First impressions can be deceiving. In the case of socialite, fashionista and all-round style icon Mira Yeh, they are unequivocally confusing. For beneath that petite, doll-like frame lurks a thrill-seeker with a hunger for adrenaline-fuelled fun. Away from the VIP lunches and glittering high society soirees, Yeh has been known to get her kicks landing frontside spins on a wakeboard, carving through fresh powder on a snowboard or hitting the redline behind the wheel of an Italian supercar.

But all that flirting with danger finally caught up with Yeh at a racing circuit in Spain back in 2010. While training to compete in the Super GT series, she rolled the Ferrari F430 Challenge she was driving and ended up in a local hospital with six broken ribs. “You have to be prepared for accidents if you do these kinds of extreme sports,” she says matter-of-factly. “I spent a month in a public hospital sharing a room with people who didn’t speak English. It was hard but character building.”

Yeh is currently taking a break from motor racing, but there’s a new driving force in her life – the Hong Kong Ballet. With a mix of girlishness and gamine poise she explains how her passion for extreme sports dovetails with her role as vice chairman of the Hong Kong Ballet Board of Governors, which she took up in April. “People look at me and think I could be blown away by a small wind but I’m no wimp. Extreme sports have taught me to be disciplined, focused and to never give up. These are qualities I hope to bring to this position.”

Yeh will be working alongside her close friend Daisy Ho, who recently succeeded John Ying as chairman. “We make a fantastic team,” says Yeh who has supported the ballet company since 2006. “I’m a creative. I like to think out of the box. Daisy’s a great manager, administrator and negotiator. I’m the dreamer, but she makes the dream come true.”

Although Yeh’s parents have now passed away she likes to think they would be proud of her work with the Hong Kong Ballet. “My mother hoped I would grow up to be a ballerina,” says Yeh, who studied the art form as a child but never took to the stage professionally. “She used to tell me that my looks and figure would fade in time but said qualities like poise, grace and elegance would last me a lifetime. She helped me discover these qualities through ballet. I will always be deeply grateful to her for that.”

It’s impossible not to feel relaxed around our charmingly unconventional cover star, who made a special request that our photo shoot be “fun and quirky.” Dressed in a frothy tulle Dorian Ho frock matched with Chanel pearls and clutching her handbag-sized hound, Yeh looks every bit the Hong Kong tai tai. “I’d rather race cars than drink afternoon tea,” she jokes. “It just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”   

To read more about Yeh’s hopes for the future of Hong Kong Ballet, lovable family dynamics and obsession with haute couture, pick up the June 2013 issue of Hong Kong Tatler, available on newsstands now, or get your subscription here.