Biography

John Lam began dancing at age 4 at Marin Ballet through the support of the inner-city dance program Performing Stars of Marin. Lam received his professional training at Canada's National Ballet School.

His versatile repertory with Boston Ballet includes Sir Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée (Flute Boy), George Balanchine's The Four Temperaments (Melancholic), A Midsummer's Night Dream (Oberon), Divertimento No. 15, Serenade, August Bournonville's La Sylphide (Gurn), Val Caniparoli's Lambarena, Jorma Elo's Carmen, Brake the Eyes, and In on Blue, John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew, William Forsythe's Vile Parody of Address, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, The Second Detail, and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Maina Gielgud's Giselle (peasant pas de deux), James Kudelka's Cinderella, Jiří Kylián's Sechs Tänze, Petite Mort, Wings of Wax, Bella Figura, Tar and Feathers, and Sarabande, Sabrina Matthews' ein von viel, Mark Morris' Up and Down, John Neumeier’s Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, Bronislava Nijinska's Les Noces, Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty (Prince Desire), and Raymonda Act III, Helen Pickett's Etesian and Eventide, and Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia.

Lam’s training at Canada’s National Ballet School was funded by scholarship with support of the Pierino Ambrosoli Foundation. Lam competed in the 2005 Seoul International Ballet Competition and the 2005 Helsinki International Ballet Competition. He is a recipient of the 2005 Princess Grace Fellowship. Karen Campbell of The Boston Globe noted Lam as "one of the company's most versatile and expressive soloists."

Lam choreographed the Boston Ballet's production of “Dance Is” in support of the National Endowment for the Arts, and his dance films, “Movement in Structure” and “SHE/I,” have won critical acclaim at international dance film festivals.

Lam joined Boston Ballet II in 2003 and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2004, to second soloist in 2006, and to soloist in 2008. He was named principal dancer in 2014.