. Similarly, his brother, Goh Choo Chiat trained at the Royal Ballet, later becoming a principal dancer with the Beijing Ballet and is the artistic director of Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, British Columbia. His other sister, Goh Soo Khim, whom he is closest to, trained at the Australian Ballet and co-founded our very own Singapore Dance Theatre in 1988.
Choo San, on the other hand, had a very different ambition growing up. Like many boys, he wanted to be a pilot. And more specifically, he wanted to fly a plane with six engines, which in the 1950s, was a vast improvement on the prevailing planes that had only four engines!
The Turning Point
Fortunately for the dance world, he studied ballet under the tutelage of his two elder sisters, and soon forgot his earlier ambition. He knew he wanted to be a dancer and he worked hard in attempt to achieve that dream. However, at his father’s insistence, he had to first complete his University education. Choo San complied to this, and graduated with a degree of Bio-chemistry with honours from the then University of Singapore.
Next: His Motto: No Guts, No Glory |
