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Mao’s Last Dancer

Mao’s Last Dancer

Before you can fly, you have to be free.

20096.51h 57m

Overview

At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

Directed by Bruce Beresford
Written by Jan Sardi, Cunxin Li
Produced by Jane Scott
Box OfficeBudget: $25.0MRevenue: $23.9M

Top Cast

Amanda Schull

Amanda Schull

Elizabeth Mackey

Chi Cao

Chi Cao

Li Cunxin - adult

C

Chengwu Guo

Li Cunxin - teenage

W

Wen Bin Huang

Li Cunxin - boy

Joan Chen

Joan Chen

Niang

Bruce Greenwood

Bruce Greenwood

Ben Stevenson

Kyle MacLachlan

Kyle MacLachlan

Charles Foster

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson

US Federal Judge

C

Camilla Vergotis

Mary McKendry

M

Madeleine Eastoe

Lori

Themes & Keywords

dancedancervillageballet dancerrags to richesbased on true storypromiseballetcommunism

About Mao’s Last Dancer

Mao’s Last Dancer is a drama, romance film released in 2009 exploring themes of dance, dancer, village, ballet dancer, rags to riches, based on true story. Directed by Bruce Beresford, it stars Amanda Schull, Chi Cao, Chengwu Guo. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.

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