Vietnamese American principal dancer John Lam bids farewell to Boston Ballet after 20 years

[Source]

Vietnamese American principal dancer John Lam of the Boston Ballet is bidding farewell to the stage and embracing new opportunities.

Key points:

• Lam, 40, has dedicated himself to both classical and contemporary dance forms at the Boston Ballet for over 20 years.

• Transitioning into a new chapter of his career, Lam will become an associate professor at Boston Conservatory at Berklee's Dance Division.

The details:

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• Lam’s journey began in central California, where he started ballet at the age of 4 and later joined the Marin Ballet under the mentorship of Mikko Nissinen. When Nissinen moved to Boston in 2002 as the artistic director of the Boston Ballet, he invited Lam to join the company.

• Lam's time in Boston has been marked by personal milestones, including meeting his husband and raising two sons who find inspiration in their father's dedication and discipline.

• He became a finalist in international ballet competitions in Seoul and Helsinki and won the Princess Grace Award. In 2006, he received a proclamation from the mayor of San Rafael, California, for his artistic achievements. Lam has also produced acclaimed dance films and taught at Harvard University.

• Lam performed his farewell performance at the “Spring Experience,” which ran from May 9 to 19. “My whole family's coming here. It's kind of crazy because my parents have never seen me dance on a professional stage. So that experience in itself will be emotional, just so that they see their son who made a life here for 20 years and see me take my last bow,” he previously told CBS News.

• Other than becoming a professor at Boston Conservatory, Lam is also involved in founding a non-profit dance company and is writing a memoir.

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