If its mental strength and courage youre after, then you cant go past li cunxin. At the age of eleven, li cunxin was one of the privileged few selected to serve in chairman mao s cultural revolution by studying at the beijing dance academy. Maos last dancer by li cunxin at abbeys bookshop 9780670040247 paperback. Maos last dancer not only tells the true story of a boy growing up and leaving home, but of his determinati on to become the best, overcome self doubt and question his loyalty to communist ideology and his home country.
Two of ballets biggest names, li cunxin and ben stevenson. Maos last dancer not only tells the true story of a boy growing up and. 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. Li began life in a desperately poor village in qingdao in northeast china, amidst the chaos and turmoil of mao s cultural revolution. Achetez et telechargez ebook maos last dancer english edition. Li, i have used li throughout the notes as it is the preferred name of the author after years of western usage. Eventually, li retired as a ballet dancer and he currently lives in melbourne, australia with his family. Like millions of other peasants lives, it was a story that nearly vanished amidst revolution and chaos.
Buy mao s last dancer first uk edition first impression by cunxin, li isbn. Mao s last dancer is a memoir written by chineseaustralian author li cunxin and first published in 2003. In 1979, through the largesse of choreographer and artistic director ben stevenson. It tells his gripping tale of growing up in a poor family of six boy s. Ben stevenson obe born 4 april 1936, is a former ballet dancer with britains the royal ballet and english national ballet, codirector of national ballet of washington, d.
Apr 06, 20 li cunxin, branded maos last dancer due to the book he authored and the subsequent movie, looks on, occasionally grunting and nodding. The history of china, li cunxins place in his family as sixth son and his selection and development into one of the worlds most prominent male lead. Download maos last dancer movie in dvdrip hdrip full. I was born in 1961, but between 1958 and 1961 over 35 to 38 million people died of starvation, so i was born into a terribly difficult time in chinese history and i was the sixth of seven boys, so you can imagine how tough it is to raise seven sons for my parents, and my parents were peasants and never had the privilege to go to school so they. Ben stevenson, the companys artistic director emeritus, who visited china as part of a us cultural delegation in 1979, made it possible. Maos last dancer by li cunxin book club discussion. In particular, this novel stresses the importance of rising against the odds of your place in society to achieve even the most farreached and impossible. The biggest problem with maos last dancer is that the contrasting in lis autobiography about his life in communist china compared to his life in texas during the 1980s, comes across incredibly bluntly in the film.
A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. But most of this story is new, startling, and gracefully told, a fitting invitation to a new season of memories from a generation reared in chinese communism s last show of strength. May 02, 2005 li s autobiography, mao s last dancer, has received numerous accolades including the australian book of the year award and has been published around the world. It is nearly 40 years since li cunxin, one of the worlds most famous ballet stars and subject of the film maos last dancer, met renowned choreographer ben stevenson. Li cunxins pronounced lee schwin sing autobiography, maos last dancer is written from his own unique cultural context. Buy maos last dancer first uk edition first impression by cunxin, li isbn.
In 1979, through the largesse of choreographer and artistic director ben stevenson, he was selected to spend a summer with the houston balletthe first official. The story is about a boy born into a peasant s family in china where poverty, hard labour in the fields and starvation were the norm, and growing up under mao s regime. Maos last dancer by li cunxin overdrive rakuten overdrive. In 2010 it became the nations most popular australian title on dvd. Director bruce beresford lives in a word of extremes and absolutes. This fact shouldnt deter anyone from reading this moving account of a chinese peasant boy s rise to fame as a ballet dancer and subsequent defection to the west. It recounts his journey from a young, impoverished village boy destined to labor in the fields of china to a worldfamous professional dancer. In his new biopic maos last dancer, as in his last historybased film, 2002s irish weepie evelyn, the state is a vast evil, and the quailing, goodhearted people who stand up to it are innocents abroad. Maos last dancer is a 2009 australian film based on professional dancer li cunxins autobiography of the same name.
One of the leaders of houston ballet association, as well as. Maos last dancer was released in australian cinemas on 1 october 2009. Director bruce beresford handles the narrative masterfully. The young reader edition of the international bestseller. Li cunxins memoir tells his incredible story of rising from extreme poverty. He is chosen from many thousands of school children to attend madame mao s ballet school at the age of eleven, where he eventually realises that this is his opportunity to be. Its a story of courage, a mothers love, a young boys longing for freedom a beautiful, rich account of an inspirational life, told with honesty, dignity and. Maos last dancer is a must read for individuals who are interested in dance, talent development, chinese history, family relationships, and autobiographies. Li cunxin is portrayed by birmingham royal ballet principal dancer chi cao, australian ballet dancer chengwu guo and huang wen bin. Maos last dancer teachers notes penguin books australia. Bruce greenwoodben stevenson kyle maclachlancharles foster joan chenniang chi caoli cunxin as an adult amanda schullelizabeth mackey shuangbao wangdia as shuang bao wang chengwu guoli cunxin as a teenager wen bin huangli cunxin as a child aden youngdilworth madeleine eastoelori camilla vergotismary mckendry penne hackforth.
