Mao's Last Dancer

Graceful though conventional and melodramatic biopic of Chinese ballet star Li Cunxin, who defected in 1981 after living in Houston as a cultural exchange student. Flashbacks depict Li's rural childhood and training in Beijing and the restrictions Communism forces on his art. Adapted from the dancer's autobiography. Lead dancer/actor Chi is himself a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy. English and Mandarin with subtitles.