Chan Hon Goh, C.M., D.Litt.

General & Artistic Director, Goh Ballet Academy and Youth Company Canada
Vice President, Royal Academy of Dance
Former Principal Dancer, The National Ballet of Canada

From an acclaimed career on the international stage to her leadership in dance today, Chan Hon Goh has devoted more than three decades to the artistry, discipline and enduring possibilities of ballet. A Member of the Order of Canada and Vice President of the Royal Academy of Dance, she continues to shape the art form through performance, education and the cultivation of future generations.

As Principal Dancer with The National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Goh was celebrated for the lyricism, musicality and emotional depth she brought to the stage. Her career encompassed many of ballet’s most coveted roles and appearances as a guest artist around the world.

In 2010, Ms. Goh became General & Artistic Director of Goh Ballet Academy and Youth Company Canada, carrying forward the artistic legacy established by her parents, Choo Chiat Goh and Lin Yee Goh. Today, she leads with a belief that classical tradition and artistic discovery belong side by side, creating opportunities for young dancers to develop their individual artistry and reach towards their highest potential.

An internationally sought after educator, coach and adjudicator, Ms. Goh shares her artistic perspective with dancers and institutions around the world. Since 2009, she has also served as Executive Producer of Goh Ballet’s The Nutcracker at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre, bringing together international artists, emerging talent and live orchestral music in a celebration of ballet that has become an enduring part of the holiday season.

“Ballerina Chan Hon Goh is one of The National Ballet of Canada’s most exquisite principal dancers. A gifted classicist, she has also won praise for the strength of her dramatic characterizations…As a guest artist, she has appeared all over the world. For most ballerinas, such a glittering career would be enough of a workload. Goh, however, is also an author, businesswoman, and impresario – and she still finds time to be, by her own admission, an activist role model for immigrant women.”

— Dance Magazine

“Chan Hon Goh is the quintessential ballerina. A principal dancer with The National Ballet of Canada, Goh is one of the company’s most exquisite classicists. Her ballon, or the lightness of her landings, is legendary. Her every movement is filled with a lyrical grace that defies gravity and the dramatic power of her expressive body compels attention. The great American Balanchine ballerina, Suzanne Farrell, describes Goh as someone who “illuminates technique”. In short, Goh is everything that makes the ballet beautiful.”

— NUVO Magazine, Canada

“Chan has given us 20 years of beautiful and memorable performances at the National Ballet. Not only has she had a stellar career, she is a wonderfully kind and generous colleague with a professional etiquette and is a great model for young dancers.”

— Ms. Karen Kain

“Goh Ballet breathes new life into Nutcracker”

— Globe and Mail

Ms. Goh is a founding member of Vancouver’s Arts and Culture Policy Council, which assist in giving the city a voice for the creative community. Her accomplishments, with irrepressible devotion to the enhancement of the cultural life of Canada, have garnered several prestigious awards including:

  • Lifetime Achievement Award, Women Empowerment Awards
  • Best Teacher Award, Youth America Grand Prix
  • Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
  • Chinese Canadian Legend Award
  • Shelebration Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Honorary Degree Recipient, University of British Columbia
  • Order of Canada
  • Best Teacher Award, World Ballet Competition
  • Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award
  • CPAC Professional Achievement Award
  • Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • YWCA Women of Distinction Award
  • FMA Vancouver Art Achievement Award
  • National Association of Asian American Professionals Top 100 Award
  • Mandarin Profile Female Entrepreneur Award, Fairchild TV Canada
  • Chosen Ambassador for Rolex Canada
  • Mandarin Profile Award, Fairchild TV Canada
  • ACCE Entrepreneurial Award for Innovation (Principal Shoes)
  • New Pioneers Arts Award
  • Rocky Mountain Book Award — Finalist Nominee: Beyond the Dance
  • Norma Fleck Award — Finalist nominee: Beyond the Dance
  • Named an “Outstanding Person of the 20th Century” International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England
  • Named as one of the “Women of Achievement”, Chatelaine Magazine
  • Genèe International Ballet Competition — Silver Medal
  • Honours in Royal Academy of Dance Examinations & Solo Seal Award
  • Finalist, Prix de Lausanne International Competition of Dance, Switzerland