Exquisite romance with Asian touch

IT was the 1960s. The late Goh Choo San, then a gangly teenager, was sneaking into Capitol Theatre with his sister to watch and rewatch the film version of the ballet Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky.

Juliet was played by one of the greatest ballerinas of all time - Galina Ulanova. As Goh watched her spin and soar with virtuosic precision, all the while expressing a gamut of pure emotions, it crystallised his resolve to someday become a full-time dancer.

A decade later, Goh had fulfilled his dream of becoming a dancer, performing first with the Dutch National Ballet and then the Washington Ballet. By 1984, he had also created his own interpretation of Romeo and Juliet - his only full-length choreographic work - three years before he fell vict…