Gerard Raj
- World Disco Champion in his teens
- SAF Couple Dance Champion during his service as an SAF Officer
- Singapore Youth Award Nominee
- Twice NUS Cultural Distinction Awardee
- Singapore’s 1st World Aerobics Champion 1994
- The Reagent Hong Kong’s only Events Director for the historic Hong Kong Handover in 1997
- Part of Nike’s Global Elite Team
- SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation & TCS (Television Corporation of Singapore) choreographer for televised events in the major language channels
- Singapore Youth Festival multi-gold awardee
- 2002 National Day Parade co-choreographer
- 2003 Champion for Singapore’s International Talent Show
- 2007 SYF Opening Choreographer at the Indoor Stadium
- Co-Choreographer for “Passing of the Torch” in the historic Singapore’s Youth Olympic Games
- Top Scorer for the Asia Arts Festival 2018
This has not only thrown him to be a much sought-after choreographer with a hectic schedule; but the move towards being an Artistic Director doing entire events or musicals and not only performance items became a natural progression.
At A Glance
The only Singapore choreographer and director invited to help stage the unprecedented and historic Hong Kong Handover in 1997 and subsequently its Millenium Celebrations (“Party Across A Century”) at the Hong Kong Bay with world-aclaimed guests and artistes.
Choreographer and lead dancer for numerous celebrities local tours like Su Rei, Anita Sarawak, Sonia, etc. He has also worked with Southern Sons, Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau, Sarah McLauchlan, etc for their concerts and other events here in Singapore.
Co-choreographer of the highly-successful National Day Parade 2002.
Co-choreographer for the Singapore Bid (2008) for the 1st -ever Youth Olympic Games.
Co-choreographer in the 2008 Singapore Youth Festival Opening at the Singapore Indoor Stadium which saw a combined talent of school dancers, Singapore Olympic Gold – medalist twins, and winners of Project Superstars in a dance extravaganza.
Choreographer for the opening cheerleaders routine for The President’s Challenge 2009.
Conceptualised and directed the Opening Ceremony of the Singapore National Paralympics Games in 2013 at the Bishan Stadium which saw active and creative participation from several schools as well as special needs institutions.
Co-choreographed Singapore’s largest combined-1TEs’ musical extravaganza ‘Fame’ to rave reviews.
Choreographer for McDonald’s Ebi Burger TVC in 2013.
EXCERPT FROM GERARD SEBASTIAN RJ BIOGRAPHY
RJ is a Movement Specialist/Choreographer & Artistic Director proficient in choreography, training & motivation of the following:
RJ speciality is in training performers BOTH professional (like the Hi-Energy Dancers) and amateurs for medium & large-scale Events. Specializing in dance forms like Broadway/Jazz Dance as well as Jazz Ballet & Funk/Street Dance. He has also trained masses in other dance styles like Hip Hop, MTV-style, Bollywood, Musical Theatre and Modern Contemporary.
RJ’s greatest strength is to turn trained & untrained dancers (or people who have little or no experience) into highly-accomplished PERFORMERS NO MATTER what the Event.
And to this extent, he has conceptualized, personally-choreographed & trained ITERALLY thousands of professional performers; actors; dancers; youths, students, community members and amateur staff members for D&Ds, projects and national performances!
Dance Training & Performance Qualifications
ADVANCE JAZZ Dance Arts, Manilla. Dance Arts, Singapore
ADVANCE JAZZ Nancy Derby, USA
ADVANCE BALLET Dance Arts, Singapore
(SCHOLAR) Tony Lacer
BALLET Sylvia McCully School of Ballet. Sylvia McCully
AMERICAN TAP Dance Arts, Singapore
GRADE 5 Rose Borromeo
BELLY-DANCING Pyramid Dancer
(MALE) Zeenat Aman
PEOPLES ASSOCIATION TALENT ADVISORY PANEL (TAP) Member 2019 – PRESENT
Experience
THE AMERICAN DANCE MACHINE
THE ALVIN AILEY DANCERS
NIKE GLOBAL ELITES TEAM
2008 MIDDLE EASTERN DANCING FESTIVAL
Ms Rose Belly-Dance Superstar, USA
Boon Teo Contemporary Dance Workshop
SINGAPORE ARMED FORCES MUSIC & DRAMA COMPANY ARTISTE (SINGER/DANCER/ACTOR)
PEOPLE’S ASSOCIATION INSTRUCTOR (Marine Parade Community Centre)
STARDUST (DANCER/SINGER/CHOREOGRAPHER)
STAGEHANDS (The Marine Parade Library Drama Club) (ACTOR)
SINGAPORE’S 1st WORLD AEROBICS CHAMPION
D’ARTISTES (Artistic Director/Choreographer)
– BODYNITS
– BODS
– KARL LAGERFELD
– LEVIS
RJ Events & Dance Career (has seen him with:)
HAW PAR VILLA INTERNATIONAL THEME PARK DRAGON SHOWCASE 1995 – 1996 ENTERTAINMENT SUPERVISOR
THE EVENTS COMPANY 1997 – 1998 EVENTS EXECUTIVE
FREELANCE/INDEPENDENT DANCE/MOVEMENT COACH & CHOREOGRAPHER 2000 – PRESENT
RJ EVENTS & MILESTONES 2004 – PRESENT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER
D’ARTISTES PERFOMING ARTS TROUPE 2005 – PAST PRESIDENT (4 YEARS) & PRESENT RESIDENT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
BEAM ARTISTES MANAGEMENT 2011 ARTISTES MANAGER
DANCESINGAPORE 2013 – PRESENT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER/TRAINER
Distinct Creativity
For example, in true RJ style, he journeyed to fascinating Hong Kong with his entourage of 15 musicians, 2 singers, 3 co-ordinators, models and exotic dancers; and even snake charmers, to conceptualise, choreograph, direct and execute, what was to be 1of his most challenging project – The Party of the Century : The unprecedent 1997 Hong Kong Handover.
