Dancing Queen

SURE, SINGAPORE'S MOST FAMOUS DANCE might be that with the lion, where the costume forms the "mane" attraction. But there was one person responsible for the interest in the classical dance form here Rose Eberwein, who single-handedly put Singapore on the global dancing map.

Though her ballet career was sparked as part of the school curriculum, Ms Eberwein saw a real future for dance as an art, and started learning other traditional and local dance forms while teaching at a local school. After a stint at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, she returned home to teach dance to children, specialising in Balinese, Siamese, Javanese, Sumatran and Indian dance styles. She was, however, equally at home with classical ballet or even Spanish dance, which she performed at many charitable events such as the Arts Ball in October 1958.

In 1959, the talented choreographer set up her own school, the Rose Eberwein School of Dancing, and built it up over the next 10 years. One of our most prolific dancers, Ms Eberwein was then chosen to be the artistic director for the debut of Singapore's National Theatre Dance Company in 1969.