One of Singapore’s leading dance pioneers, Lim Fei Shen’s accomplished career is indicative of her imprint in shaping the country’s dance landscape and arts education. She has more than 40 years of experience as dance practitioner, choreographer and educator. She was Adjunct Lecturer at the Music Department of the National Institute of Education, and at the Department of Theatre Studies of the National University of Singapore.
She was also the Artistic Director and Senior Choreographer of the People’s Association Dance Company. During her time with the People’s Association (1984 - 1991), one of her responsibilities was to choreograph a series of projects, including road shows to complement the organisation’s community events. She choreographed full length concerts and led the Dance Company in performing at the Singapore Dance Festival, the National Day Parade in Singapore, The Year of Dance in Paris, France, as well as on tour in Japan - Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama and Chiba.
In her work, Fei Shen explores the notion of identity in dance through interweaving ideas related to content and aesthetics of Eastern and Western origins. One of her most performed works is ‘A Glimpse’ - an interdisciplinary collaboration between the author and calligrapher, Tan Swie Hian, music composer, Phoon Yew Tien and herself. Another notable interdisciplinary work is ‘Homecoming - A Journey Into The Space Within’, a site-specific work at the Tan Swie Hian Museum, where she integrated movements into the calligraphic work of Tan Swie Hian, responding to the soundscape created by music composer Dr John Sharpley.
For her contributions to modern dance, Lim was awarded the Cultural Medallion for Dance in 1988.