Chan Hon Goh C.M., D.Litt

Director, Goh Ballet Academy and Youth Company Canada
Artistic Director, Global Dance Challenge
Former Principal Dancer, National Ballet of Canada

With an illustrious stage career of over 20 years as Principal Dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, Ms. Goh is one of the most prolific artists of her generation. Her delicate lyricism and emotional depth personify the essence of numerous lead roles. In 2010 upon retiring from her performing career, Ms. Goh accepted the invitation to become the Director of Goh Ballet, to further her passion to inspire dancers of tomorrow and to provide students with opportunities to train with world-renowned teachers. Extending her reach and always advocating for the arts, Ms. Goh serves as a jury member for several international competitions. She guest instructs and sets choreography for some of the most renowned companies in the world and since 2009 has been the Executive Producer of Goh Ballet’s critically acclaimed The Nutcracker, a holiday tradition in the City of Vancouver.

“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:

  • Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal
  • Chinese Canadian Legend Award
  • Shelebration Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Honorary Degree Recipient from The University of British Columbia
  • Order of Canada
  • Best Teacher Award, Youth America Grand Prix
  • 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