Born in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China, Chun Wai Chan began his dance training at the age of six, following his sisters into the studio while his parents ran their family business. What began as an after-school activity quickly became a calling — in dance, Chan found freedom from the relentless pressure of academic life and a competitive drive that would carry him across continents.

Chan trained at the Guangzhou Art School from 2004 to 2010, where he developed a rigorous foundation in the Vaganova method. In 2010, he earned his place as a finalist at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne — one of the most demanding international ballet competitions for young dancers — receiving nine offers from companies and schools around the world. He accepted a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet Academy, arriving in Texas knowing little English, and found a new home on the American stage.

Chan joined Houston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2012. Early on, injuries tested his resolve — first his thumb, then his ankle — and he nearly left the company altogether. It was artistic director Stanton Welch who turned the tide: casting him in Romeo and Juliet as fifth-string Romeo lit a spark that confirmed his path. “The happiness of covering Romeo in the fifth cast, for me, was more than a scholarship to the university,” Chan has said. “And so I realized, I think I belong to the dance world.”

His ascent was swift. By 2017, Chan was promoted to Principal Dancer with Houston Ballet, performing leading roles in an expansive repertory spanning Stanton Welch, Ben Stevenson, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Edwaard Liang, Wayne McGregor, Trey McIntyre, Justin Peck, and many others. He was featured in Dance Magazine's “25 to Watch” in 2016 and named a Pointe Magazine “Standout of 2017.”