Speakers

Janek Schergen is from Göteborg, Sweden. He studied ballet with Richard Ellis and Christine Du Boulay of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet, and continued his training at the American Ballet Center and the Harkness House for Ballet Arts in New York. He joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1971 and the Pennsylvania Ballet the following year, where he danced for 12 years. In 1978, he began teaching at the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. In addition to dancing and teaching, he also began staging the works of Benjamin Harkarvy for the Pennsylvania Ballet and other companies. In 1981, he was invited by The Washington Ballet to join the company full-time as ballet master and teacher, touring the Far East, Europe, South America, and the United States.

In 1988, he was invited to be the ballet master and company teacher for the Royal Swedish Ballet in Stockholm, rehearsing full-length classics and works by Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth MacMillan. In 1991, he completed his studies in Benesh Movement Notation in London, receiving certification in the written notation of dance, and later became a ballet master for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He has staged The Sleeping Beauty for Ballet Met, The Milwaukee Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, and the Norwegian National Ballet.

As Artistic Director and Board Member of the Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation, he has staged over 150 productions of Choo-San Goh’s works worldwide. He also serves as Chairman of the Awards Committee for the Choo-San Goh Awards for Choreography. Over the past 33 years, 72 awards have been granted to support the creation of new choreographic works.

Since the establishment of Singapore Ballet (SDT), he has staged 11 of Choo-San Goh’s works for the company. At SDT’s request, he authored a monograph on Choo-San Goh’s career and ballets, published in Singapore in September 1997.

From 2002 to 2006, he was the ballet master and staff teacher of the Norwegian National Ballet (NNB) in Oslo. His production of Tornerose (Sleeping Beauty) for NNB was broadcasted on NRK television in December 2006.

In 2007, Janek was appointed Assistant Artistic Director of SB and was later appointed as its Artistic Director in 2008. He introduced the monthly One @ the Ballet open rehearsals, launched the Ballet Associates Course, and added the pre-professional Scholars’ Programme. He later established the annual Made in Singapore Choreographic Workshop. Over the past years, he has been part of several National Arts Council panels and committees, and frequently judges international ballet competitions. Under his leadership, the company continues to soar to new heights, achieving success both internationally and locally. His stagings include Swan Lake, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, Paquita, Coppélia, and Cinderella. He also created the five-part children’s ballet series, Peter & Blue.

Janek was honoured with the “Award for Culture” by Singapore Tatler at the 2015 Leadership Awards and received the “Public Service Medal (PBM)” from the President of Singapore in 2017 as part of the National Day Awards. In recognition of his impact, he was named “Swede of the Year 2019” by the Swedish Chamber of Commerce Singapore. His influential role in shaping Singapore’s ballet scene was also highlighted on CNA’s Singaporean at Heart, which showcased his significant contributions, including bringing world-class productions to local audiences and strengthening the nation’s performing arts landscape.

Dr Peter Gn is a versatile dance professional whose practice spans choreography, education, and masterclass instruction. He holds a Doctorate in Dance and Master’s degrees in Choreography and Dance Studies from the Victorian College of the Arts (Australia), Trinity Laban (UK), and the University of Roehampton (UK), alongside a Master’s in Philosophy specialising in Metaphysics — a combination that brings both scholastic rigour and philosophical depth to his work.

As a choreographer, Peter’s practice is rooted in Release Technique and Improvisation. His creative output weaves together dance, film, poetry, and music into compelling interdisciplinary performances that have graced theatres, sports arenas, and national events, including the Singapore National Day Parade, where he has served as choreographer, coordinator, and consultant for the Ministry of Education.

As a masterclass teacher, Peter has led workshops and performance projects across Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Taipei, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Newfoundland, Malaysia and Singapore. He has also presented at prestigious platforms such as the National Dance Education Organisation Conferences and the World Dance Alliance Global Dance Summit.

Peter is the Choreographer-Director of The Presence Project, a contemporary dance ensemble dedicated to interdisciplinary work. His additional roles as jury member, conference speaker, and workshop trainer further reflect his enduring commitment to nurturing the next generation of dance artists.

Baptiste graduated at the National Conservatoire in Paris in 2000. His career began in Norway with Nye Carte Blanche before returning to France where he worked with Luc Petton and Gilles Schamber. 

