January 26
Born Today:
Li Cunxin
Li Cunxin (1961-), whose story was made into the movie Mao's Last Dancer (2009), danced with the Houston Ballet for 16 years. Iinitially invited to study in the United States by Ben Stevenson (1936-), Houston Ballet’s artistic director, after a teaching stint at the Bejing Academy in China, Cunxin defected to the United States in order to stay and perform. In 1995, he and his family moved to Australia so he could perform with the Australian Ballet, and upon retiring from performing in 1999, he became a stockbroker full time. In 2012 he was invited to be the Artistic Director at the Queensland Ballet.
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Dance Premiere: Lilac Garden in 1936