Kwok Min Yi discusses the challenges she faced becoming Singapore Dance Theatre’s first homegrown principal dancer
In the Turning Points series we talk to a Gen.T honouree about the challenges and milestones they have faced in their life, and how they have made them the person they are today.
Kwok Min Yi, Singapore Dance Theatre’s first homegrown female principal dancer, says that her career in ballet started by a happy accident. “[When I was young] I was waiting for my sister while she attended her ballet lesson, and her teacher saw me peeping through the window trying to get a glimpse of my sister dancing. Afterwards, she [asked if I wanted] to join the next class.”
“It began with just the simple joy of moving to music and enjoying ballet with friends,” she says. “One thing led to another and I am very thankful that my childhood hobby became my career.”
Despite an instant connection to the discipline, Kwok says there wasn’t an exact moment where she realised she wanted to be a professional ballerina. “As I progressed, the steps were more interesting and challenging and I found myself always looking forward to the next lesson. Before I knew it, I was in love and there was no going back.”
A few years later, she began training at the Singapore Ballet Academy (SBA), receiving the SBA Scholarship in 2007 and 2008. Continuing to impress, Kwok was awarded the National Arts Council (Overseas) Arts Scholarship to train at English National Ballet School in London, graduating in 2012. In 2020 she was promoted to principal at Singapore Dance Theatre, making her the company’s first homegrown female principal dancer.
Here, Kwok tells Gen.T about some of the biggest moments in her life—turning points that shaped her personal and professional journey and set her on the path to who she is today.
Being offered my first contract with Singapore Dance Theatre
“My first major turning point would be when I was offered my first contract with Singapore Dance Theatre upon graduating from English National Ballet School. The transition from being a student to a professional is a huge milestone for any young aspiring dancer. As my first major step into the professional ballet world that I had been dreaming of from a young age, this is a special moment for me as it signified the start of a new chapter of my life.”
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