Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer

by Li Cunxin, Anne Spudvilas (Illustrator)

In a poor village in northern China, a small boy named Li Cunxin was given the chance of a lifetime. Selected by Chairman Mao's officials from among millions of children to become a dancer, Li's new life began as he left his family behind. At the Beijing Dance Academy, days were long and difficult. Li's hard work was rewarded when he was chosen yet again, this time to travel to America. From there his career took flight, and he danced in cities around the world―never forgetting his family, who urged him to follow his dreams.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Picture Books, China, History, Art, Childrens

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Li Cunxin (pronounced “Lee Schwin Sing”) is a remarkable man borne of a remarkable story. He has published a remarkable book about his extraordinary life. In his runaway best selling autobiography, Mao' s Last Dancer, Li recounts his determination, perseverance, vision, courage and hard work, and in particular, the sacred family values and integrity that he learned in poverty-stricken China, which has driven him to become one of the best dancers in the world. He tells of how the sixth of seven sons born to peasants grew up worshipping Mao Zedong before defecting to the United States.

Read more: http://www.licunxin.com/

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another picture book, and what a stunning one! This picture book version of Mao's Last Dancer is notable for its beautiful illustrations. The pictures showing life in China are done in watercolor and ink on rice paper. The greys, blues and oranges reflect a world where little is easy, starvation is a possibilty for many, and hard work fills every minute. When Li Cunxin goes to the United States, the artistic medium changes to oils with deep blues and reds dominating the palette. It's an interesting contrast because the oils convey a sense of richness while the watercolor suits the constraints of life in China at this period. The book was published first in Australia where Anne Spudvilas is a well-known illustrator. One reason I think the pictures have such a sense of authenticity is that she not only traveled with Li Cunxin to his village and to the Beijing Dance Academy but also studied traditional Chinese brush painting.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

My girls LOVED LOVED LOVED this true story told by a Chinese Dancer who came to America. The illustrations are quite beautiful.

[Maggie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cunxin Li was a young boy, who lived a hard life of poverty and had to share a lot of things such as living in the bed with his parents, brothers and sisters. When school started, it was cold and he did not think he would survive in the winter months. At school, unexpected guests came to the door of the classroom. His teacher singled him out to see if he fit the requirements of being a dancer. I loved how the images were portrayed to give that sense of emotion for the reader while looking at the book. The water color gave this dark effect and depressive mood. Once he was had to leave his country to go dance at this famous ballet school, his life turned round and he was able to pursue his dreams. I love this book very much because it shows the students that they should not let any obstacle stop them from living their dream. As an activity, I would like to have the students write a autobiography of their lives and what they think they will do as a career. They can discuss any obstacles that might stop them from living their dream, but they have to work around it and fulfill their dream as Mao did.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a children's picture book version of the biography of dancer Li Cunxin who defected to the United States in the 1980's. Since this is children's book it glosses over the defection and just shows his rise to fame and how his parents were finally able to come to the US to see him dance. Beautifully illustrated. May inspire children to read his biography when they are older.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely too old for Xander. Good story about perseverance and I liked that it explained the history at the end. We read this for our Summer Reading Challenge. It was the read a nonfiction book about different cultures challenge.

[Libby Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! An amazing book that left me wanting to know more about historical context, China and the arts, and more!

Definitely a book for anyone interested in teaching or learning more about those things mentioned above.

Highly recommended for 6-10 year olds

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of a Chinese boy that becomes an amazing dancer. It's about how some people make it in their life to do great things with enough effort. But not all people.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving story, sensitively told by the person who lived it. The illustrations are beautiful and feel very rooted in the place and era.