There, he found himself in a production choreographed by ben stevenson, then creative director of the acclaimed houston ballet. Visit the official maos laster dancer movie website. Mao s last dancer feels a bit attenuated at the end. Cinderella has always been a special story for li cunxin, but this production has a special significance. 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. Cunxin describes how his parents are hardworking and fighting to survive against the famine and to protect their seven sons 2. Since its release in 2003, maos last dancer has sold over 500,000 copies and been turned into a major feature film. It is intended for students in the year seven to year nine levels. The narrator of the memoir, who grew up in a destitute rural.
Mao s last dancer is an epic tale of love and betrayal, triumph and heartbreak, that captures the reallife drama and emotion of one man s search for freedom. Home trending history get youtube premium best of youtube music sports gaming. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. In mao, it snows when sad things happen, nightmares are punctuated by crashes of thunder and doors bursting open in the. It tells his gripping tale of growing up in a poor family of six boys.
Two of ballets biggest names, li cunxin and ben stevenson, mark. At the age of 34 li realized his career as a dancer would soon be over, so he began to study at the australian securities institute in between rehearsals and performances qualifying as a stockbroker two years later. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Alas, maos last dancer, the film based on lis 2003 biography, is a fairly dry, conventional account of what could have been a dramaticallycharged, emotional and thrilling tale. Themes an epic ragstoriches story empathy key elements maos last dancer, 2009, dvd, dolby digital. It is about a young boy who lives in a family with 6 brothers, in poverty in china, and cunxin, his name, is chosen, when he is 11, to be part of the beijing dance academy. If youve never seen mao s last dancer, you owe it to yourself to discover this multifaceted gem.
A biography of a young chinese peasant boy who emerged from abject poverty, defected to the us, and became principal dancer for the houston ballet. Not long afterward in 1981 li is in texas on a sixmonth scholarship offered by stevenson. Cunxin, one of the worlds most famous ballet stars and subject of the film maos last dancer, met renowned choreographer ben stevenson. During a cultural exchange visit houston ballet artistic director ben stevenson bruce greenwod singles out li as the most talented dancer at the school. Maos last dancer is the autobiography of li cunxin. Maos last dancer will appeal to a wide range of students at many different levels. He writes from the heart, just as he danced from the heart. Mar 30, 2004 mao s last dancer, the autobiography of li cunxin, is told in a simple, straightforward manner, principally because english is not the author s native language. Bruce beresford on li cunxins immersion in america the new.
The children s version won the australian publishers association s book of the year for younger children and the queensland premier s literary awards children s book award. The musical score by christopher gordon combines eastern and western music. His ironic discovery by ben stevenson the artistic director of the houston ballet and part of the first american cultural delegation to communist. Li s years with the houston and australian ballets are passed over much more quickly than his chinese upbringing. Months after reading the book, it remains vivid and unforgettable. Directed by acclaimed australian filmmaker bruce beresford, mao s last dancer 2009 brings the captivating and inspirational story of li cunxin to the screen. Maos last dancer by li cunxin penguin books australia. The film also stars bruce greenwood, kyle maclachlan, joan chen and amanda schull. Mao s last dancer is a heartwarming autobiography which reflects on the past of li cunxin, the author, who went from living a life of extreme poverty to becoming an international dance star.
Maos last dancer is a memoir written by chineseaustralian author li cunxin and first. Stevenson arranged for cunxins parents to visit the us in 1984 with the help of mr. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of maos last dancer by li cunxin. Aug 20, 2010 i was born into a time that was so tough in china. An anecdote is then introduced about how his niang had practised paragraphs of chairman mao s sayings everyday whilst she washed. What may have originally been a series of considered personal observations translates cinematically into the sensation of. Goodreads members who liked maos last dancer also liked.
Maos last dancer li cunxin pays tribute to ben stevenson in. The true story of a poor chinese peasant boy who, plucked unsuspectingly at the age of ten from millions of others across the land to be trained as a ballet dancer, turned the situation to his advantage to become one of the world s greatest ballet stars. Prezis director of product marketing on working from home and finding balance may 2020 stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. It was number one in the nonfiction category and won the book of the year award in australia, the christopher award in america and it was shortlist for the national biography award among other prestigious. May 14, 2004 maos last dancer tells his story may 14, 2004 by. Now the creative director of the queensland ballet, he watches as his first production, prokofievs cinderella, which premiered on april 5th, edges nearer. His monumental personal struggle is set against the backdrop of the maos regime of the sixties and sevent ies. Curators notes maos last dancer 2009 on aso australias. Buy maos last dancer by li cunxin from waterstones today. Lis autobiography, maos last dancer, was published in 2003 and immediately hit the top of australias best sellers list. These notes accompany the puffin young readers edition.
135 50 1004 1525 1090 1092 336 890 436 503 710 1105 836 122 1437 462 1047 1105 365 1405 1199 7 797 67 1530 761 860 1134 463 1215 1381 913 1268 39 181 125 275 931 831 870 269