Yan Choong Lian is a Singapore contemporary Chinese dancer, choreographer and dance educator. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, she performed and choreographed with the People's Association Dance Troupe and the National Dance Company and taught dance at the Kampung Glam community centre. Later on, she established the Yan Choong Lian Dance Troupe and subsequently the Dance Ensemble Singapore with which she continues to nurture generations of young dancers and create new works that reflect the spirit of Singapore.

Yan Choong Lian was born on 29 October 1954, and loved dance from an early age. While in River Valley High School, she joined the Singapore Practice Performing Arts School (实践表演艺术学院) and trained under the tutelage of renowned dancer and dance teacher, Goh Lay Kuan.

In 1974, Yan graduated from high school at age 20 and found work as a resettlement officer with the Housing Board. That same year, she joined the National Dance Company. Like many other dancers in the company, she held a day job and danced after office hours. Her time at the company was highly rewarding. She was presented with the opportunity to perform in Singapore and overseas at dance festivals, cultural exchange programmes and other events including the South East Asian Music and Dance Festival in Bangkok in 1976. In a short span of time, Yan became one of the company’s star dancers.

Yan resigned from the Housing Board in 1979 and went on to work for the People’s Association Dance Troupe (人协舞蹈团). For about eight years around the ‘70s to ‘80s, she taught children both classical and modern dance at the Kampung Glam Community Centre every Saturday. In 1980, she finally tried her hand at choreography and worked on the dance production Unfreezing Ice for the Kampung Glam Community Centre. The performance was selected for "Ballet Night" at the 1980 Singapore Festival of Arts, and received rave reviews. Encouraged by its success, Yan put up another dance production Two Faces of Man for the festival in 1982.

By then, Yan had become an assistant choreographer and instructor with the National Dance Company. In 1983, she was invited to create a dance item for VIPs at the ASEAN ministerial meeting in Bangkok, which was considered a great honour for a young choreographer. Weaving together elements of Indian, Malay, Chinese and modern dance, the performance was a hit with the multicultural audience. She also received the National Youth Service Award that year for her service to dance. In the years that followed, she represented Singapore on cultural missions to the US, Europe, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei and Malaysia, and choreographed more works for the Singapore Festival of Arts, ASEAN Festival of Dance and other events.

In the ‘80s, Yan sought to improve and expand her own dance and teaching techniques. She completed three Chinese dance teachers' training courses, first at China's Beijing Dancing Academy in 1987, and subsequently at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) in 1987 and 1988. She also completed a course in Chinese folk dance conducted by the Chinese Dance Artistes' Association in 1987. She then completed a six-month course on Chinese dance (long sleeves) at NAFA in 1989 and took on a one-year NAFA programme in 1990 where she learnt Dung Huang dance and rhythm. That year, she also passed her Chinese dance teachers' examinations jointly organised by NAFA and the Beijing Dancing Academy.

In 1987, Yan realised her lifelong dream and established her own dance troupe – the Yan Choong Lian Dance Troupe (严众莲舞蹈团) – together with her best students. She and the troupe were promptly invited to perform in the Miss Universe pageant held in Singapore that year, and went on to dance on television, at the 1988 National Day Carnival, the 1990 Singapore Jubilee Spectacular, among numerous other occasions. The troupe quickly established itself as Singapore’s leading contemporary Chinese dance troupe.

After a few years, Yan found that the troupe's headquarters at the Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre was becoming too small for the expanding dance company. She sought help from the National Arts Council's Arts Housing scheme and, in 1993, relocated the troupe to a new home at Waterloo Street. When they moved, Yan renamed her troupe the Dance Ensemble Singapore (DES) (聚舞坊). Her husband, also a former dancer with the People's Association Dance Troupe, was appointed manager, while she continued as artistic director, choreographer and teacher.

The following year, Yan was awarded the annual JCCI (Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry) Singapore Foundation Award for her contributions to culture (performing arts) and used the award money to renovate the ensemble's premises. Although DES's main activities were dance training and performing, Yan also taught etiquette and piety to her students. She was determined to groom them to be respectful and gracious dancers and people.

Under Yan's leadership, DES has performed at major Singapore arts, cultural and charity events such as Festival of Arts, National Day, Chingay parades and HeritageFest. The troupe has also participated in many events overseas including the 8th International Children's Folklore Festival in Spain in 1996, the International Youth Dance Festival Macau in 1997 and 1999, Matsuyama Autumn Festival in Kagoshima, Japan, in 2005, and The Second China XinJiang International Dance Festival in 2011.

In addition to presenting well-received annual dance productions, the Ensemble has also performed in collaborative pieces with other arts groups such as the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (The Grandeur of Tang Chinese Orchestra Concert, 2004), and the Hong Kong Dance Troupe (Interweave, 2006).

Having accomplished so much in her career, Yan is very much sought after for her wealth of professional experience. She was invited to judge competitions such as the 11th Malaysia Chinese Dance Festival in Kuala Lumpur in 1990. She has served as a member of the National Arts Council's Arts Resource Panel (1993-1996), was involved in advisory committees for dance for then Minister of Community Development Wong Kan Seng (1987-1991), and the design of the Singapore Arts Centre (1992), as well as for the Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts Ltd (1998-2000).

She gave several talks on dance (National University of Singapore's Centre for Musical Activities, 1986), conducted a workshop for the Ministry of Education's Dance Workshop Series (2009), and shared her professional expertise at the 2nd Dance Education Seminar 2012 (University Cultural Centre).

In 2003, Yan received the Goodwill Award from the Singapore SOKA Association. In 2010 and 2011, she was invited to be a cultural ambassador for the National Heritage Board's Singapore HeritageFest. From 2007, she has been a planner for arts education programmes in primary, secondary schools and institutions.

Currently, DES is one of Singapore's top contemporary Chinese dance companies and has about 700 dancers including students, ensemble members and Yan's two daughters. Her older daughter – who received 10 years of dance training in the US – is a lead dancer there and is poised to take over the reins of the company.

Although Yan is grateful for all her achievements, she still feels motivated to help develop the Singapore dance scene. It has been her lifelong quest to develop and increase understanding in the community that as foreign artists help to inspire the Singapore arts community, our artistic expression is one that has to be distinctly Singaporean. With her ensemble's mix of local and foreign dancers and choreographers, Yan constantly develops and showcases homegrown dance expressions in new works that are relevant to and reflective of our lives and experiences in Singapore.