“Fives”

More than four decades ago, the dynamic ballet duo of Mary Day and Choo San Goh changed American ballet for the better. She was the founder of the Washington Ballet; he was a dancer from Singapore who earned a degree in biochemistry, then opted to abandon the science lab for ballet. After hearing about his early choreographic efforts for the Dutch National Ballet, Day invited Goh to Washington in 1976. For the next 10 years, the pair was a daring force in dance, with Goh creating more than a dozen neoclassical ballets in Washington and other ones for companies around the country. He died in 1987 at age 39 from an illness described as “viral colitis,” a complication from AIDS. “Fives,” one of Goh’s best known works, is set to Ernest Bloch’s mildly discordant “Concerto Grosso No. 1” and features pairs of dancers clad in sleek red unitards, a rare look for female dancers at the time. Five years ago, current artistic director Julie Kent revived “Fives” in honor of the company’s 40th anniversary. An archival recording of that 2016 performance closes out the 10,000 Dreams festival, a virtual celebration of Asian dance creators curated by Final Bow for Yellowface, an advocacy group that pushes for authentic Asian representation in dance and an end to racist stereotyping. As with the 31 other “Dreams” presented online, “Fives” will be available for free, but only for 24 hours. “Closing out 10,000 Dreams with his work lifts up our entire community,” said Final Bow cofounder Phil Chan. “[He] inspires up to find our place in the art form with the same grace.” The performance is available for 24 hours on May 31. Streaming is available at yellowface.org/10000-dreams. Free.