After an illustrious 20-year career as a principal dancer at Boston Ballet, John Lam founded his own company, Lam Dance Works, in 2024, the year of his retirement. The company launches on November 15 at the Paramount Theater in Boston with a program of both ballet and contemporary works by choreographers including Peggy Baker, Val Caniparoli, Jorma Elo, Ken Ossola, Dwight Rhoden and Yury Yanowsky, performed by dancers from American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, and Ballet Rhode Island. Dancing a world-premiere solo choreographed by Elo, Solo Prelude, to Bach’s Cello Suites played live by Sergey Antonov, Lam showcases his celebrated ability to convey emotional depth. The evening, titled: Act II: An Intimate Evening of Dance – Where Tradition Inspires Transformation, is a fitting description given the success of Lam’s first act as a dancer and the direction he envisions for his company.
As founder and artistic director of Lam Dance Works, Lam emphasizes community engagement alongside performance excellence. On November 14, approximately 700 Boston Public School students will attend a free curated dress rehearsal. The program offers an hour-and-a-half educational experience where students will learn about choreography, the life of a dancer, and the work required to create performances. Lam’s vision mirrors the embrace he experienced as a child, giving back to a community that first welcomed him into the world of dance.
This structure of a cultural community in the dance world is important not only for the dancers themselves but also for the continuity of the works and it provides a sense of collegiality and a network that is personal and professional. Although many of the cities around the U.S. may not be in the dance limelight as much as New York, they are still vital and strong and diverse.
“I want to bring forward the human connection aspect of what art offers the world. We’re in a community, and that’s what I’m really trying to push forward in my new position, that sense of community, collaboration and curiosity. The moment you think you know everything, that’s the moment you stop learning,” says Lam. Lam explains that his company is developing as a collective, rather than as a company with a set number of dancers. His idea is to “bring people in for projects, based on their strengths and their artistry, so it’s not about hierarchy. It’s about collaboration and creating a space where artists feel heard.” Lam plans to partner with artists across disciplines -visual art, film, music, and poetry – believing that dance exists in dialogue with all the arts. He also intends to create opportunities for emerging choreographers to explore their distinct creative perspectives.
Lam’s tenure at Boston Ballet was defined by his mastery of the repertoire of choreographers George Balanchine, Helen Pickett, Ji?í Kylián, and Akram Khan, to name a few, distinguishing himself as one of the company’s most versatile and expressive artists. Lam is celebrated for his ability to bring nuance and intensity to both character-driven and abstract dances. He was consistently praised for his technical precision and artistry.
Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, he explained, helped shape his understanding of storytelling and emotion in dance: “It laid those beginning blocks of how it helped me become the artist I am now – with storytelling, with the emotional side of it as a male dancer, and how that’s okay.”
Lam spoke with gratitude about spending his entire professional career with one company. “I was brought up to find your home and build from it rather than jumping from one place to another,” he said. “I found my niche at Boston Ballet where I felt seen as an artist. Director Mikko Nissinen kept giving me opportunities with different choreographers, and that kept feeding my desire to stay.”
Lam’s work ethic, he said, was rooted in his upbringing in San Rafael, California, as the child of Vietnamese immigrants. “We were not given anything,” he reflected. “When you run into issues, you have to figure out how to manage your own emotions and expectations. My parents taught me very early that you have to work very hard for what you want to achieve. That’s what sustained me as a human being and as a dancer.” He added, “Be the solution rather than ask for the solution. If there’s an issue, figure it out. It also cultivates humility and gratitude. I came from nothing, from a family that knew nothing about the art world, and I continue to break boundaries as a Vietnamese gay American in America.”
Nissinen played a formative role in Lam’s development, guiding him from adolescence through his rise to principal dancer. That mentorship, combined with the influence of choreographers both classical and contemporary, informs Lam’s philosophy: rigorous training paired with encouragement to explore personal artistry.
In addition to founding his company, Lam recently choreographed a neoclassical work for Ballet Rhode Island set to Rachmaninoff, that premiered on October 24 at Woodman Center, Providence, RI. While Lam Dance Works’ debut focuses on curated dances, Lam’s choreography for Ballet Rhode Island underscores his versatility and continuing evolution as an artist.
Lam’s personal life is grounded in family; he is married to John Ruggieri, a lawyer, and the father of two young boys. His sons do not take ballet, “They’re soccer boys,” Lam says with a laugh.
Lam’s journey, from a four-year-old in a city-funded ballet program to principal dancer at Boston Ballet and now founder of his own company, illustrates a lifetime of perseverance, artistic innovation, and commitment to community. With Lam Dance Works, he is cultivating a new platform for collaboration and excellence, bringing together elite dancers and choreographers while emphasizing education, mentorship, and access. The company’s debut program promises to be an evening of high-caliber ballet that bridges tradition and innovation, community engagement, and professional artistry, cementing Lam’s legacy in Boston and beyond.
Reflecting on Lam Dance Works, Lam concludes, “Clarity comes from reflection. When you’ve been in one place for 20 years, you have a lot of time to think about what works and what doesn’t. And I’ve been lucky to see many kinds of leadership, so I’ve taken the best of what I’ve seen.”
By Catherine Tharin, Writer & Reporter:The Dance Enthusiast, Side of Culture, WAMC/Northeast Public Radio, The Boston Globe
