Mao's Last Dancer (2009) on Netflix
PG20091h 57mBiographyDramaMusic
At eleven, Li Cunxin is chosen from his Shandong village school to train in ballet in Beijing. A 1981 cultural exchange takes him to Texas, where nothing matches what he was taught.
- Netflix3.2/5
- IMDb7.3/108,582 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes56%
Trailer
Plot summary
Li Cunxin grows up in a rural commune in Shandong Province, where Mao's Cultural Revolution has left his family expecting him to work the fields. Officials touring schools for candidates to train in Beijing pass him over until his teacher speaks up, and he is admitted to Madame Mao's Dance Academy. Teacher Gao tells him he is not good enough, and the boys in his dormitory are warned that crying means weakness. Teacher Chan, who favors classical Russian ballet over the politically driven form the Academy requires, gives Li a videotape of Baryshnikov. In 1981, Ben Stevenson brings Li to the Houston Ballet for a three-month stay, where Li meets dancer Elizabeth Mackey and finds American life unlike what he was taught.
Cast
- Wen Bin Huangas Li - as a child
- Madeleine Eastoeas Lori
- Shu Guang Liangas Jing Tring - 8 yrs
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film's score, composed by Australian Christopher Gordon, won Best Original Music Score at the 2009 AFI Awards and both Best Feature Score and Best Soundtrack Album at the Screen Music Awards Australia.
- An ensemble led by composer and pianist Paul Grabowsky played excerpts from nominated scores, among them Pas de Deux and Madame's Model Ballet from Mao's Last Dancer. The night ended with Out of the Well and Free Dance, conducted by the composer.
