Cunxin li biography of martin

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Join Member Login Patron Login. Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Most Anticipated Books of ! Li Cunxin Biography Li Cunxin was born into an extremely poor peasant family in Qingdoa, a remote commune village in Northern China in Books by this author. More about membership! Once he found his passion, he worked hard and gave his all.

He would practise his turns at night by candlelight, and hopped, one-legged, up and down stairs with heavy sandbags tied to his ankles to build his leg strength at 5 am in the mornings when others were still asleep. With incredible determination, resilience, perseverance and vision, Li graduated as one of the best dancers China has produced.

Li in a Red Army Uniform, Li receiving his Honorary Doctorate, Griffith University. Queensland Ballet, Li teaching Queensland Ballet dancers. Li teaching class, Queensland Ballet. Li speaking at a corporate event. Li in his stockbroking days. Li and Mary, with their three children. Li at a corporate speaking engagement. Read and see the full interview here….

The 7 years of harsh training regime at the Beijing Dance Academy taught him discipline, resilience, determination and perseverance. He won two silver and a bronze medal at three International Ballet Competitions. Li then made a successful career transition from ballet to finance. At the age of eleven, he was chosen by Madame Mao 's cultural advisors to attend the Beijing Dance Academy , where students had to undergo hour-a-day training.

He attended the academy for seven years. The regime in Beijing Dance was harsh, starting each morning at Li performed well in the political class, [ 3 ] but did poorly in ballet. This changed when he met Teacher Xiao, who had a passion for ballet. Xiao's passion influenced Li, and by the end of the seven years of training, he graduated at the top of his class.

He offered a full scholarship for two dancers to study at the Houston Ballet summer school and Li was chosen as one. Li was one of the first students from the Beijing Dance Academy to go to the United States under financial support from the central government of the People's Republic of China. After his study at the summer school, Li defected to the West.

Cunxin li biography of martin

He was held in the Chinese Consulate in Houston , his defection creating headlines in America. He had begun a relationship with an aspiring American dancer, Elizabeth Mackey, and in , they married so that Li could avoid deportation. After 21 hours of negotiations, and intervention by George Bush Sr. Vice President at the time , Li was allowed to stay in the US as a free man, but his Chinese citizenship was revoked.

Li subsequently danced with the Houston Ballet for sixteen years, during which he won two silver and a bronze medal at International Ballet Competitions. They married in Li became a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. In July , [ 1 ] Li was named artistic director of the Queensland Ballet. On 20 June , Li announced that he and his wife Mary would retire at the end of , her being in the teaching position as principal repetiteur with the ballet company.

Li cited a heart condition, and Mary has been undergoing treatment for cancer. He was named Australian Father of the Year in Li said he was honoured to have the spider named after him saying "having seen this incredible spider, the intricate mating dance, the fancy peacock markings, I can understand why Barbara would make a link with our ballet dancers.

After 18 years off-stage, Cunxin returned for a one-off performance as Drosselmeyer, specially choreographed by Ben Stevenson, [ 16 ] in The Nutcracker for the Queensland Ballet, dancing again with his wife, Mary McKendry, with whom he last danced in this work 26 years ago in Houston. In the Birthday Honours , Cunxin was appointed officer AO of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the performing arts, particularly to ballet, as a dancer and artistic director".