Summary

An established Singapore Cultural Ambassador, Dr Tan’s vision to position Singapore globally has seen him forging strong alliances with many global organisations and artistes for almost three decades. His remarkable milestones in artistic direction, consultancy, dance making, performance and production have garnered high commendations by local and international media, embassies, corporates, ministries, government officials and foreign dignitaries. Being recognized as “Singapore’s Cultural Celebrity”, with a K Fellowship being awarded by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture and Sports in 2017, Dr Tan’s international engagements and commissioned works have graced events and festivals across 100 cities in 50 countries (Asia, Australia, Europe the Americas).

An award-winning and multitalented artist with more than 30 years of experiences in art direction, staging, choreography, dancing, lighting and production, Dr Tan received the Singapore Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council in 2004, honouring him for his contributions and dance excellence. He has created numerous ground-breaking initiatives in dance and arts events, which have inspired global audiences and local beneficiaries from all walks of life. As the Founding Artistic Director of Odyssey Dance Theatre since 1999, he has been highly successful with his creation of 150 original works and 30 successful editions of festivals, under the banner of 12 festival brands, engaging the diverse sectors in arts, education, social, entrepreneurship, international and corporate.

As an educator with multiple roles (curriculum advisor and developer, trainer, facilitator, mentor, reviewer and researcher), Dr Tan has received accolades for his creative arts education from youths to adult learning since 1994. His profound training and development have an extended reach to more than 150 local and international schools, institutions and universities. His specialised areas encompass a wide spectrum of topics ranging from creative arts education to business entrepreneurship and management. He is an eloquent speaker at various capacities with published dance reviews and papers worldwide. He has authored more than 30 state-of-the-art book publications, documenting his artistic journey and affirming his authentic dance and arts voice. He received his Doctorate in Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia in 2010.

Dr Tan is currently the CEO of Odyssey Dance Theatre Ltd (ODT Ltd). As an enterprising non-profit leader, he has transformed ODT from a dance company into one of the esteemed arts and cultural organisations in Singapore, with a distinctive and comprehensive portfolio of six divisions accompanied by a range of strategic services. He is often lauded for his foresight and progressive outlook that have positioned ODT Ltd uniquely in the Singapore’s non-profit sector, serving wider audiences and beneficiaries for the greater good. In recognition of his contributions as an inspiring Community Leader, he was also conferred the Fellow of Social Leadership Singapore (2012) and Ace Capstone Leadership (2016), by the National Volunteer Philanthropy Centre and the National Council of Social Services, respectively. Dr Tan’s commitment in the community and the under-privilege sector has seen him partnering more than 50 Social Service agencies, building sustainable initiatives such as the Summer DanceFit Festival. His conscientious efforts to continually scale the pinnacles of excellence for arts and cultural appreciation have impacted the lives of many.

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