Xuan Cheng, a principal dancer with Oregon Ballet Theater for 10 years, has taken on a new role as principal dancer and ballet mistress of Hong Kong Ballet, joining the artistic direction of the Hong Kong company, which with nearly 50 dancers, is about twice the size of the OBT. She announced her move in a Facebook post on Saturday.

“As many of you may already know, I will be having my farewell performance with OBT next February. The sylph ,” she wrote. “This is very bittersweet, I miss my OBT family and my Portland audience so much already.

“In the meantime, I am delighted to announce that I am joining Hong Kong Ballet this season as Ballet Mistress and Principal Dancer. I have already been working with the company for three weeks and it has been great. I look forward to play in Septime Webre Carmina Burana for its Asian premiere in October.

She will tour with the company from Hong Kong to New York in January to perform Septime’s Romeo and Juliet she added, and will perform a new work by her husband, Ye Li, at the Palm Desert Choreography Festival in November.

Cheng is from Chenzhou, China, and has been a professional dancer for two decades, half of her OBT career. She was also a principal dancer with La La Human Steps, touring 20 countries; a director of the GuangZhou Ballet of China; and soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

She is also artistic director of the Oregon International Ballet Academy, a school she founded in 2015 with Ye Li, executive director and choreographer of the academy. Ye Li was a soloist with OBT for five years.

Cheng will split the coming year between Hong Kong and Oregon, she said in a follow-up exchange, dancing in The sylph for OBT and continuing as artistic director of the ballet academy. Ye Li will continue to be based in Oregon, serving as Executive Director of OIBC and Rehearsal Director for OBT2, Oregon Ballet Theater’s 15-dancer pre-professional company.

“With OIBA, we have Nutcracker shows in December and spring shows in June scheduled for the Reser Center for the Arts” in Beaverton, Cheng said. Her move to Hong Kong, she added, “is also a great opportunity for OIBA, as it opens more doors for future opportunities.”

“I’m so excited for the new adventure ahead of me,” she concluded her Facebook announcement. “Thank you to both OBT and HKB for their support and thank you to those of you (who) have always trusted and helped me. I’m grateful!”