Birthplace

Guangzhou, China

Dance Training

Guangzhou Art School
Houston Ballet II

Year Joined

2012

Promotions

Principal - 2017
First Soloist- 2017
Soloist - 2015
Demi Soloist - 2014

Favorite Ballets

Giselle and Indigo by Stanton Welch, Rooster by Christopher Bruce

A Defining Moment

My defining moment was after the 2012 Prix de Lausanne, when I wanted to become a member of Houston Ballet II. Houston Ballet II made me realize I can move my body not just in a classical way, but a contemporary way as well.

BIO

Chun Wai Chan was born in Guang-Dong, China and received his professional dance training under Guang-Zhou Art School from 2004 to 2010. His honorary awards include 1st place in the 2006 CSTD International Ballet Competition in Australia; Finalist in the 2007 Beijing International Competition; 2nd place in the 2009 National Ballet Competition “Tao Li Cup” in China; Finalist in the 2010 Prix de Lausanne and received full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet’s second company(HBII). While attending HBII in 2011, he was awarded “Houston Ballet Academy Award”.

Mr. Chan joined Houston Ballet as a corps de ballet in 2012 and promoted to principal 2017. His repertoire includes the Nutcracker Prince in Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker; Mazurka boy in Ètudes; Lucentio and Hortensio in John Cranko’s The Taming of the Shrew; the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty; Aminta in Sylvia; the lead male in Paquita; Emerald in David Bintley’s Aladdin; Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. Leading roles that Mr. Chan has accomplished include Tapestry, Clear and Sons de L'âme by Stanton Welch; ONE/End/ONE by Jorma Elo; In the middle, Somewhat elevated by William Forsythe; The Four Temperament by George Balanchine; Petite Mort, Wings of Wax, Sinfonietta and Svadebka by Jirí Kylián; Dyad 1929 by Wayne McGregor; and The Concert by Jerome Robbins. He created the leading roles in Zodiac by Stanton Welch; Murmuration by Edwaard Liang; and Reveal by Garret Smith.

Mr. Chan has performed all over the world and many major citied of the US. He has appeared in the Ninjinsky-Gala XLI in Hamburg, Germany; 2015 Fall to Dance Festival in New York City Center; and guest as the prince in The Nutcracker with Victoria Ballet in 2015.

Photos

Rylan Doty

Soo Youn Cho