This also led to his encore project – the Millineum celebrations in the city that never sleeps. “Party Across The Century” And again, in true RJ style, he was co-ordinating BOTH Mileenium parties in Hong Kong & Singapore for The Singapore Recreation Club.
Some of RJ’s more prominent achievements have been in other following events & milestones
SINGAPORE’S NATIONAL COUNTDOWN PARTY 1994, 1995 & 1996
SINGAPORE’S 1st WORLD AEROBIC CHAMPION (TEAM AWARD)
SINGAPORE’S 1st HELLO ! CONCERT (SINGTEL) FEATURING BOYZONE
THE 1st local-televised MISS INDIA PAEGENT 1996
THE GRAND OPENING OF CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE GREAT SINGAPORE SALE 1997 & 2001
THE 1997 HONG KONG HANDOVER : CELEBRATIONS AT THE BAY
TCS ANNIVERSARY SHOWTIME 1999
THE 2000 MILLENIUM CELEBRATIONS IN HONG KONG
THE 1st EVER MINDSPORTS EVENT HELD IN SINGAPORE
THE 2002 SINGAPORE NATIONAL DAY PARADE AT THE NATIONAL STADIUM
MULTI-GOLD MEDALIST IN THE 2003 SINGAPORE YOUTH FESTIVAL
CHAMPION FOR SINGAPORE’S INTERNATIONAL TALENT SHOW 2003
2004 DSA WORLD CONGRESS MERLION EXPERIENCE & THE ASIAN VILLAGE
2005 SINGAPORE YOUTH FESTIVAL CLOSING CEREMONY
MULTIPLE GOLD & GOLDwithHonours AWARDEE AT THE SINGAPORE YOUTH FESTIVAL 2007
Co-CHOREOGRAPHER for SINGAPORE’S BID FOR THE YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES @ the NATIONAL STADIUM
OPENING CEREMONY OF THE 2009 SINGAPORE YOUTH FESTIVAL @ THE SINGAPORE INDOOR STADIUM
ANITA SARAWAK | AARON KWOK | ANDY LAU | ANGELA BROWN | AMBER VELETTA | ALI AHMAD | ANN HUSSEIN | ANDREW ONG | ANITA AYAVU | BOYZONE | COCO LEE | CLEMENT CHOW | DARRYL DAVID | DAWN YIP | DICK LEE | DOUGLAS OLIVERO | ELITE FASHION MODELS | ERNESTA DUNBAR | ERIC MOO | FAN WONG | FEI XIANG | FOOL’S GARDEN | FRANCES YIP | GURMIT SINGH | HOSSAN LEONG | IRENE GAN | IVY VIOLAN | ISLAND BREEZE | JACK NEO | JAMES LYLE | JAMIE YEO | JACINTHA ABISHGENATHAN | JA | JANE NG | JEFFREY CHU MODELS | JOURDAN LEE | KATHY IBRAHIM | KEAGAN KANG | KARTINA DAHARI KUMAR | LAURETTA ALABONS | LEENA SALIM | MAX SURIN | MANNEQUIN MODELS | MAX SURIN | MIN-2 MING | MR BIG | MICHELLE YEO | MICHELLE LEE | MOSES LIM | MARK CHAN | MEDIACORP ARTISTES (English & Mandarin) | MUSE MISS INDIA CONTESTANTS | MISS WORLD CONTESTANTS | MANHUNT CONTESTANTS 2011 | MAY & CHOY | NAJIP ALI | NATHAN HARTONO | NICHOLAS LEE | NORLEENA SALIM | ON SHU ANN | PAUL FOSTER | PICASSO TAN | RAHIMA RAHIM | ROSIE RAHIM | RAGE AGAINST | ROMAN TAM | SAID SUBRI | SIONA WU-MURPHY | SHEIKH HAIQAL | SU RAE | SOUTHERN SONS | SONIA | SURIA ARTISTES | TOKYO SQUARE | T’QUOISE | TARA RUSHTON | TAPA CHOIR | TIMOTHY LEE | VERNETTA LOPEZ | VERONICA YIP | XINYAO ARTISTES | ZALEHA HAMID | ZAIBO | ZACK ZAINAL | ZSA ZSA
