Ballet was Maria’s dream and passion, and at the age of 21, her dream came true; she had the chance to start her first ballet lesson. And this has become her lifetime career, she nourished and inspired many to become dancers, teachers or a happy soul who enjoyed ballet. 

Maria was born in Bentong Pahang in 1956, in a humble and huge family with 11 siblings. She was also born asthmatic. Due to monetary and health issues, she could not afford dance class at a young age, but this doesn’t stop her chasing her dream. When she was finally able to provide for herself with a part-time job in Kuala Lumpur, she also signed up for her first ballet class at Anabelle School of Dancing, under the coaching of Ms. Anna and Ms. Lydia. As a late starter, she not only took classes with 9-10 year old kids, but she also observed any classes whenever available and possible. Every week, her travelling hours back and forth between Bentong to Kuala Lumpur is approximately 6 hours. As Maria recalls of what her mother told her back then: “You went out fresh and came back a ‘Ham Choy’ (Pickled Veggie)”. It was sweat and tears, but happy tears. She continued to dance at many different schools, met different teachers and friends who helped her along the way. Further on, she attended a teaching course at the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD), London and obtained her Teaching Certificate. She then came back to Malaysia and started her own ballet school, it was the first ballet school in the Kepong area.