I love to do,' says Choi, who completed his training at the Transitions Dance Company at London's Laban Centre.

So it's something of a surprise that he's giving it all up to return to Hong Kong.

The dancer/choreographer is certain of his decision. 'I love Hong Kong,' he says. 'I knew I wanted to learn and experiment in what I was doing and that meant going abroad. But I was always thinking about when it'd be best to come home.'

And now that time has arrived.

Choi is among the nine artists selected for the new Emerging Choreographers Series organised by the Hong Kong Dance Alliance. Funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, the programme aims to cultivate a new generation of local choreographers. Choi is among the first batch, who are set to stage their first performance in October.

Going against convention, Choi has turned his attention to choreography, while still a dancer. Typically, dancers wait until later in their careers to switch, usually when they can no longer dance. 'I think it's better [to] go into choreography while I'm still dancing. After all, as a choreographer I know myself the best as a dancer, so I want to do some pieces for myself.'

He expects the transition to be challenging. 'I know it'll be really difficult. But I have the support of my family, as I always have.'

Choi says that dancing in Bourne's Swan Lake gave him an excellent opportunity to develop both professionally and personally.

'There are lots of different characters and we get to do two roles, each having three to four different partners,' he says. 'There are eight shows a week and all this allows us to play around with our characters and give our own personal input.'

Swan Lake is also demanding in terms of technique. 'I was used to really contemporary physical dancing, whereas Swan Lake is more organised and traditional, though not classical,' Choi says. 'I found it really hard to learn the show for that reason, as it wasn't the movement or style I was used to.'

There's also been the stimulating reward of seeing how audiences around the world have reacted to a very contemporary take on what many would argue is classical ballet at its purest.

Choi says the most surprising reception was in Russia several months ago. Russia isn't noted for its tolerance towards homosexuals, and earlier this year, Moscow authorities banned a gay rights march.

Yet Choi says the homoerotic production of Swan Lake was an unqualified success. 'I don't think they've ever allowed a new version of Swan Lake,' he says. 'It's the home of Tchaikovsky, after all. But they loved it and no one said anything about it being too gay.'

Other audiences, however, were less warm in their reaction. 'Some have walked out after 10 minutes, when they could see that it wasn't classical,' says Choi. 'That happened in the States.'

Meanwhile, Choi is preparing to give another familiar art form, music videos, a new take. 'There's only three or four minutes in which you can tell the story and you have to know what you want to say. I find that amazing.'

However, he thinks there's room for improvement in how many contemporary music videos communicate their stories and he plans to reinterpret the genre for the stage. He's taking three or four classic Canto-pop songs, the titles of which he's keeping under wraps, and seeing if he can do better. The performances will be on October 19 and 20 at Sheung Wan Civic Centre.

Choi recently held auditions for parts in his musical theatre production and was surprised at the lack of interest. He eventually cast three former and one current APA students.

Competition for roles in London and New York is fierce, yet only 20 performers attended the Hong Kong auditions for Choi's production.

'But it was enough to find what I wanted,' says Choi.

He says he's interested in eliciting the performers' personal dynamics and how they share themselves in terms of movement and singing. The focus isn't solely on technique, nor does he aim to impose his own ideas as director and choreographer.

'I want this to come from within themselves,' he says.

After more than six years' away, Choi missed the exuberance of his home town. 'I love the speed of the city. I love going to Causeway Bay or Mong Kok, walking around and feeling the energy.

'I find it gives me the energy to push myself and it helps me to formulate ideas. There are so many different things happening.'

Choi returned home only a few weeks ago, but already he says it feels right. 'It hasn't taken me any time to reconnect. It's like I've never left, really. I suppose you could say my heart and soul were still here.

I left, but they didn't.'