MALAYSIANSKINI | When it comes to dance, few people have the kind of passion that Joseph Gonzales has.

His career trajectory could have taken a very different route, but as fate would have it, the path to dancing he ultimately took has only enrichened the arts and culture scene.

A highly versatile dancer and choreographer, the 62-year-old has been a dance lecturer at the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara) since 1994 and served as its dean of dance from 1998-2015.

In 2011, he founded and was the artistic director of ASK Dance Company.

Five years later he became the head of Academic Studies and Postgraduate Programme Leader in Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), one of the world’s leading performing arts schools.

Joseph holds a PhD in Dance Studies and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the Universiti Malaya as well as a Masters of Arts (Professional Practice-Choreography) from Middlesex University.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Joseph recalled his unusual entry into the world of...