Mr Ng Kin Wee studied ballet under the tutelage of Mdm Lim Fei Shen (1977) & Mdm Goh Soo Khim (1978-1983).
In 1983, he left for Washington D.C. (USA) under scholarship from both Mdm Goh’s Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA) and The Washington School of the Ballet (TWSB) under Ms Mary Day to study ballet at TWSB.
From 1986 to 1991, he was a teaching assistant in ballet, teaching and choreographing for the dance department at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
In 1989, he received scholarships for summer sessions at Des Moines Ballet, Ames, Iowa and Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan studying the Bournonville and Bolshoi technique respectively.
Since back in Singapore, he has been actively teaching adult ballet at various dance schools and guest teaches in USA, Singapore and Malaysia as well as dancing professionally with Odyssey Dance Theatre, a local contemporary dance company.
In 1996, he went to Jackson, Mississippi (USA) to study the Vaganova technique by Ballet Magnificat! Summer Intensive.
In Jan 2003, Ballet Magnificat! came to Singapore to perform and collaborate with Singapore dancers in their production, “Deliver Us!”. Kin Wee danced and was also the rehearsal assistant for the Singapore dancers.
In July 2003, he completed the 6-year Vaganova syllabus conducted by Mr John White of Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, Philadelphia, USA which he opened with his wife in 1974. Mr. White studied and trained for several years with Soviet ballet masters while he was a member of Alicia Alonso’s Ballet Nacional de Cuba. He has also written two books: Teaching Classical Ballet and Advanced Principles in Teaching Classical Ballet.
Kin Wee successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 3 of the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum in 2009 and Level 4 through Level 7 & Partnering in 2010. He is the first Singaporean to have done so.
The American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum is a breakthrough 8 level program that combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development. The ABT® National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels.
In July 2019, Kin Wee attended the Teacher Training for “Methodology and Understanding of the Russian Classical Ballet and Vaganova Method” in Saint Petersburg, Russia conducted by Ms Ekaterina Shchelkanova (Chtchelkanova) and her husband, Mr Anton Boytsov, both graduates of Vaganova Ballet Academy as well as Founders of Open World Dance Foundation.
Ms Shchelkanova studied under Agrippina Vaganova’s very last protégée, Ms Ludmila Safronova. With it, she has been preserving and passing on the traditions of the Vaganova Method through these courses, emphasizing on the artistic quality as well as the reasons behind each port de bras, exercise and movement.
Kin Wee has been invited on various occasion to adjudicate ballet exams for Mina Art Ballet (now Studio Arts Passe), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LaSALLE College of the Arts as well as conduct ballet workshops in Malaysia and U.S.A.
Currently, Kin Wee is teaching adult ballet in his own school, Ballet51 Dance Studio.
Ballet Instructors who Mentored and Influenced Kin Wee Over the Years
| Teacher | School | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Mr Han Kee Juan | Classical Ballet Pedagogy Workshop in Singapore: Introduction to Classical Dance Pedagogy Port de Bras and Epaulement Turns Petite and Grand Allegro |
Nov 2019 |
| Ms Ekaterina Shchelkanova (Chtchelkanova), Mr Anton Boytsov, Mr Anatoliy Sidorov (Pas de Deux), Mr Aleksandr Stepin (Stage Acting), Ms Elena Bazhenova (Character Dance) |