In 2002 he joined Scottish Dance Theatre and worked with various choreographers such as Ruy Horta, Didi Veldman, Hofesh Shechter, Janet Smith, Willi Dorner. From 2006 Baptiste freelanced and worked with different companies such as Compagnie Maryse Delente, Ballet Lorent, Acronote, State Of Flux, Company Chameleon and Kieran Sheehan Dance Theatre. 

Baptiste has been teaching release and floorwork at the London Contemporary Dance School at The Place since 2012 and became Director of Undergraduate Performance and International Development in 2019.

Prof. Caren Cariño, from Hawai’i, USA, has earned three related degrees: Doctorate in Southeast Asian Studies (Contemporary Dance Research); Master of Fine Arts (Dance Performance and Choreography); and Bachelor of Education (Dance). Her prolific professional career includes a wealth of experience as dance performer, academic, administrator, educator and advocate. She began with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company (USA), a ‘force for innovation in contemporary dance throughout the world’ and was also instrumental in the company’s dance education programme, with a mission to ‘make dance a viable part of everyone’s lives, whether as observers, critics, performers or creators’, a national model that still stands today.

Prof. Cariño eventually migrated to Singapore and was appointed Programme Leader/Lecturer (Dance) at Lasalle College of the Arts. Her current position as Vice Dean /Principal Lecturer (Dance) at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts since 2007 has seen her develop a conservatory-style dance programme with a contemporary outlook that has produced international independent and company dance artists. She has published and presented her research that focuses on education, performance and cultural studies in America, Asia and Australia. 

Prof. Cariño is dance advisor to Singapore’s Ministry of Education, National Arts Council, People’s Association and World Dance Alliance.

Miranda Weese was born in San Bernardino, California and began her studies at Laguna Dance Theatre in Mission Viejo before joining the School of American Ballet in 1990. Miranda became an apprentice with New York City Ballet in 1991 and a member of the corps de ballet in 1993. Miranda was then promoted to soloist in 1994 and principal in 1996.

While at New York City Ballet, she performed a vast range of the George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins repertoire, originated roles in Christopher Wheeldon’s Mercurial Manoeuvers, Shambards, Evenfall and Twyla Tharp’s Beethoven Seventh.

Miranda danced the role of Odette/Odile on the nationally televised broadcast of Peter Martins’ Swan Lake on PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center as well as the May 2004 Live from Lincoln Center broadcast of Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100, dancing in Balanchine’s Liebeslieder Walzer. Miranda was also a recipient of the Princess Grace Foundation – USA Dance Fellowship for 1995-1996 and the Jerome Robbins award in 2011.

In 2007, she joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a principal until she retired from the stage in 2010 and began her journey as a full-time dance educator.

In 2017, Miranda joined Boston Ballet School as Children’s rehearsal Director and worked her way up to Interim Director of Boston Ballet School’s Professional Division at Walnut Hill from 2021-23. Miranda now serves as a member of the artistic staff and Head of Career Planning at Canada’s National Ballet School.

Born in Rome, Italy, Sabrina Lenzi trained at the Opera of Rome and completed her ballet formation at the Académie de Dance Classique de Montecarlo with Marika Besobrasova. She began her career with the Stuttgart Ballet, rising to principal and performing many leading roles in John Cranko’s ballets. Sabrina then joined Birmingham Royal Ballet as principal, expanding her repertoire to include works by Ashton and MacMillan.

She has worked with renowned figures such as Marcia Haydée, David Bintley, Peter Wright, Maurice Béjart, Hans Van Manen, Jíří Kylián, John Neumeier, Mats Ek, and James Kudelka. Her principal roles include Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty), Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Giselle (Giselle), Swanilda (Coppélia), Tatiana (Onegin), and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), and she has created roles such as Isabel (Edward II).

After retiring from performance, Sabrina completed Pilates Teacher Training with Alan Herdman in London, focusing on anatomy and injury prevention. In 2003, she moved to Houston, Texas, joining the Houston Ballet Academy and becoming Ballet Mistress of Houston Ballet II and Principal of the Upper School. She also coached and rehearsed Houston Ballet Company, co-staged La Bayadère for Joffrey Ballet, and guest-taught for multiple academies in the US and Japan.

Sabrina participated in international artistic collaborations with the Hungarian Dance Academy, San Francisco Ballet School, and Hamburg Ballet School. In 2017, she joined the Australian Ballet School as Artistic Teacher of Classical Dance for Level 4 and 6 female students and continues to teach in Europe with Birmingham Royal Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet.

