BY KUA CHEE SIONG

YOU know household names like Li Jia Wei and Joscelin Yeo.

By Saturday, Kwok Min Yi might take her first step to joining that league.

Min Yi, 17, won a prestigious spot in the final of the Genee International Ballet Competition (regarded as the Olympic Games of the ballet world) at the University Cultural Centre yesterday.

Her selection as one of the 12 finalists is historic because this is the first time that a Singaporean has made it to the competition, let alone the final. And yes, she was 'happy' about making Singapore dance history.

Her dance teacher, Ms Cheah Mei Sing, 35, had a ready explanation for Min Yi's economy with words. 'Min Yi is a more a doer, and not so much of a talker,' she said.

And do she did.

The former student of Singapore Chinese Girl's School beat 53 other dancers (including seven boys), aged between 15 and 19, from 14 countries including Australia, Japan and South Africa.

She will compete for a medal in the finals tomorrow.

Apart from being a competition, the flagship event of Britain's Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) also attracts talent scouts, choreographers and artistic directors from all over the world. They will cast a keen eye on rising stars to groom.

Among those plucked from obscurity at previous events are British ballet legend Margot Fonteyn and Russian-born superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Min Yi has been dancing since she was 4 with the Crestar School of Dance. She joined the Singapore Ballet Academy when she was13.

Leaving for London

She will be leaving soon for the English National Ballet School in London on a National Arts Council (NAC)Arts Scholarship.

She has firm ideas on her future: 'Dance is my life,' she said.

This is the first time in its 78-year history that the Genee is being held in South-east Asia.

It is being presented here together with the NAC.

The competition is open to those who have passed the Royal Academy of Dance Advanced 2 examination in Classical Ballet with distinction, or those who have been awarded the Solo Seal award, the final and top examination in the academy.

RAD's artistic director Lynn Wallis said the Genee presents a unique experience for amateur dancers.

'It's not often that a dancer, especially of that age, has a chance to be part of the creative process, to the extent of working on a solo variation choreographed specifically for them,' she said.

For the past week, the dancers were given a taste of what a professional career in dance might be like, going through gruelling eight-hour-long coaching sessions.

For the finals, the dancers will be judged on their footwork, ability to engage the audience, and their choice of music.

And even if one dancer is clearly better than the others, that doesn't mean that he or she will bag the gold medal ' standards are so high that there were years when no gold medals were given out because the judges felt the dancers were not up to scratch.

For Min Yi, however, it doesn't matter whether she gets a medal.

'After you set a goal, go one step at a time,' she said. 'My dream is to be a professional dancer.'

FYI

WHAT: Genee International Ballet Competition Final
WHEN: Sat 12 Sep, 7.30pm
WHERE: University Cultural Centre, NUS
Tickets are sold out

This article was first published in The New Paper.