He defected to France in 1994, then performed with several companies and as a guest, before joining the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 1999.
[4][5] Boada was chosen to join the Cuban National Ballet by Alonso, who promoted him to principal dancer when he was 16.
[5] In early March 2003, it was announced that Boada would be one of four dancers whose contracts would not be renewed, due to budget deficit, though he was expected to continue to perform until the season's conclusion.
[10] His repertory in San Francisco include lead roles in full-length classics and works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Mark Morris, Helgi Tómasson, Christopher Wheeldon and Yuri Possokhov.
In April, a one-night-only program was held to celebrate him, Pascal Molat and Gennadi Nedvigin, two other retiring principal dancers.
[18] After a two year stint,[19] he returned to the United States in 2021 to serve as the artistic director of the Reston, Virginia-based Conservatory Ballet.
[18][20] In September that year, he was appointed the artistic director of the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C., amid leadership changes and an embezzlement scandal.