Ballerina male 150x150 Maos Last Dancer Movie Review “Mao’s Last Dancer” opens in cities across the U.S. this week. It is the story of Li Cunxin, one of China’s finest ballet dancers.

The film is based on Li’s memoirs and follows him throughout his life as he emerges from poverty into stardom. Li defected from China in 1981 and moved to the U.S. where he became an international ballet star.

As a child he was taken from his parents and trained at the Beijing Dance Academy. He visits America as an exchange student with the Houston Ballet. After getting over his culture shock he falls in love with the country, and with a girl, and doesn’t want to return to China. “I dance better here, because I feel more . . . free,” he says. A standoff ensues at the Chinese consulate and finally Li is given safe release.

Interestingly some of the film had to be shot in secret as the Chinese government had not given permission for the film crew to take negatives out of the country. “You can imagine, I was incredibly relieved when I flew out with our team having shot all the sequences we needed for the film,” said Jane Scott, producer for the film.

“Mao’s Last Dancer” is directed by Bruce Beresford and opens August 20.

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