PUBLISHED ONMarch 01, 2023 11:05 AMByAmierul RashidShe can, He can is an original AsiaOne series where we showcase Singaporean men who are working in female-dominated jobs and their empowering personal journey in overcoming stereotypes.
Passion can be a powerful tool in driving individuals to achieve their career goals.
For Singapore Ballet Academy Principal Han Kee Juan, however, his passion for ballet almost became his downfall.
That was back when he headed the Washington School of Ballet, where he'd consistently clock over 60 work hours a week.
Having detractors scoff at the thought of a man dancing ballet barely scratches the surface of the challenges Kee Juan faced over the decades. Prejudice against his race also comes into the fold.
He tells AsiaOne about how fate played its part in how he found his love for ballet as a young 10-year-old boy.
Introduction to ballet
In the 1960s, Kee Juan's uncle was a storekeeper for a Scottish lady. It was she who introduced him to classical ballet.
"At that time, Singapore just started the dance festival and I was chosen to participate in it," Kee Juan shares.
His teacher noticed he had a talent for dancing, suggesting to his mum that Kee Juan should be introduced to "proper training".
That's when the same Scottish lady came in and Kee Juan had his first dance class with her at age 10.
She even got him a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in the UK, one of the best in the world according to Kee Juan.
Unfortunately, it coincided with his National Service (NS) call-up. So, Kee Juan's dream was put on hold, at least until after he completed NS.
His ballet teacher waited for him to complete NS before getting him another scholarship, this time at the Australian Ballet School.
Kee Juan's professional dance career was about to begin.
Pursuing his passion
While Kee Juan admits to being "lucky" to not get teased much, he would receive a common reaction when people know of his passion.
"You dance so girly," the naysayers would say. Though this never really fazed him at all.
"You know who your friends [really] are and you stay away from those who don't appreciate what you're doing," he says.
Even now, there are some who can't wrap their heads around the notion of a male ballet dancer.
All you have to do is scroll through the comments section of a male ballet dancer's video. Kee Juan refers to these comments as simply "uneducated".
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Apart from gender, discrimination against his ethnicity was another challenge he had to overcome.
During his time in Australia, Kee Juan was the only Asian in school, and later on, in the company.
One incident he remembers clearly is when he was the understudy in a lead role of a prince.
Although Kee Juan was told to learn the dance, the ballet company made it clear that he'd never get a chance on stage as they "can't have a Chinese prince on stage".
However, the male lead sustained an injury and there was little choice but to put Kee Juan on stage.
"After I did my first performance as the prince, there was not another word," he says.
Next stop, Singapore
Kee Juan settled in the US, first in Arizona before moving to head the Washington School of Ballet.
After living overseas for about 44 years, he eventually returned to Singapore. Some of his peers found this to be an odd decision.
But Kee Juan was experiencing burnout, working long hours for seven days a week at times.
He knew this was not what he wanted for the next 10 years of his life and booked the next flight home.
Nowadays, as the Principal of Singapore Ballet Academy, he chuckles at how he no longer has to work such crazy hours.
But what really keeps his passion going is to see the growth in his students.
"That's why people teach. To educate, to be able to see change and to also learn from the students," explains Kee Juan.
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amierul@asiaone.com
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