A native of Havana, Cuba, Joan Boada trained at the National Ballet School of Cuba and danced with seven companies before joining San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 1999. Some of his major roles include Basilio in Tomasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote, Romeo in Tomasson’s Romeo & Juliet, Bluebird in Tomasson’s The Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker Prince in Tomasson’s Nutcracker, among others. Boada’s honors include an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for ensemble performance in 2003, and various awards at international ballet competitions in 1994 and 1995.