Sarah Wildor studied at the Royal Ballet School and then joined the Royal Ballet Company rising through the ranks to become a Principal dancer. Roles included Juliet, Giselle, Manon, Anastasia, Cinderella, Sugar Plum Fairy, Ondine, Swanhilda (Coppelia), Titania (The Dream), Lise (La Fille Mal Gardée), Ballerina (The Concert), Chloe (Daphnis and Chloe), Desdemona (Othello), Push comes to shove, The Invitation, Enigma variations, Rhapsody, Symphonic Variations, Vera (A month in the Country), Young Girl (Two Pigeons), Irina (Winter Dreams), Gloria and Jeux. She created the Tightrope Walker (Sawdust and Tinsel) and roles in Fanfare, Dream of Angels, The Crucible and Mr. Worldly Wise. She represented the Company at the Erik Bruhn Competition.

Sarah also created the title role in Sir Matthew Bourne’s production of Cinderella and Susan Stroman’s Contact for which she was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She has also starred in On Your Toes in London and Japan after which followed several stage acting roles.

Other dancing roles include the role of Madame de Tourvel in Les Liaisons Dangereuses which she performed on tour in Japan and at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London.

Sarah attained the Royal Ballet School’s Diploma of Dance Teaching and Trinity Laban’s Diploma in Dance Teaching and Learning and holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Psychology from the University of Buckingham. Sarah is currently completing an MSc in Psychology and works full time as the Artistic Manager of the Associate Programme at the Royal Ballet School.

Zenia Tàtcheva received her professional dance training at the University of Cape Town Ballet School and was named the South African Ballet Award Outright Winner in1993. Initiating her career upon graduation through engagements with the Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) and the Performing Arts Council of Transvaal Ballet Company (PACT Ballet), Zenia later relocated to Australia, joining Queensland Ballet after a guest appearance with the Company.

Her repertoire with the above-mentioned organisations encompassed principal roles in most of the celebrated classics, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Don Quixote, Paquita, The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, Papillon, Napoli, and Les Sylphides, as well as numerous works by renowned choreographers of modern times.

Parallel to her dancing career, Zenia has been actively engaged as a guest teacher and coach for diverse organisations in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Her expertise is further recognised by her service as an adjudicator for several national and international ballet competitions.

Following her retirement from the stage, Zenia joined the Academy of Queensland Ballet as a classical coach, where she was involved in the training of students across all Academy levels, with her main focus on the training and curriculum development in the senior and graduating levels. In 2020, she stepped into the leadership role of Head of the Pre-Professional Program and in 2022, by the invitation of Artistic Director Li Cunxin, Zenia was appointed Ballet Mistress for Queensland Ballet, a distinguished position she held for the following three years.

During her time as Ballet Mistress, Zenia was involved in the coaching and staging of works by celebrated chorographers, including Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Ben Stevenson OBE, Derek Dean OBE, Greg Horsman, Natalie Weir, Paul Boyd, Cathy Marston, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Liam Scarlett, as well as many other works present in the Company’s diverse repertoire.

Driven by deep passion for developing the next generation of young dancers, in 2025, Zenia returned to the Academy of Queensland Ballet in a new role as Academy Ballet Mistress.

Melissa is Head of the School of Dance & Theatre at LASALLE College of the Arts and the Programme Leader for the Diploma in Dance.

She is also a choreographer, performer and educator whose choreographic interest lies in investigating the body-subject. Her works and creative process attempt to touch on questions of agency, materiality and perception to create a visceral experience for the audience.

Melissa enjoys multi-disciplinary collaborative works, Site based work such as site-specific outdoor performance Tracing the City (2016) and cause based performances and workshops such as Stride with Pride, a performance aimed at increasing respect for wheelchair users. She founded The Kueh Tutus (a collective dedicated to creating dance for young audiences) and has created several works that have been presented at The Artground, toured to regional libraries and appeared in the Esplanade’s Festivals Octoburst! and March On.

Melissa has managed and designed various MOE-NAC Dance related initiatives such as the Dance Talent Development Programme, and Strategic Partnership CCA (Ethnic Dance). She also mentors the choreographic work of young and emerging artists through institutions such as *SCAPE and occasionally writes dance reviews, articles and edu-packs to make contemporary dance more accessible.