''Mao's Last Dancer'' is a 2009 Australian film based on professional dancer Li Cunxin's 2003 autobiographical memoir of the same name. Li Cunxin is portrayed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao,

Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur an ...

dancer

Chengwu Guo Guo Chengwu (), also known as Chengwu Guo, is a Chinese ballet dancer, and a principal artist with The Australian Ballet. Dance career Guo was born in China. At the age of 11 he joined the Beijing Dance Academy. After he won a scholarship in t ...

and Huang Wen Bin. The film also stars Bruce Greenwood,

Kyle MacLachlan Kyle Merritt MacLachlan ( ; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...

Joan Chen Joan Chen (simplified Chinese; 陈冲; born April 26, 1961) is an American actress and film director. She made her film debut in the Chinese film ''Youth'' (1977) before starring in the film (1979). She came to the attention of American audien ...

and Amanda Schull. The film premiered on 13 September 2009, at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

. General release in Australia and New Zealand began on 1 October 2009. It began screening in the United States on 33 screens in August 2010.

Plot

During Mao's Cultural Revolution, 11-year-old Chinese boy Li Cunxin resides in a rural village commune in Shandong Province, destined to labour in the fields. As often occurred in those times, government officials fanning out across the nation seeking young candidates for centralized training arrive at his school. At first bypassed but selected after a plea by his teacher during the school visit, Li seems bewildered although piqued by the gruff preliminary inspection screening at the provincial capital city of

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

. Forwarded to a

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

audition for a place in Madame Mao's Dance Academy, he is admitted for ballet training based on a series of physique and flexibility examinations. Years of arduous training follow, Li surpassing his initial lukewarm interest and mediocre performance after inspiration from senior teacher Chan (whose advocacy of classical Russian ballet as opposed to the politically aimed, physically strident form required by Madame Mao leads to the teacher's apparent banishment). Later during the course of a groundbreaking cultural visit to China, American-based English ballet director Ben Stevenson, impressed by Li's standout talent, seeks him as an exchange student at the Houston Ballet. Li's determined courage garners a formerly disparaging teacher to influence the Academy to allow him the opportunity for a three-month stay in the United States. Li's encounters with US life cause questioning of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

dictates upon which he has been raised, and he begins a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey. Quickly attracting the attention of the local ballet scene, Li together with Stevenson requests a time extension in America, but the Chinese government refuses. Overwhelmed by the opportunities offered in America and in love with Mackey, Li is determined to stay. With legal advice that the Chinese government would recognize certain residence rights arising from an international marriage, Li and Mackey rush into a marriage. To declare personal responsibility for his decision and hopefully avoid consequences for his family and Stevenson, Li visits the Chinese Consulate in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. The Chinese resident diplomat forcibly detains Li in an attempt to coerce his return to China. Unknown to Li, the situation quickly evolves when the media and high level government agents both in the US and China become involved. When Li perseveres in his refusal to repatriate, the Chinese Government agrees to release him but revokes his citizenship and declares he can never return to the land of his birth. Li and Elizabeth are set to depart for

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

but Li is persuaded to stay by Stevenson for his ballet company, dooming Elizabeth's prospects of dancing success. Burdened by this, plus concerned for and unable to communicate with his family, Cunxin continues to excel as a dancer, but his relationship with Elizabeth disintegrates and their marriage ends. Five years later, as a show of goodwill the Chinese government allows Li's parents to visit him in the US where they finally witness his performance of ''

The Rite of Spring ''The Rite of Spring'' () is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky ...

'' and even reunite with him on stage. Li is eventually granted permission to visit China. Together with his new wife Mary McKendry, an Australian ballerina, and coming back to the village of his youth, he rejoins his family and his former teacher Chan, who expresses regret that he never got to see Li perform. Li and McKendry give an impromptu outdoor ballet performance to the village's uproarious cheer. Closing credits announce that Li Cunxin danced in China with the Houston Ballet in 1995 in a performance broadcast to an audience of over 500 million people. He and Mary McKendry now live in Australia with their three children. Ben Stevenson left the Houston Ballet after 27 years as Artistic Director. Acclaimed as one of the world's leading choreographers, he is now Artistic Director of the Texas Ballet Theater. Charles C. Foster still practices law in Houston and is recognized internationally as an authority on Immigration Law. Elizabeth Mackey danced with the Oklahoma Ballet for some years and is now a speech therapist working mainly with children.

Cast

* Chi Cao as Li Cunxin **

as teenage Li Cunxin **Huang Wen Bin as child Li Cunxin *

as Li Cunxin's mother *Wang Shuang Bao as Li Cunxin's father * Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson *

as Charles Foster *

Penne Hackforth-Jones Penne Hackforth-Jones (5 August 194917 May 2013) was an American-born Australian actress and biographer. Early life Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones was born in August 1949 in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Paul and Susan Felicity (née Gullett) ...

as Cynthia Dodds * Amanda Schull as Elizabeth "Liz" Mackey * Jack Thompson as Judge Woodrow Seals *Camilla Vergotis as Mary McKendry * Aden Young as Dilworth

Music

The soundtrack score was composed by Australian composer Christopher Gordon. The score utilises a standard Western orchestra, with the addition of a number of Chinese instruments. The score won the Best Original Music Score prize at the 2009 AFI Awards (now

AACTA The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

) as well as Best Feature Score and Best Soundtrack Album at the Screen Music Awards Australia,

Federation Square Federation Square (marketed and colloquially known as Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Street ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. An ensemble led by composer and pianist Paul Grabowsky performed excerpts from the nominated scores including Pas de Deux and Madame's Model Ballet from Mao's Last Dancer. The night closed with a performance of Out of the Well and Free Dance conducted by the composer.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews, with a score of 55% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 72 reviews. with an average rating of 6.1/10. The film was the 15th highest-grossing film in Australia in 2009 and was the 12th highest grossing Australian film of all time as of 2010.

Accolades

Box office

''Mao's Last Dancer'' grossed $15,440,315 at the box office in Australia.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mao's Last Dancer 2009 films 2000s biographical films 2000s dance films Australian biographical films Films about ballet Films about communism Films based on works by Australian writers APRA Award winners Films directed by Bruce Beresford Films set in Shandong Films set in Houston Films shot in Houston Films produced by Jane Scott Biographical films about dancers 2000s English-language films Roadshow Entertainment films English-language biographical films