There are many forms of dancing today, and each and every dance has its own style, allure and set of movements that define it. One of the most esteemed and instantly recognisable dance styles is ballet, which has roots stretching back to about 1500, originating in Italy. Today, it is a beautiful art form enjoyed and pursued by many. If you’re looking to make your ballet dreams come true to become a prima ballerina or ballerino, check out Asia Ballet Academy!
About Asia Ballet Academy
Established in February 2019, Asia Ballet Academy is a team of dancers from Hong Kong that assimilates their professional ballet training system into Malaysia. Through Vaganova teaching methods, they provide professional ballet training and aim to cultivate students’ technical capabilities in classical ballet while nurturing their artistic growth as dancers. Besides that, they also strive to strengthen students’ overall development by implementing moral standards and ethical values alongside professional ballet training. To achieve this, they carefully construct a learning routine consisting of not just ballet class, but music class, dance history, anatomy, acting and etiquette class as compulsory subjects, accompanied by community outreach activities, performances and competitions. Before this, founder Ms Ivy Chung founded her own school, Ivy Chung School of Ballet and Ivy’s Ballet Company in Hong Kong back in 2002.
About Ms Ivy Chung
Ms Ivy Chung began her career as a professional dancer in the Universal Ballet Company of Korea, Ontario Ballet Theater and the Hong Kong Ballet. Throughout it all, she has worked with various famous ballet artists including Stephen Jefferies and Galina Ulanova; received different awards; been invited as ballet teacher, choreographer and jury internationally; and was also appointed as Associate Executive Director of the Kirov Academy of Ballet Washington DC. She also founded Canaan Dance in 2014, which is an international dance education organisation. Under the direction of Ivy, Canaan Dance organises workshops, auditions and international ballet competitions to nurture young dancers in Asia, and provide them with scholarships and opportunities to study professionally abroad.
Expanding the Love for Dance
Asia Ballet Academy hopes to highlight Malaysian culture through performing arts, raise the standard and awareness of ballet and performing arts locally and to provide job opportunities in the dance industry. With this, they hope to eventually raise the international status of Malaysia, and to attract audience and tourists from all over the world. Asia Ballet Academy does not solely focus on ballet dancing in itself; but they focus on all different aspects of training for every single student. Apart from competitions, performance and stage experience is crucial for a student, as ballet is a performing art and belongs on stage. Through full-length ballet productions, students get to experience first-hand what it’s like to be a ballet dancer, from getting used to full-day rehearsals to taking care of one’s own costume. Their full-length ballet productions include Fairy Doll and Don Quixote, both held at Istana Budaya.
More Than Just Art
More than just an art, ballet is also an attitude and discipline of life. Students will have to learn not only how to become a better dancer, but more importantly how to improve oneself as an individual and artist to better project themselves on stage and throughout their lives. Some of Asia Ballet Academy’s achievements include receiving the most number of awards in the TDS Competition 2019; bagging several awards and scholarships in the Star of Canaan Dance International Ballet Competition 2019 Hong Kong, which led them to other esteemed ballet establishments internationally; and being nominated for the BOH Cameronian Awards. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia Ballet Academy has also hosted a fundraising campaign to help the poor. In the coming years, they aim to build a local professional ballet company, providing careers for local ballet students; and to set up more branches in Asia.
“Perfect the arts, create the future!
Challenge yourself, inspire others!” – Asia Ballet Academy
For more information, visit asiaballetacademy.com!
