Our Directors — STEP Dance Theatre
Founder & Artistic Director
Stephanie Loh罗凯微
Affectionately known as Step, Stephanie Loh is the Founder and Artistic Director of STEP Studio and STEP Dance Theatre. With over 30 years of dance experience and more than two decades as a choreographer, she has established herself as an award-winning creative voice in Singapore, with work spanning contemporary dance, commercial productions, theatre, film and international dance competitions.
Her choreography has brought Singaporean dancers to stages around the world, with highlights including 1st Place at FINALS Germany 2023, 2nd Place at World of Dance Indonesia 2019 with qualification for the World of Dance Finals USA, and Finalist at BodyRock Asia Philippines 2020. Her work at Get The Beat Singapore 2022 received multiple distinctions including Overall Champion, Highest Scoring Act, Studio Excellence and Best Choreography, alongside a nomination for Choreographer of the Year at the Australian World Finals.
Beyond the competitive dance scene, Stephanie has choreographed for Jack Neo's blockbuster film The Lion Men, served as Resident Choreographer for Cheryl Wee's album launch and regional tour, and choreographed Chapter 1 of the National Day Parade 2022 show segment.
Her Practice
Stephanie believes choreography begins with listening. Rather than imposing movement onto a dancer, she observes — the way they breathe, shift their weight, respond to rhythm, inhabit space and instinctively move. These individual qualities become part of the vocabulary of the work.
Her creative process is a two-way dialogue between choreographer and dancer. Stephanie brings the intention, questions and framework; the dancers bring their own physicality, experiences and interpretations. Together, they discover movement that is authentic to both the individual and the work.
For Stephanie, technique is a language — but it is humanity that gives it meaning.
Her work seeks to create more than movement for movement's sake. It explores the spaces between what we feel and what we express, transforming personal experiences into stories that can be shared, felt and remembered.
As Artistic Director of STEP Dance Theatre, Stephanie continues to create work rooted in presence, purpose and connection — work that is honest in its movement, intentional in its storytelling, and deeply human at its core.
Creative Producer
Deo Hogiono
Deo Hogiono is the Co-Director and Creative Producer of STEP Studio, and a key force behind the development of STEP's people, culture and creative practice. With over 15 years of experience across dance and the entertainment industry, he works at the intersection of people, creativity and production, bringing ideas together and turning them into meaningful experiences.
Working alongside Artistic Director Stephanie Loh, Deo plays an integral role in shaping the direction of STEP, mentoring dancers and instructors, and nurturing the community behind the STEP FAM. His approach to mentorship extends beyond technique — he believes in creating an environment where dancers can develop confidence, discover their individuality and understand their own value both within and beyond the studio.
His work also spans creative production, where he brings together concept development, visual direction, media, production and logistics to realise ambitious artistic ideas. Often working behind the scenes, Deo is the bridge between vision and execution — ensuring that the people, details and moving parts behind a project come together with clarity and purpose.
As Co-Director, he has supported the STEP FAM and STEP Youth Crew in representing Singapore on international stages, with achievements including 1st Place at FINALS Germany 2023, 2nd Place at World of Dance Indonesia 2019 and subsequent qualification for the World of Dance Finals in the USA, alongside multiple international finals and distinctions.
His Practice
For Deo, dance is a mirror of life.
The discipline of learning a step, the courage to take up space, the frustration of getting something wrong, the trust required to move with another person — these are not lessons that exist only inside a dance studio. They are reflections of how we learn to navigate the world.
He believes that the role of a mentor is not simply to create better dancers, but to help young people become more aware of who they are, what they have to offer, and how they choose to move through life.
This belief shapes the way he works. Whether mentoring a dancer, developing a production or building a creative team, Deo values trust, communication and shared ownership. He sees every project as a collective journey — one where the final performance is important, but the people who grow along the way matter just as much.
At STEP Dance Theatre, Deo continues to contribute to an environment where artistic ideas are given the space, structure and people they need to grow. His practice is grounded in a simple belief:
When we learn how to move with purpose, we learn how to move through life with purpose.
