East meets West in HK's Romeo + Juliet

Born in Guangdong province, China, Chan trained at Guangzhou Arts School from 2004 to 2010. A finalist at the 2010 Prix de Lausanne, he earned a full scholarship to Houston Ballet II, joining Houston Ballet's corps de ballet in 2012 and rising to principal dancer in 2017. Chan joined New York City Ballet as a soloist in August 2021 and was promoted to principal dancer in May 2022.

The significance of his homecoming is not lost on him. Chan has spent much of his professional life overseas and says he rarely gets the opportunity to perform at home. His appearance in Beijing is therefore especially meaningful, even as it comes after a demanding international schedule.

His relationship with Hong Kong Ballet goes back several years. He previously worked with the company in The Nutcracker in 2018 and Swan Lake in 2019. He remembers the dancers as talented, the repertoire as strong, and the audiences as exceptionally enthusiastic. This time, however, there is another milestone: performing at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, a venue he has never previously visited.

"I'm really looking forward to working together again," he says.

Chan has danced Romeo before, including with Houston Ballet, and will return to the role in other productions in the coming season. But the Romeo created for Hong Kong Ballet is markedly different.

This Romeo is something of a dreamer, Chan says — a young man living partly inside his own imagination, fond of books and romance and somewhat removed from the physical conflicts around him. He may not be naturally suited to fighting or fencing, but loyalty to his friends pushes him into situations beyond his comfort zone.

His romantic idealism also has a particular intensity.

"He is very devoted," Chan says, drawing a connection between Romeo's capacity for love and his own dedication to ballet. "I can really understand why he loves Juliet."

Perhaps the most immediately intriguing element for Chan was the production's incorporation of Chinese martial arts.