A movie based on the true story of Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin, entitled Mao’s Last Dancer, was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films in American theaters on August 20. It will come to the Keystone Art Cinema on Friday, September 10. The film is rated PG and was inspired by Cunxin's autobiography.
Several reviewers have praised the film's stunning dance performances. The film was directed by Academy Award nominee Bruce Beresford and features choreography by Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy.
Film summary:
"Eleven-year-old Cunxin is plucked from his poverty-stricken home in the rural Shandong province of People’s Republic of China to attend The Beijing Dance Academy. When Ben Stevenson (played by Bruce Greenwood), then artistic director of Houston Ballet, travels to Beijing, 18-year-old Cunxin (played by Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Chi Cao) returns to Texas with the company as an exchange student. Struggling to uphold his Communist identity in late 1970s Houston, Cunxin rises to stardom within the company and falls in love with dance student Elizabeth Mackey (Center Stage star Amanda Schull). Rashly marrying Mackey, Cunxin applies for an extension to his visa so he can stay in the U.S., but political upheaval in China holds him hostage in the Chinese Consulate for 21 hours. Cunxin is forced to choose to either return home or defect—exiling him from China forever." --Dance Teacher Magazine
For film trailers and more information, visit the movie's official website: http://www.maoslastdancer-movie.com/flash.html.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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