Ms Chua Chiok Woon
Principal/ Teacher
Ballet & Contemporary Dance
"To me, dance is the most beautiful art form as it is made using the very body that we live in. It has accompanied me through life and has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate my being to its fullest."
TEACH.
Having taught ballet and contemporary dance to children as young as 3 to adults over 50 years of age, Ms Chua strongly believes in the benefit of dance and wishes to share this with as many people as possible. She also wants to help deepen young dancers' knowledge of their body so they can can enjoy the full benefits of dance in a safe environment. In her classes, she constantly thinks of ways to make them enjoyable yet rigorous.
DANCE.
Trained in both ballet and contemporary dance, she co-founded Sigma Contemporary Dance, an established independent dance collective in Singapore, and is and active performing artist there. She is also a co-founder of Sigma Collective Space, a space that houses independent artists; a platform that supports exploration, experimentation & development of independent works; and a space that provides classes, workshops and platforms for anyone of various levels to connect with their body through contemporary dance.
CREATE.
Aside from teaching and performing, she has created several works for university and polytechnic dance clubs such as NTU, SIM and Ngee Ann Poly, as well as dance competitions, such as Get The Beat. She has also been invited to perform her latest co-creation "Honey Bee And the Dandelion" in both local and international dance festivals such as M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2017/2018, Macau CDE Springboard and Hong Kong Dance Exchange 2019.
CERTIFICATIONS.
- Royal Academy of Dance (R.A.D.) Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies (C.B.T.S.)
- Certified Progressive Ballet Technique (P.B.T.)
Mr Hong Guofeng
Advisor/ Choreographer
Contemporary Dance
"Dance is the language we create for ourselves, one that helps us make sense of who we are and the world around us."
Guofeng Hong is the artistic director and co-founder of Sigma Contemporary Dance, an Independent dance collective based in Singapore. Since 2012, he has directed and choreographed all of her major productions and most recently, premiered a full-length outdoor work, Dock 65 at the Esplanade Park. His works have been showcased in local arts festival such as M1 Contact Festival and SMU Arts Festival and to international dance festivals such as Hong Kong Dance Exchange, Macau CDE Springboard, Sibu International Dance Festival, Dance Circus and Blossom Arts Festival. He creates works based on the ongoing development of his movement and choreographic practices and The Straits Times and Arts Equator have described his works as "break(ing) new ground", “compelling”, “slick”, “immersive” and “clever”.
Guofeng is also the Artistic Director of SMU Indancity, the contemporary dance club of Singapore Management University (SMU) and was also a judge for the inaugural Flux Dance Competition 2018, a contemporary dance competition dedicated to pre-professional youths aged 16 - 25. He actively shares contemporary dance with young adults and working adults through workshops and master classes both locally and abroad and has created numerous works for contemporary dance clubs of local tertiary institutions.
Ms Elaine Heng
Guest Teacher
Ballet
A soloist of Singapore Dance Theatre, Elaine trained at the Singapore Ballet Academy from the age of six and furthered her training at the Central School of Ballet, London upon receiving the Singapore’s National Arts Council Arts Bursary in 2017. There, she had the opportunity to work with guest teachers such as Matz Skoog, Aurora Bosch, Darshan Singh-Buller and Christopher Bruce. In her graduate year, she was part of Ballet Central, the school’s touring company that year, dancing Sir Peter Wright’s Giselle (Peasant pas de six) and Swan Lake (pas de trois).
Elaine joined SDT in January 2011 as an apprentice and was promoted to Artist in May 2011. Elaine’s repertoire highlights include a soloist role as Dewdrop in The Nutcracker (2011, 2016), Big Swan (2012, 2015, 2019), and pas de trois (2015, 2019), Spanish (2015, 2019) and Tarantella (2019) in Swan Lake, the pas de trois in Paquita (2012, 2016, 2017), Fate in Romeo and Juliet (2014), Kitri’s Friend in Don Quixote (2014, 2016), Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty (2015), Prayer in Coppélia (2017), Choleric in The Four Temperaments (2017) as well as Myrtha in Giselle.
She has also danced in Triptych, Unexpected B, Blue Snow, Age of Innocence, Bournonville Divertissements, A Folk Tale pas de sept, Tarantella, Schubert Symphony, Piano Concerto No.2, Opus 102, Opus 25, Midnight Waltzes, Concerto Barocco, Serenade, Divertimento No.15, Allegro Brillante, Bliss, Peter & Blue Birthday Party, Peter & Blue Go Around The World, Peter & Blue Forest Adventure, Shadow’s Edge, Paquita, Jabula, Organ Concerto, Symphony in Three Movements, ZIN!, Double Contrasts, Linea Adora, SYNC and Midnight Waltzes.
Elaine was promoted to Soloist in January 2015. She most recently performed in Romeo and Juliet (2020) as Fate and Lady Capulet.
Ms Marissa Ooi
Guest Teacher
Ballet
Marissa is a dedicated ballet instructor with a profound passion for sharing the joy of dance. Her extensive training in classical ballet from a young age, along with exposure to various dance genres including modern, contemporary, jazz, and traditional dance, makes her a well-rounded artist and dance instructor.
Known for her patience and professionalism, Marissa has a knack for building strong connections with individuals of all age groups. Her warm and supportive demeanor creates an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for her students.
Marissa's qualifications include the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies, and she has experience teaching both children and adults. Her teaching philosophy extends beyond technical mastery; she believes that ballet is a transformative experience that instills discipline, appreciation of movement, and self-expression. In Marissa’s eyes, each dancer possesses a distinctive artistic voice waiting to be discovered, and her classes serve as a platform for this creative self-discovery.
