Goh Lay Kuan

Goh Lay Kuan
吴丽娟
Born1939 (age 84–85)
EducationChong Fu Primary[1]
Nan Chiau Girls' High School[1]
Victoria Ballet Guild [1]
Occupation(s)ballet dancer, choreographer, dance educator
OrganizationThe Theatre Practice
Notable workNu Wa – Mender of the Heavens
SpouseKuo Pao Kun
ChildrenKuo Jian Hong
Okorn-Kuo Jing Hong
AwardsCultural Medallion
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese吴丽娟
Traditional Chinese吳麗娟
Hanyu PinyinWú Lìjuān
Hokkien POJGô͘ Lē-koan

Goh Lay Kuan (Chinese: 吴丽娟; born 1939) is an Indonesian-born Singaporean dancer, choreographer, educator, and pioneer of dance in Singapore. Together with her husband, Kuo Pao Kun, she co-founded the Singapore Performing Arts School (now The Theatre Practice), a seminal institution in Singaporean modern theater and dance.

During the mid-1970s, both Goh and her husband were branded as enemies of the state and detained in mass arrests of alleged communist sympathizers. The 1980s and 90s, however, saw Goh rise in prominence. In 1988 she created Nu Wa – Mender of the Heavens, Singapore's first modern dance production, and in 1995 she was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's highest award for artistic excellence.

  1. ^ a b c "Goh Lay Kuan: The ballerina who overturned tables". Singapore News Today. Farhan. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.