Last week I saw 'Mao's Last Dancer' and I was stunned.
I knew something of the story as Li Cunxin, whose biography it is, now lives in Australia and the book is on the shelves of most Australian school libraries but, while I had catalogued it, I had never read it.
However I found it a wonderfully moving story, very well acted by comparatively unknown actors. Chi Cao who plays the adult Li is simply amazing. Chosen for his ballet ability, he is also a great actor. His dancing is simple mind blowing. I am not a great ballet fan (which did not stop me enjoying the movie) but my sister is and she could not get over how great a dancer he is. Chi Cao is a principal dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet.It opens in the USA on November 4 so if you have the opportunity, go see it.
