At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he falls in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.
Directed by Bruce Beresford
dance
dancer
village
ballet dancer
rags to riches
based on true story
promise
ballet
communism
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Letterboxd
3.5 / 5
Where to Watch
Cast
Amanda Schull
Elizabeth Mackey
Chi Cao
Li Cunxin - adult
Joan Chen
Niang
Bruce Greenwood
Ben Stevenson
Kyle MacLachlan
Charles Foster
Jack Thompson
US Federal Judge
Steven Heathcote
Bobby Cordner
Aden Young
Dilworth
Wang Shuangbao
Barbara Bush
Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
George H. W. Bush
Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Mao Zedong
Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Crew
Bruce Beresford
Director
Peter James
Director of Photography
Jane Scott
Producer
Christopher Gordon
Music
Popular Reviews
17 reviews
Contaboi
8.0★ · 11/19/25
My secret is this was never a chore to watch when I was in school
My secret is this was never a chore to watch when I was in school
geeb
5.4★ · 06/14/25
The acting was very compelling , just not the kind of movie for me . I empathize with the story but it felt like a pro USA flick . not what i need about now
The acting was very compelling , just not the kind of movie for me . I empathize with the story but it felt like a pro USA flick . not what i need about now
froggy
8.0★ · 05/05/25
watched the movie for kyle initially, and when it finished I was in tears
watched the movie for kyle initially, and when it finished I was in tears
Profe Loves Movies
6.0★ · 10/14/20
A bit heavy-handed in its cliches and sappiness, but a fascinating story with beautiful ballet choreography and music.
A bit heavy-handed in its cliches and sappiness, but a fascinating story with beautiful ballet choreography and music.
