Choo San Goh Scholarship

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Choo San Goh Scholarship The Choo San Goh Scholarship is a ballet-focused award established to support emerging classical dancers associated with major companies and conservatories, fostering careers in choreography and performance. The scholarship provides funding, mentorship, and residency opportunities designed to bridge training at institutions like Juilliard School, School of American Ballet, Royal Ballet School, and companies such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet. It honors the legacy of choreographer Choo San Goh by aligning recipients with institutions and figures across the global ballet and contemporary dance fields including Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balanchine, Merce Cunningham, Martha Graham, and John Neumeier.

Overview

The scholarship functions as a competitive fellowship emphasizing choreography, repertory, and international exchange, connecting artists to organizations like National Ballet of Canada, Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Het Nationale Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, Kirov Ballet, and English National Ballet. It is administered in partnership with conservatories and cultural institutions such as Yale School of Drama, Columbia University, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, Institut del Teatre, and performing venues including Lincoln Center, Sadler's Wells Theatre, Teatro alla Scala, Sydney Opera House, and Kennedy Center. Programming often involves mentorship from directors and artists like Peter Martins, Kevin McKenzie, Julie Kent, Carlos Acosta, Tamara Rojo, David Hallberg, Natalia Makarova, Alina Cojocaru, and Edward Villella.

Founded in the late 1990s after the death of Choo San Goh, the scholarship emerged from collaborations among patrons, companies, and schools including Katherine Dunham, Arpino, Balanchine Trust, Prix de Lausanne, Varna International Ballet Competition, and philanthropic foundations such as Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ford Foundation. Early partners included Brooklyn Academy of Music, Jacob's Pillow, American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, and international festivals like Spoleto Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and Holland Festival. The award's establishment involved trustees and advisors from institutions like Juilliard, Royal Ballet School, ABT, and cultural ministries of France, United Kingdom, Russia, China, and Australia.

Eligibility targets emerging dancers, choreographers, and répétiteurs affiliated with companies and schools such as Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Korean National Ballet, and National Ballet of China. Criteria include demonstrated mastery of repertoire related to choreographers like Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, August Bournonville, John Cranko, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, as evidenced by performances at venues such as Giselle Theatre, Bolshoi Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, Opéra Bastille, and festivals including Jacob's Pillow and Vail International Dance Festival. Selection panels often include artistic directors and critics associated with The New York Times, Dance Magazine, The Guardian, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel.

Applications are typically submitted through partner institutions like Juilliard, Royal Ballet School, School of American Ballet, Conservatoire de Paris, and digital platforms used by Prix de Lausanne and Varna Competition. Candidates submit performance videos, letters of support from directors at companies such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet, and curriculum vitae documenting collaborations with choreographers such as Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite, Justin Peck, and Benjamin Millepied. The selection process includes auditions, interviews, and adjudication by panels featuring representatives from Lincoln Center, Royal Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Paris Opera Ballet School, and international critics from BBC Arts and PBS NewsHour.

Benefits include stipends for training and residency, commissions for new works at venues like Sadler's Wells, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Sydney Opera House, and placements with companies such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Mariinsky Ballet. Recipients receive mentorship from figures like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Alonzo King, William Forsythe, Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, and access to archives at institutions such as Dance Notation Bureau, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and Bibliothèque nationale de France. Obligations often include premieres, teaching residencies at schools like Juilliard, Royal Ballet School, School of American Ballet, and participation in outreach performances at cultural centers including Lincoln Center Out of Doors and festivals like Jacob's Pillow.

The scholarship has influenced repertory and pedagogy at institutions including Juilliard, School of American Ballet, Royal Ballet School', Paris Opera Ballet School, Academy of Russian Ballet, and companies such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Mariinsky Ballet. It helped launch collaborations between recipients and cultural organizations like Lincoln Center, Sadler's Wells, Kennedy Center, Opéra de Paris, Teatro alla Scala, Sydney Opera House, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, and contributed to programs at festivals including Jacob's Pillow, Edinburgh International Festival, Spoleto Festival, and Holland Festival. The award reinforced transnational exchange among dance communities involving leaders like Mikhail Baryshnikov, Carlos Acosta, Alina Cojocaru, Tamara Rojo, Natalia Makarova, David Hallberg, Julie Kent, and Peter Martins, shaping contemporary choreography and repertory preservation across theaters worldwide.

Category:Ballet awards