Cover Jean M Wong and her students in ‘When Dreams Come True’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
Jean M Wong and her students in ‘When Dreams Come True’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
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Jean M Wong was the first Chinese graduate of the UK’s Royal Academy of Dance to set up a ballet school for Hong Kong’s Chinese-speaking community 65 years ago. Now, her daughter Liat Chen takes up the baton with a new vision for dance education in the city.
On a fine Saturday evening in mid-August, the usual sight of international professional ballet dancers at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre was replaced with cheery students and alumni from the Jean M Wong School of Ballet. It was a striking scene: dozens of Asian dancers performing with confidence and verve—a sight that would have been unthinkable in the 1940s, when its founder Jean M Wong began training in ballet.
The Shanghai-born, Hong Kong-raised dancer pursued ballet in London at a time when few Asians were represented on international stages. After her training, she returned home and became the first Chinese graduate of the UK’s Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) to establish a ballet school for the local Chinese-speaking community in 1960. What began as a modest studio in Happy Valley quickly expanded into a renowned academy with six studios across the city. Wong’s commitment to excellence nurtured generations of talent, including Chun Wing Lam, the first Hongkonger admitted to the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet.
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Above Jean M Wong and her students in a dance class (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
Jean M Wong and her students in a dance class (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
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Sixty-five years on, that pioneering spirit lives on under the direction of Wong’s daughter, Liat Chen. Stepping into her mother’s shoes more than two decades ago, Chen has continued to uphold the school’s reputation while charting her own course forward. This month, she and her team presented an anniversary gala, When Dreams Come True, a showcase of students and alumni that honoured Wong’s trailblazing vision while celebrating the school’s role in shaping Hong Kong’s cultural landscape.
An architect by training, Chen returned to the school with fresh eyes, blending her mother’s exacting standards with her own openness to innovation. “My mother was a perfectionist,” Chen recalls. “She worked tirelessly, expected discipline and always pushed for the highest standards. She lived and breathed ballet.” Those memories—of weekends spent in the studio and of her mother’s unwavering devotion to students—continue to guide her.
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Above Liat Chen, the daughter of Jean M Wong and current director of Jean M Wong School of Ballet (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
Liat Chen, the daughter of Jean M Wong and current director of Jean M Wong School of Ballet (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
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While respecting tradition, Chen has expanded the school’s horizons with initiatives that encourage boldness. These include scholarship showcases for outstanding students, exchange programmes with European schools and inviting international faculty to expose dancers to diverse choreographic styles. “Being a little more adventurous,” she says, ensures the school evolves while remaining rooted in her mother’s ethos.
That ethos has sustained the institution through both triumphs and trials. From economic downturns to the pandemic’s disruption of in-person teaching, the school has shown resilience, with alumni moving on to professional companies or applying the discipline of dance to other careers. Support for students has also deepened: the Tsinforn C Wong Memorial Scholarship continues to help aspiring dancers pursue training abroad.
Above Lam Chun Wing and Melody Fung, both alumni of Jean M Wong School of Ballet, performed a pas de deux from ‘Don Quixote’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
Lam Chun Wing and Melody Fung, both alumni of Jean M Wong School of Ballet, performed a pas de deux from ‘Don Quixote’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
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Equally significant has been the school’s focus on inclusivity. Free male-only classes offered alongside regular ones have encouraged more boys to take up ballet, while the student body has become increasingly international. For Chen, these shifts mark an encouraging change in Hong Kong’s cultural attitudes. “Parents now recognise that ballet isn’t just an elite pursuit—it instils discipline, creativity and expression,” she says.
Looking ahead, Chen hopes the city’s dance scene will continue to nurture an appreciation for classical ballet, even in an age where fast, social-media-driven content often takes precedence. “Ballet takes patience,” she says. “It’s about perseverance, discipline and years of hard work. That’s a message we want to keep alive.”
Above The students of Jean M Wong School of Ballet performing ‘Bubble Gum’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
The students of Jean M Wong School of Ballet performing ‘Bubble Gum’ on August 16, 2025 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (Photo: courtesy of Jean M Wong School of Ballet)
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As the Jean M Wong School of Ballet marks its 65th anniversary with performances, exhibitions and masterclasses, it does more than look back at a remarkable history. It projects a vision for the future—one in which ballet remains a living, evolving art form that inspires Hong Kong audiences for generations to come.
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Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
