Our team
Meet the SCB team
Chee Shong Soon
Artistic Director
Patricia Robinson
Director
Eileen McKendry-Gray
Director
Mollie Davies
Social Media
Chantal Saunders
Classroom Assistant
Eithne Angelone
Classroom Assistant
Chee Shong Soon is the Artistic Director of Second Chance Ballet, a thriving adult ballet programme based in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Originally from Malaysia, Chee Shong moved to Belfast to study Computer Science at Queen’s University Belfast. Alongside his desk-based career in IT, he has dedicated much of his life to sharing the transformative power of ballet with adult learners from all walks of life.
His journey into dance began during his final year of high school through Chinese cultural dance, where he first discovered his love for movement, musicality, and artistic expression. The connection between dance and music immediately captivated him, and he became fascinated by how movement could communicate emotion and tell stories without words.
At the age of 18, Chee Shong was briefly introduced to ballet while living in Singapore. During that time, he came across an archived recording of Giselle in a local library — an experience that would leave a lasting impression on him. He was deeply moved by the elegance, emotional depth, and discipline of the dancers, and instantly drawn to the beauty and artistry of classical ballet. Although further education and professional commitments meant he could not continue training at the time, the passion for ballet remained with him throughout the years.
After relocating to Belfast, Chee Shong returned to ballet as an adult and joined Second Chance Ballet under the guidance of the late Ruth Adams. Beginning serious ballet training in his 30s, he pursued Royal Academy of Dance vocational training while continuing to refine his technical and artistic development. His experience as a late starter has profoundly shaped both his outlook on dance and his approach to teaching. Having personally experienced the challenges, insecurities, and physical limitations often faced by adult beginners, he is passionate about creating an encouraging environment where students feel supported, valued, and inspired to grow.
As a performer, Chee Shong has appeared in a wide range of productions, performing roles in works such as Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, La Sylphide, The Merry Widow, The King and I, and Orpheus in the Underworld. These opportunities have allowed him to deepen his understanding of performance, artistry, and storytelling, experiences which continue to influence his teaching today.
Since becoming Artistic Director in 2010, Chee Shong has continued to grow Second Chance Ballet into a welcoming and inclusive community for adults of all ages, genders, and abilities. Under his leadership, the organisation has staged full-length classical productions including The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Coppélia, giving adult dancers the rare opportunity to experience the challenge and joy of performing classical repertoire on stage.
Chee Shong is particularly passionate about helping students overcome perceived limitations. Having started serious ballet training later in life himself, he understands that growth in ballet is not about perfection, but about persistence, patience, and personal discovery. He encourages his students to embrace the learning process, recognise their individual progress, and appreciate the physical and mental benefits that ballet can bring.
For Chee Shong, ballet is far more than technique and performance — it is a lifelong journey of discipline, creativity, resilience, and self-discovery. Through Second Chance Ballet, he hopes to inspire others to embrace dance at any stage of life and experience the beauty, artistry, and sense of community that ballet can offer.
Chee Shong has been coached by Federico Bonelli principal dancer from The Royal Ballet; Nicholas Ziegler and Michal Krčmář the lead principal dancers of the Finnish National Ballet and Dinna Bjørn who is one of the few distinguished Bournonville specialists in the ballet world.
