My dance journey has been inspired by countless performances and artists, each providing a unique perspective. But all roads, no matter how beautiful, are fraught with challenges, and I faced two great ones throughout my career. The first was my recovery from a torn ACL during a performance—an ordeal that challenged me physically and mentally long after my surgery and rehab.

“You made me a better artist. I felt like I made better work after I was a mother. I realized that it’s not just about me—there are bigger things. Having a child makes you see that fast.”

Every job I take on is a way for me to learn more about dance, movement, and my relationship to them. Dance is truly the longest and most stable relationship I’ve ever had. She has been there for me during my highest of highs and my lowest of lows.

The dances I perform exist as companion spaces and as alternate universes that I can dwell in and move inside of to escape and project into imagined realms. They are constructed environments to explore visual images and my energetic presence, and to propose new ideas for the physical body.

It brings me back to the family parties at my house where you could feel the air shift with commitment, joy, and music, everyone singing with a full heart and sharing this finite time together. Dance always brings me home.

Early on, I learned to move between different cultural worlds by embracing one concerted language: dance. Movement became my primary, galvanizing mode of communication. Through dance I expressed how I perceive the world.

I’m currently in the Broadway cast of Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’, and getting to expe­rience the role of The Poet/Spirit in “Mr. Bojangles” has been such a blessing for me. It’s a moment where I get to hold space and acknowledge the legacy of Black dancers that paved the way for my peers and me.

Being at San Francisco Ballet for more than 10 years has shown me that classical ballet isn’t just a physical activity; it is a language, a way of expression, and it connects people. Being the first Asian male principal dancer in the company’s history has allowed me to bring my culture into my work.