With
a Master of Fine Arts (Dance) degree from Queensland University
of Technology under the National Arts Council's Overseas Bursary,
Danny Tan, an enthusiastic & passionate dancer, teacher and
choreographer, was formally trained in Chinese Classical Dance,
Chinese Ethnic Dances, Classical Ballet and Contemporary Dance
under the tutelage of distinguished dance practitioners such as
Professor Emeritus Susan Street (Dean of
Dance, HKAPA), Mdm. Goh Lay Kuan (Cultural Medallion
Recipient,1995) and Mdm. Ong Choon Mui.
Since
June 1999, his appointment as the Artistic Director of ODT saw
his creation of 4 new full-length works - 'ODYSSEY TO THE SUBLIME'
(Jan 2000), 'X-TREME' (Apr 2000), 'THE ORIGINS' (Sept
2000) and 'XTREME2 - WHERE DIFFERENT SOULS MEET' (May 2001).
These works, together with his other repertoires (WAVY EMOTIONS,
WINGS, THE ROOTS, I WISH, TRACES OF SPRING, MY TENDER LOVE)
have received rave reviews and most have been invited to perform
in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia.
As
the Artistic Consultant and Facilitator for numerous Workshops
& Master Classes, Danny has spearheaded the development of
an Arts Centre at Northland Secondary School (the first of its
kind in Singapore) while ODT has been officially recognised by
the National Arts Council as the first Dance Artiste-In-School
in June 2000. In January 2001, under the facilitation of Danny
Tan, ODT and Northland embarked on a 4-year comprehensive arts
& dance curriculum at the school's arts centre, while introducing
a series of workshops & activities for the cluster.
Through
these years, Danny is also a recipient of numerous awards for
his performances, choreographic exposures and his dedication towards
dance. As a promising and maturing choreographer,
many of his previous works were also presented in Australia, China,
Taiwan, Hong Kong and India.
His
creative choreography for 'CELESTIAL BLISS' and 'SONG
OF PRAISE', had earned him Distinction and Gold Awards at
the Singapore Youth Festival Dance Competition.
Special commendation was accorded to him in 1995 for his creation
of 'CELESTIAL BLISS' as he was the youngest choreographer
to be awarded the Distinction award. His continued contributions
towards Northland Secondary School have also led to his receipt
of the "Outstanding Service Award" in 1997.
In
1998, the collaboration with Queensland Ballet Company, Australia
(QB), gave him the privilege to work on 'WINGS' in
Brisbane which was showcased as part of QB's Mainhouse season.
The
extended version of 'WINGS' and another work 'I WISH'
was featured at the annual gala performance of Theatre Arts
Troupe (Singapore) that received great applause and reviews.
This strong recognition given towards 'WINGS' saw it being
re-mounted for Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts during February
2001, while 'I WISH' was invited to officiate the opening
of MITA Building (Singapore) on 1st November 2000.
'WINGS'
and 'I WISH' were presented again in Singapore, during
ODT's new Mainhouse Season in January 2001, 'ONE'
- 1ST ANNIVERSARY PERFORMANCE at the Victoria Theatre, together
with other acclaimed works by Danny Tan.
Danny’s
new full-length repertoire - THE 'WHITE' SENSATION will
be performed on 21-22 September 2001 at the Victoria Theatre.
Specially commissioned by Seagate Technology Int'l, this endeavour
will enable Danny in his constant exploration and experimentation
of contemporary dance making. This bold initiative by Seagate
also also reinforces ODT's strong commitment towards Innovation,
Creativity and Precision.
OUR
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - 