Biography

At The Ballet

She was born Yeoh Choo Kheng in the tropical mining town of Ipoh, Malaysia. Her father was a lawyer,

And Into This World
1962: Year of the Tiger
October, 1962 will see the world on the brink of nuclear war as the United States and The Soviet Union square off in what is later termed The Cuban Missile Crisis.
South Vietnamese forces launch "Operation Sunrise" in march to eliminate Vietcong guerrillas. U.S. money, arms and field observers help the South Vietnamese.
Paris proclaims Algerian independence, July 3.
Jamacia, B.W.I. gains full independence, August 6. Trinidad and Tabago follow August 31.
Racial tension grips the southern U.S. as a 29 year old black Air Force veteran attemps to enter The University of Mississippi. Riots follow.
Marine Corps pilot John Glenn becomes the first U.S. man to oribit the Earth on February 7 when his Friendship 7 capsule completes 3 orbits.

both parents ethnic Chinese. Early on she established her athletic prowess spending countless hours swimming and diving at the Ipoh Swimming Club located next door to her home. She was a tomboy and was involved in many sports. As a teenager, she represented Malaysia in national competitions for swimming, diving and squash (at which she was a Junior Champion).

But her pursuits weren't entirely athlete. Growing up she also enjoyed playing the piano and Chinese painting. Her real passion, however, was a merger of the two, athletics and art: dance. Her mother recalls a young Miss Yeoh dancing before she could even walk and at the age of four, she started ballet.

Like many children in the region, she was educated at a convent school (where her education in the English language began). At the age of 15, she moved to England and was enrolled in a boarding school. Later, she entered the London Royal Academy of Dance, majoring in ballet.

But, alas, her dream of life at the ballet was cut short by a spinal injury in a practice session during her college years. Her doctor gave her the bad news, a rotated disk that would not be able to withstand the rigorous demands of ballet. And so, she switched her attentions away from the dance itself and instead focused on choreography and other aspects of performance (which have all served her well over the years).

Miss Yeoh graduated in 1982 with a B.A. in Creative Arts, minoring in Drama and continued on into graduate school, still in England.

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