Interviewed and Written by Jennifer J. Lau
Translated by Jane Li
Photography by Lukas Dong, Kharen Hill, and Doublespace Photography

Who is Chan Hon Goh?

In our upcoming 5th anniversary magazine, one of our featured personal stories is that of Chan Hon Goh. Many Torontonians are celebrating the official arrival of Ms. Goh’s second ballet school this month. She was the first principal dancer of Chinese heritage to perform as part of the National Ballet of Canada, and her sparkling career continues to shine as she brings her art and her craft from British Columbia to Ontario.

在我們即將出版的五週年年刊中，有吳振紅女士(Ms. Chan Hon Goh)的精彩個人故事分享。吳振紅是加拿大國家芭蕾舞團(National Ballet of Canada)的第一位華裔首席舞蹈者。今年，她把自己輝煌的舞蹈事業從卑詩省帶回了安大略省。在八月初，多倫多居民見證了吳振紅第二所芭蕾舞蹈學校（Goh Ballet）的開幕。

Her First Steps

Hailing from a family of principal dancers in the Chinese National Ballet, Goh was surrounded by artists, musicians, and set designers from a very young and impressionable age. The recipient of the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and many other accolades, Chan Hon Goh has far exceeded her childhood dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Goh is now an entrepreneur, a writer, and the proud director of two ballet schools in Canada.

來自中央芭蕾舞團的一個舞蹈世家，吳振紅女士從非常年輕的時侯，就被藝術家，音樂家和設計師圍繞熏陶。作為YWCA女性優秀獎，女王伊麗莎白二世鑽石禧年獎章和許多其他榮譽的獲得者，吳振紅的成就遠遠超越了當初成為芭蕾舞家的童年夢想。現在，吳振紅是創業者，作家，還是兩所著名芭蕾舞學校的校長。

As a second-generation immigrant from Beijing, Goh vividly recalls the culture shock upon her arrival in Canada and tells of how dance provided her refuge. After living in Canada for seven years, her father thought that she should enter an international competition in Switzerland to gain some experience. Having never competed before, Goh never imagined she would gain significant recognition, but she did. Becoming a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne International Competition of Dance provided the validation and encouragement to pursue ballet as a professional career. A decade later, she would be performing around the world – even the Queen of Denmark came to see her dance in Copenhagen.

作為來自北京的第二代移民，吳振紅回憶起她抵達加拿大後所遇到的文化衝擊，並講述了舞蹈如何成為了她的避難所。在加拿大生活了七年後，她的父親認為她應該為了學習而參加在瑞士舉辦的國際比賽。從未參與過任何比賽的她，沒有想像會獲得重要的認可，但她最後晉升成為Prix de Lausanne國際舞蹈大賽的決賽選手。這個殊榮為她成為專業芭蕾舞家的夢給予了極大鼓勵。轉眼十年後，年輕的吳振紅已經在世界各地演出，包括在哥本哈根時，丹麥女王也專程來看她的表演。

Goh Ballet

Goh Ballet opened this month at Bayview Village in a prestigious North York neighbourhood, ushering a new era of young dancers who will allow ballet to transform their lives. Speaking with Melissa Evans-Lee, Vice President of Retail and National Marketing at QuadReal, which manages Bayview Village, she is proud that Goh Ballet joins the elegant lifestyle embodied by the retail space. Evans-Lee shares about the uniqueness of Bayview Village, exclaiming that there’s no better place where you can get ready for a gala, dine with friends, pick up groceries and “a bottle of Veuve,” and learn to dance, all in one spot. Visitors will now be able to bring their children to dance classes at a world-renowned ballet studio designed by Batay-Csorba Architects to the list of special offerings of Bayview Village in their community. Goh Ballet is located above the LCBO, in a beautiful, brand-new inspiring studio.

吳振紅芭蕾舞學院（Goh Ballet）於2019年在多倫多Bayview Village開幕，開啟了一個新時代。在Bayview Village做管理的QuadReal零售和全國市場營銷部副總裁Melissa Evans-Lee表示，她對Goh Ballet的加入感到非常自豪。 Evans-Lee說Bayview Village是一個獨特而高雅的零售空間，在這裡，你能找到出席晚宴從頭到腳所需要的一切，也可以與朋友享受美食，還能在買菜的時候順手買到一瓶香檳，更可以在這裏學舞蹈。現在，家長們還能帶孩子來Goh Ballet—這個享有世界美譽的芭蕾舞學校學習舞蹈。 Goh Ballet嶄新的工作室空間是由Batay-Csorba Architects設計的。大方而美麗的學院就坐落在LCBO樓上。

Giving Back to Toronto

Goh is ready to give back to the city that afforded her so many fond memories while she performed with the National Ballet of Canada. During her former time in Toronto, she was also involved with the Chinese Cultural Centre too! Therefore, Toronto was a natural choice for the expansion of the ballet school. With 8000 square feet at a very accessible location slated to be further modernized and extended, Goh is excited to embark on this new journey. Aspiring ballerinas, what a great time to delve deeper into your passions and dreams for dance!

吳振紅想要回饋給她在加拿大國家芭蕾舞團表演時期，這個帶給她如此多美好回憶的地方。在多倫多生活的那段時間，吳振紅跟中國文化中心有互動過，因此，多倫多這座城市自然成為她擴建芭蕾學校的不二之選。在位於一個非常便利的位置及佔地8000平方英尺的地方，吳振紅很高興能夠開始這一個新旅程。有抱負的芭蕾舞者肯定會受益於吳振紅的職業生涯和舞蹈驚艷。對於充滿夢想的芭蕾舞者們來說，這將是多麼難能可貴的機會！

Read the full interview in our upcoming issue!
繼續留意即將出版的 Fête Chinoise 五週年年刊中關於吳振紅的全篇訪問！