Chun Wai Chan is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he became the company’s first Chinese principal dancer since its founding in 1948. Chun Wai is also the founder of Chunner Studio, a creative platform dedicated to artistic production, education, and cross-cultural collaboration through dance and the arts.
Before joining New York City Ballet in 2021, Chun Wai spent nearly a decade with the Houston Ballet, where he rose from the corps de ballet to principal dancer in 2017. Born in Guangdong, China, Chun Wai trained at the Guangzhou Art School before becoming a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in 2010, where he received nine offers from leading ballet companies and schools and accepted a full scholarship to study at Houston Ballet Academy. In 2020, he also gained national acclaim as a finalist on “Dance Smash” one of China’s most popular television shows.
Chun Wai has performed internationally across the United States, Europe, and Asia, appearing at major theaters and festivals worldwide. He was named to Forbes China “30 Under 30” and featured on the cover of Dance Magazine. Chun Wai is a Fellow of the inaugural cohort of the Michael D. Eisner Arts & Culture Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
