Anyone who has seen this completely inspirational movie will tell you that is a story of courage, under incredible pressure.

Li Cuxin was a young boy when he was selected to be taken from his family and trained to be a dancer/gymnist. The training was rigorous and for the main part, administered without love or care for the child’s mental or emotional wellbeing.

One teacher, Teacher Chan, saw the potential in Li and gifted him a video tape of Nureyev. This inspired Li to train very hard and to strengthen his weak areas. Over time he proved himself and was chosen to represent China on an American Study tour.

When selected to go to America, Li is catapulted into the front lines of the Boston Dance Company and quickly shows the world his incredible gift that he had to work so hard to achieve.

There are all those touching moments of culture shock, of girl meets boy and the beauty of amazing ballet graces the screen.

The ending is incredibly touching…I will not spoil it for you. Let me just say, this film shows the injustice and then the compassion of the Chinese government. I guess time heals all wounds.

If you are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at both the ballet world and the Chinese Communist regime, I would highly recommend Mao’s Last Dancer to you. A must see. 10/10 rating for me!