HOUSTON — The legendary ballet dancer Li Cunxin was back in Houston recently, reuniting with friends and hosting a screening of the movie based on his remarkable life.
KHOU 11 News caught up with “Mao's Last Dancer” at the Asia Society Texas Center to talk about his life.
The unlikely ballet star was born in a commune in Qingdao, China, in bitter poverty.
“I was the sixth of the seven peasant sons. My parents couldn't read or write," Cunxin said.
From real life to the big screen, Cunxin's story was bigger than life. When he was 11, government officials toured schools looking for ballet talent. They had the students sing “We Love Chairman Mao” songs.
“As we sang, they looked at our facial expressions and tried to get some vague idea of our, you know, physical body," Cunxin said.
Cunxin, who knew nothing of the arts, made it through a grueling nationwide audition.
“Out of millions of kids across China that year, they selected 44," he said.
He was sent to train at the Beijing Ballet Academy hundreds of miles from his family.
“So for them, at least they got one less mouth to feed," Cunxin said.
Cunxin trained 16 hours a day, six days a week for seven years until he won a scholarship to study at the Houston Ballet.
In 1981, he made the dangerous move of entering the Chinese Consulate in Houston asking to stay in the U.S., and was ultimately held captive.
The U.S. later ordered the consulate to close after accusing staffers of economic espionage and attempted theft of scientific research.
“I really thought I was going to die that night," Cunxin said.
Cunxin had to defect. Renowned immigration attorney Charles Foster negotiated his release.
The young dancer eventually went on to star at the Houston Ballet and on the world stage. He married fellow principal dancer Mary McKendry, started a family and moved to Australia.
His bestselling autobiography “Mao’s Last Dancer” became a movie. Pivotal characters include then Houston Ballet Artistic Director Ben Stevenson and Foster.
They all reunited recently in Houston for a reception and screening of the film. Cunxin's life is complex. He believes his defection opened a door for many subsequent Chinese artists to leave China. He hopes his dance inspired others.
“You can shatter these glass ceilings. You can go way beyond expectations of your own and what others place upon you," he said.