Mao’s Last Dancer (2009): Cast & Plot
Mao’s Last Dancer is a 2009 romantic drama directed by Bruce Beresford, starring Chi Cao as Li Cunxin - adult, Chengwu Guo and Bruce Greenwood. It runs 1 hour 57 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 57m (117 min)
- Director
- Bruce Beresford
- Original language
-
English - After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Mao’s Last Dancer About?
The premise of Mao’s Last Dancer without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
At 11, Li, a boy from a poor Chinese village, is selected by Madame Mao’s cultural program and taken to Beijing to train as a ballet dancer. After years of rigorous study, he joins a 1979 cultural exchange in Texas, where he falls for an American woman. Two years later he defects, eventually becoming a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet and later a principal artist with the Australian Ballet, fulfilling his dream of artistic freedom.
Mao’s Last Dancer Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- windchime
- letter writing
- watching a movie
- looking at oneself in a mirror
- videotape
- texas
- kennedy center for the performing arts
- man wears a tuxedo
- fbi federal bureau of investigation
- world music
- dance music
- u.s. china relations
+38 more Show fewer
- family relationships
- school
- ballet
- dancer
- beijing
- village
- government
- party
- marriage
- communist
- dance
- return home
- ends with biographical notes
- motorcycle escort
- exchange student
- massage
- first kiss
- debut
- amphitheater
- slow motion
- chinese garden
- reference to mikhail nikolaevich baryshnikov
- reference to vladimir viktorovich vasiliev
- quindao china
- reference to mao tse tung
- reference to george h.w. bush
- reference to barbara bush
- group photograph
- ballet practice
- man in a bubble bath
- shandong china
- immigrant
- three word title
- peking china
- communist youth party
- dance teacher
- red guards
- electric blender
Mao’s Last Dancer Cast & Characters
Chi Cao leads the cast as Li Cunxin - adult, with Chengwu Guo as Li Cunxin - teenage and Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson. Directed by Bruce Beresford; 17 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Bruce Beresford
- Chi Cao as Li Cunxin - adult
- Chengwu Guo as Li Cunxin - teenage
-
Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson - Amanda Schull as Elizabeth Mackey
Also Starring in Mao’s Last Dancer
· 13 more- Camilla Vergotis Mary McKendry
- Kyle MacLachlan Charles Foster
- Joan Chen Niang
- Jack Thompson US Federal Judge
- George H. W. Bush Themselves
- Aden Young Dilworth
- Barbara Bush Themselves
- Mao Zedong Themselves
- Wang Shuangbao
- Wen Bin Huang Li Cunxin - boy
- Madeleine Eastoe Lori
- Steven Heathcote Bobby Cordner
- Kip Gamblin David
More from Bruce Beresford
More films directed by Bruce Beresford, best-rated first: Ladies in Black, Driving Miss Daisy, Breaker Morant and Tender Mercies.
Mao’s Last Dancer Plot Summary
What happens in Mao’s Last Dancer from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
During Mao’s Cultural Revolution, an 11-year-old Chinese boy Li Cunxin grows up in a rural Shandong commune where daily life centers on farm work and collective life. When officials sweep through schools to recruit candidates for centralized training, he is initially overlooked but is ultimately chosen after his teacher’s plea, and he travels to the provincial capital in Qingdao for screening. From there, he is sent to Beijing for an audition at Madame Mao’s Dance Academy, and, after a series of rigorous physique and flexibility tests, he earns admission to ballet training.
Full summary
The whole story of Mao’s Last Dancer, scene by scene
Mao’s Last Dancer Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Mao’s Last Dancer.
How Well Do You Know Mao’s Last Dancer?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the young ballet prodigy at the center of the story?
Seen Mao’s Last Dancer?
Movies Like Mao’s Last Dancer
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Mao's Last Dancer, One Last Dance and Save the Last Dance.
Mao’s Last Dancer FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Mao’s Last Dancer, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Mao’s Last Dancer?
Mao’s Last Dancer runs 1 hour 57 minutes (117 minutes).
When was Mao’s Last Dancer released?
Mao’s Last Dancer was released on September 13, 2009.
Who directed Mao’s Last Dancer?
Mao’s Last Dancer was directed by Bruce Beresford.
More films by Bruce Beresford Who is in the cast of Mao’s Last Dancer?
Mao’s Last Dancer stars Chi Cao as Li Cunxin - adult, Chengwu Guo as Li Cunxin - teenage and Bruce Greenwood as Ben Stevenson, among 17 credited actors.
Does Mao’s Last Dancer have a post-credit scene?
No. Mao’s Last Dancer has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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