By Anfernee Chansamooth
Most street dancers dream of the stage, not the boardroom. But 26-year-old Dylan Goh sees his new position at the Sydney Opera House as a chance to shift who feels welcome inside one of the country’s most recognisable cultural spaces.
Soft-spoken and calm, he has stepped into one of the most influential rooms in Australia’s arts sector. And he is doing it with a clear purpose.
Goh, a newly appointed trustee, said: “I want young people to see staff that look like them. Programming that resonates with them. Artists and community that look like them.
“It’s about celebrating the diversity of young people and the diversity of interests they have, and making sure the Opera House can keep up with that.”
His vision is grounded, intentional and deeply aware of what representation can unlock.
Goh’s dance journey unfolded between Sydney and Seoul. Those experiences pulled him into punking/w*acking and the Korean experimental movement.
Punking/w*acking is a dance which emerged from underground gay clubs of Los Angeles in the 1970s.
These styles weren’t just dance forms. They were acts of resistance, identity and visibility — a lineage Goh carries in every movement.
What began as curiosity slowly became a language for exploring identity, culture and connection. He found belonging in late-night jams, underground battles and community workshops. These were places where experimentation mattered more than perfection. They were also places where he didn’t have to explain himself before he danced.
Seoul shaped him further.
“People aren’t worried about getting it right,” he said. “They’re asking, ‘What else can this be?’”
That openness eventually led Goh to create Palette Session Australia. He describes it as a colour palette where each dancer brings their own tone and story.
Palette Session became a home for queer dancers, diasporic dancers and street movers pushing beyond traditional boundaries. It offers space for artists who rarely see themselves inside large institutions.
Goh isn’t just dancing there. He is building community, expanding visibility and lifting others up.
Alongside his creative work, he gained experience in arts organisations such as Create NSW. According to reporting by The Australian Financial Review, Goh serves on a Create NSW panel where he has helped allocate $1.4 million in grants to dance and physical theatre projects.
This gave him insight into how funding decisions shape opportunity, as well as the structural barriers that decide who gets supported. It is a rare combination of grassroots creativity and institutional understanding.
In June 2025, the NSW Government launched the Young People on Boards initiative. It is a world-first policy requiring six major cultural institutions to appoint directors aged 18–28. The goal is to embed Gen Z perspectives directly into governance.
Nearly 400 applicants submitted more than 1000 expressions of interest across these institutions.
New board members receive governance training through the Australian Institute of Company Directors. This signals that the roles are meaningful and not symbolic.
Goh’s appointment reflects the initiative’s goals perfectly. He brings perspectives that large cultural institutions historically lacked.
Creative Australia’s Towards Equity report highlights ongoing inequity for First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse Australians in the arts, especially when it comes to representation, resources and decision-making power. Those gaps are mirrored in leadership, where boards and panels still skew older and less diverse than the communities making and consuming culture.
This mismatch shapes who gets seen, funded and supported. Goh’s presence challenges that imbalance and opens a door.
When asked how he approaches this responsibility, he avoided talk of status.
“When I’m in creative spaces like this, I think about who is in the room, who’s not in the room,” he said. “And why is that the case?”
His framing is clear: representation is structural, not symbolic.
These structures show up in programming, hiring, mentoring and who feels welcome. He believes meaningful change begins with action rather than slogans.
He applies this thinking to conversations about blending street dance with institutional culture.
“Before we jump into blending them together, why don’t we take some time to see them individually in their parts?” Goh said.
“Collaboration should be built on mutual curiosity and respect.”
He wants fusion to be thoughtful, not rushed.
Before the conversation ended, I asked what he’d tell his younger self. He smiled.
“You never know where you will end up. Follow your intuition … sometimes you need to try something, go down a road, and see what happens,” he said.
Now he is helping shape the Opera House from the inside. The institution no longer feels distant.
Gen Z isn’t waiting for permission to lead. They are already stepping into cultural governance. Dylan Goh is one of the people showing what that future looks like.
Featured image: Street dancer and trustee Dylan Goh at the Sydney Opera House. Photo: Anfernee Chansamooth