Open World Dance Foundation Teacher Training, "Methodology and Understanding of the Russian Classical Ballet and Vaganova Method", Saint Petersburg, Russia |
July 2019 |
| Mr Franco De Vita, Mr Raymond Lukens, Ms Kate Lydon, Ms Harriet Clark |
American Ballet Theatre Teacher Training Intensives, New York, USA |
Jul 2009 & Jul 2010 |
| Mr John White | Vaganova Syllabus Teacher’s Seminar (Yr 1-6) at Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, USA |
Jul 2003 |
| Ms Mavis Staines, Mr Sergiu Stefanschi |
The National Ballet School of Toronto Dance Teachers’ Seminar, Canada |
Jul 2002 |
| Ms Hilary Kaplan | RAD Teacher’s Summer Course, Singapore |
Jun 2000 |
| Mr Colin Peasley (Australian Ballet School) | Dance Association (S) Teacher’s Workshop, Singapore |
Jun 1999 & May 2000 |
| Ms Susan M. Tolle, Ms Mary, Ms Lauri, Mr George Lyssenko |
Ballet Magnificat Teacher's Workshop, Jackson, Mississippi, USA |
Jul 1996 |
| Mr Mikhail Messerer (Bolshoi Ballet), Mdm Sulamith Messerer (Bolshoi Ballet), Ms Luba Gulyaeva (Kirov Ballet), Mr Jurgen Schneider (ABT), Mdm Janina Cunova (Australian Ballet) |
Western Michigan University Summer Intensive, USA (Bolshoi / Vaganova) |
Jul 1989 |
| Mr Kennet Oberly | Des Moines Ballet Summer Intensive, USA (Bournonville) |
Jul 1989 |
| Ms Catherine Vaucher, Ms Krystal Woods, Ms Donna Wilson |
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, USA |
1985 – 1991 |
| Mr Julio de Bethencourt, Mr Robert Steele |
The Washington School of The Ballet, Washington D.C., USA |
1983 – 1984 |
| Mdm Goh Soo Khim | Singapore Ballet Academy | 1978 – 1983 |
| Mdm Lim Fei Shen | National Theatre Trust Ballet Troupe, Singapore | 1977 – 1978 |
Past Teaching Engagements
| Engagement | Year |
|---|---|
| Coach finalist (category 3 & 4) of TDS Ballet Competition, KL, Malaysia | 2019 |
| Arabesque Ballet Studio Dance Camp, Bandung, Indonesia | 2013 |
| Dance Space, Klang, KL, Malaysia | 2012 |
| D’Danze, Sri Damansara, KL, Malaysia | 2012 – 2020 |
| Ballet51 Dance Studio | 2012 – present |
| DanceArt, KL, Malaysia | 2011 – 2015 |
| Moving Arts | 2011 – 2014 |
| Frontier Danceland | 2010 – 2011 |
| Practice Performing Arts School | 2006 – 2010 |
| The Ninth State Movement Complex, Plymouth, New Hampshire, USA |
2005 – 2008 |
| Mina Art Ballet | 2003 – 2006 |
| Young Artist Project, Odyssey Dance Theatre | 2001 |
| Northland Secondary School | 2001 |
| Dance Connection | 2000 – 2003 |
| YMCA of Singapore | 1998 – 2012 |
| Cecilia Hon Ballet Theatre | 1998 |
| Dance Arts Singapore | 1997 – 1999 |
| Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts | 1994 – 1995 |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Dance Department (Ballet), Illinois, USA |
1986 – 1991 |
| Singapore Ballet Academy | 1984 |
Honours & Qualification
| Credential | Year |
|---|---|
| Completed Methodology and Understanding of the Russian Classical Ballet and Vaganova Method Teacher Training Program, St Petersburg, Russia | 2019 |
| ABT® Certified Teacher in level 6 – 7 & partnering, USA | 2010 |
| ABT® Certified Teacher in level 4 – 5, USA | 2010 |
| ABT® Certified Teacher in primary level – level 3, USA | 2009 |
| Completed Vaganova Syllabus Teacher’s Seminar (year 1 – 6) by Mr John White, USA | 2003 |
| Scholarship Student, Western Michigan University, USA | 1989 |
| Scholarship Student, Des Moines Ballet, USA | 1989 |
| Scholarship Student, The Washington School of the Ballet, USA | 1983 – 1984 |
| Passed RAD Intermediate, Singapore | 1983 |
| Passed RAD Elementary, Singapore | 1981 |
| Scholarship Student, Singapore Ballet Academy | 1978 – 1983 |
| Scholarship Student, National Theatre Trust Ballet Troupe, Singapore | 1977 – 1978 |
