Mao's Last Dancer: Li Cunxin in Cape Town

International ballet dancer and acclaimed author of Mao’s Last Dancer Li Cunxin will be giving a motivational talk in Cape Town on Monday, 22 February 2010. 

Li Cunxin is being brought to South Africa as the personal guest of Mr Raymond Ackerman in order to raise funds and awareness for the Zama Dance School Trust in Gugulethu. 

Later in the year, the movie that tells his life story will be released by Nu Metro.

Raised in a desperately poor village during the height of China’s Cultural Revolution, Li Cunxin’s childhood revolved around the commune, his family and Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book.

Enter Madame Mao

Until, that is, Madame Mao’s cultural delegates came in search of young peasants to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and he was thrust into a completely unfamiliar world.

When a trip to Texas as part of a rare cultural exchange opened his eyes to life and love beyond China’s borders, he defected to the United States in an extraordinary and dramatic tale of Cold War intrigue.

Told in his own distinctive voice, this is Li’s inspirational story of how he came to be Mao’s last dancer, and one of the world’s greatest ballet dancers.

Li tells his story with charm and simplicity, with humour and compassion and at times with great drama. His childhood is drawn, despite the terrible hardships, with love and affection, as we share in the lives of Li and his large family.

Li's dramatic defection

This contrasts starkly with the seven lonely years of gruelling training at the Peking Dance Academy, and more starkly again when Li is selected, at age 18, to perform at the Houston Ballet's summer school which led to a dramatic defection.

He could never return to his family and his courage in the face of extreme loneliness, his determination to succeed and his commitment and self-discipline make an awesome, inspiring and moving story that will speak to readers of all ages.

About the author:

In 2003 Li published his autobiography, Mao's Last Dancer. It has received numerous accolades, including the Australian "Book of the Year" award.

In 2008, the children's version of this book, Mao's Last Dancer: The Peasant Prince (illustrated by Anne Spudvilas), won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Younger Children and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award.

Mao's Last Dancer was adapted into a 2009 feature film of the same name by director Bruce Beresford and writer Jan Sardi. It had its debut screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2009.

Li Cunxin will speak in Cape Town on Monday  22 February 7:30am for 8:30 am at the International Cape Town Convention Centre, and tickets are available from Computicket on Tel: 083 915 800 or www.computicket.co.za

All proceeds of the talk will go to the Zama Dance School, which is in its 25th year. It promotes the advancement of dance in South Africa and contributes to the national repertory and cadre of dancers through creating new works and dancers of international repute. It caters for 85 children from the ages of 5 – 18 years. Past Zama students have gone on to win national VITA Awards for Dance. For more information see www.zamadance.co.za. The Raymond Ackerman Foundation is a supporter of the Zama Dance School and it has funded Li Cunxin’s trip to South Africa.