Ballet 101: The Choreography Game

Etienne started dancing at a young age in Oyonnax, France, before joining the Paris Opera Ballet School in 2003. During his time at the school, he performed ballets by a range of choreographers, including; George Balanchine, José Martinez, Claude Bessy, John Neumeier and Nils Christe. He also toured to Europe, Japan and the USA. Upon graduation, Etienne joined the Paris Opera Ballet Company for the 2009/2010 season.

In November 2010, Etienne moved to Singapore to join Singapore Ballet (formerly Singapore Dance Theatre). He was promoted to First Artist in 2014 and Principal in 2018. During his time with the company, Etienne danced multiple soloist and principal roles and was a part of many new classical and contemporary creations. Some of his highlights include; Romeo in Choo-San Goh’s Romeo and Juliet and Prince Florimund in Janek Schergen’s Sleeping Beauty.

In 2021, Etienne began exploring an interest in choreography, creating three pieces for Singapore Ballet: Singular (2021), Faux Contact (2022) and Don’t Panic! (2023). He also designed and created the costumes for both works. In 2025, he created Ebb and Flow for Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore.

Aside from his career as a dancer, Etienne is a circus artist, specialising in aerial arts. He has performed yearly with Bornfire Circus in their performances for Flipside Festival at Esplanade. He has also designed and realised the costumes for the productions since 2020. Since 2021, Etienne has been involved in the production team for Aerial Open Stage and Circus Open Stage, two programs produced by Bornfire to create performance opportunities for Singapore circus enthusiasts. His roles have included project manager, stage manager and stage director. Etienne is now based in Hong Kong and works as a freelance artist, teacher and choreographer.

Rosa has a versatile career as an artist and an educator with a profound passion for dance. She serves as a Ballet Mistress with Singapore Ballet (formerly known as Singapore Dance Theatre) working closely with professional dancers and renowned international choreographers. While she was the Principal Artist at Singapore Ballet, she was featured on the cover of Dance Europe Magazine and received overwhelmingly positive reviews throughout her career. She was also offered a Principal role in Nutcracker with the Korean National Ballet in her final year of university, where her love for ballet and academics converged. She was also invited to dance with the Royal Swedish Ballet during her career with Korean National Ballet. Additionally, she serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at NAFA, sharing her knowledge and passion with aspiring artists. This role has allowed her to bridge the gap between her experiences as a dancer and her academic pursuits, creating a harmonious blend of mentorship and education.

Her academic and professional training journey began with six years of rigorous training at Sunhwa Arts School, where she graduated as the top performer in her class. She holds a Bachelor's Degree from Ewha Women’s University and a Master's Degree from Sejong University. Her commitment to personal growth led her to earn a Certificate in Leadership Principles at Harvard Business School Online in 2022.

Chihiro was previously with Singapore Ballet (formally Singapore Dance Theatre) for 18 years, 14 of which was spent as a Principal dancer. She began her dance training at Classical Ballet Academy S.O.U. in Japan. In 2001, she won the Idemitsu Kousan Scholarship at the 8th Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition in Tokyo, and was later accepted into The Australian Ballet School.

Upon graduation, Chihiro joined Singapore Dance Theatre directed by Goh Soo Khim in 2005. From 2009, under Janek Schergen’s direction, she danced Principal roles across the company’s classical repertoire including Janek Schergen’s Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Cinderella, Giselle, Coppelia, Paquita, Goh Choo San’s Romeo and Juliet and Cynthia Harvey’s Don Quixote. She has also danced a wide range of Principal roles in neoclassical and contemporary works by Singapore choreographers and international choreographers, bringing captivating new creations to life.

Chihiro was a faculty member for the renowned Singapore Ballet Scholars Programme and has taught numerous master classes in Singapore.

She is currently Artistic Director of Kadence Ballet Academy in Singapore, where she continues to nurture aspiring dancers with passion, discipline, and vision. Her dedication to nurturing young dancers has been widely recognized, earning her Outstanding Teacher Awards at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in the Philippines, as well as at prestigious local and Japanese ballet competitions. These accolades highlight not only her artistry on stage but also her exceptional ability to inspire and guide the next generation of dancers.

Kenya trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC from 2002 to 2006 on a full scholarship. He continued his training in 2006 at John Cranko Ballet School Academy. The following year, he undertook a professional training programme at Ellison Ballet in New York. In 2002, Kenya won the third prize at the Youth America Grand Prix and in 2004, won the third prize at the International Competition in Vienna. He was also awarded the Award of Encouragement at the World Ballet Competition in 2007.

Kenya joined Singapore Ballet (formally Singapore Dance Theatre) as a full-time dancer in February 2011 and was promoted to Soloist in January 2012 and to Principal in January 2014. He has danced Principal roles across the company’s repertoire including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Cinderella, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, Don Quixote and Paquita. He has also danced a wide range of Principal roles in works by Singapore choreographers Choo San Goh and Christina Chan and international choreographers George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Stanton Welsh, Nils Christe, Val Caniparoli, Edwaard Liang, Tim Harbour, Tim Rushton, Toru Shimazaki, Ma Cong, Kinsun Chan, and Natalie Weir.

A pianist trained in the ABRSM tradition, Wilson studied composition under the tutelage of pioneering Singaporean composer Leong Yoon Pin.

He began writing songs during the Xinyao movement and was one of the first in-house arrangers of Ocean Butterflies Music, a record label often credited with bringing local music and artistes to the Asian scene. His works include lyrics, tunes and arrangements for TV series theme songs, ad jingles, as well as pre-recorded and live music for stage productions of drama and dance. He has also written and arranged songs for singers around the region and produced some of their albums.

At concerts of serious and sacred music, Wilson has conducted amateur choirs and accompanied accomplished vocalists. At shows of pop and folk songs, he has often been featured as a music director cum band leader. Having been commissioned by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra on various occasions to arrange and orchestrate pieces for it, he was invited in 2017 and again in 2018 to perform with the orchestra in its An Evening of Xinyao concerts as a guest pianist.

Wilson also teaches, and has shared his knowledge with kindergarteners and retirees alike through individual and group lessons in classical piano, keyboard improvisation and music technology.

In 2013, Wilson took to complementing ballet training with live piano music. Since then, he has played for classes and exams for every grade in the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dance, including the Solo Seal Award, and has served as resident pianist at the Singapore Ballet (then Singapore Dance Theatre). He is now regularly seen accompanying master classes during major dance events including the International Ballet Grand Prix, World Ballet Grand Prix, Masterpiece International Ballet Competition, Royal Ballet School Intensive Course and DuCon Singapore, working in harmony with esteemed ballet practitioners from the world over.