Goh Lay Kuan | |
|---|---|
| 吴丽娟 | |
| Born | 1939 (age 84–85) |
| Education | Chong Fu Primary[1] Nan Chiau Girls' High School[1] Victoria Ballet Guild [1] |
| Occupation(s) | ballet dancer, choreographer, dance educator |
| Organization | The Theatre Practice |
| Notable work | Nu Wa – Mender of the Heavens |
| Spouse | Kuo Pao Kun |
| Children | Kuo Jian Hong Okorn-Kuo Jing Hong |
| Awards | Cultural Medallion |
| Chinese name | |
| Simplified Chinese | 吴丽娟 |
| Traditional Chinese | 吳麗娟 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Wú Lìjuān |
| Hokkien POJ | Gô͘ 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.