[Stephanie Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephanie Rice- READ 6252
Informational Picture Books
Book Title: Dancing to Freedom
Author: Li Cunxin

Short Description of the Book: Dancing to Freedom is an autobiography written by Li Cunxin. Li Cunxin was born in China during the reign of Chairman Mao; throughout Cunxin’s childhood he and his family continually struggled to have enough food to eat and wood to burn for warmth during the long winter months. One day while Cunxin was at school, Mao’s soldiers went into his class and selected him to be trained as a male ballet dancer. Cunxin spent the rest of his childhood and his adolescence training at the Beijing Dance Academy. After an immense amount of hard work and dedication Cunxin is offered a position dancing in an American ballet company. He travels to America and becomes one of the most accomplished Chinese dancers in the world.

Historical Focus: The book tells the story of Li Cunxin, one of the greatest male ballet dancers to come out of China during the late 1960’s. Although the story is centered around Li’s life as a ballet student, the tale is enhanced by the underlying references to life in Maoist China. Li and his family were continually struggling to survive; during the 1960’s millions of people in China were dying of starvation.

Focus:

1.) Narrative Structure: Cunxin writes his autobiography using a very traditional structure in order to provide readers an easy route for deciphering the main aspects of the text. The story told by Li, however, is structured in a way that allows for a more subtle story to be told behind the inspiring tale of hard work and dedication to ballet and self advancement. Li is able to embed references to the struggles that he and his family were facing under the leadership of Chairman Mao; this autobiography is a window into how children were selected for important positions within the Chinese society under the leadership of Mao.

2.) Historical Significance: Li Cunxin highlights the fundamental social and political issues that impacted China during the reign of Chairman Mao. Mao and his government officials made all of the decisions about how people lived, what they did and what they could own. The story allows students to investigate how the policies of Mao and his administration impacted a real person. Li’s story could be used as an activation essay for creating a discussion about the Mao’s political policies such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Students also can be asked to bring in additional autobiographies pertaining to life in China during the early 1960’s.

TEACH: CCSS Connection- ELA- Literacy. RH.9-10.9- Compare and contrast treatments of the same topics in several primary and secondary sources.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Title: Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao's Last Dancer
2. 4 Stars
3. Review: I found this book to be a little puzzling after I read it. On one hand, I really enjoy that it's a true story based on the life of Mao; on the other hand, I found it to be a little too simplistic and sugar-coated. It shows his life transition from deep poverty to becoming a professional ballet dancer who eventually comes to America. This "rags-to-riches" tale did capture my attention through the use of the "frog" story, and by the beautiful watercolor illustrations, however.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

n the early 1970s, a young boy leaves the only home he's ever known in desperately poor, rural China to study at the Beijing Dance Academy. After several years of hard work, practice and study, he is invited to visit the Houston Ballet as an exchange student. More and more opportunities open up for him as he travels the world dancing before audiences in London, Paris, and Moscow. In all these years – at least a decade – he is unable to return to China to see his family. Finally, one day he learns that his parents will be allowed to leave China to watch him perform. After so many years, they will finally be reunited!

This beautifully illustrated children's book is surprisingly affecting. My heart just ached for the little boy separated from everything familiar and loving, and the loss both he and his parents must have felt over the years they were apart. I even shed a tear or two at the end when Mr. Cunxin's parents beam with joy from the audience while he dances the best Nutcracker of his life just for them. Anne Spudvilas's watercolors are richly evocative of the story's emotional impact. I enjoyed the progression of the color palette: mostly grays and blues early on while depicting Li's family's poverty and then his loneliness, moving toward warmer colors as he gains confidence through dancing, travels to America, and finally performs for his parents.

*Note: For a more detailed and nuanced telling of the story written for adults, check out Mao's Last Dancer, Mr. Cunxin's earlier memoir.

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text has an honesty and clarity that moves briskly and fluidly. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful and authentic, with expert lines and color washes in mostly gray tones. The facial expressions are incredibly realistic and features show respect and understanding of the Chinese people. Although I think the "story" is a little thin, maybe too abridged from its adult version counterpart? It's a story of following your dreams but it does not quite convey the real struggle: there is no sign in the book proper that he defected from China in 1981 (one only finds out by reading the jacket flap.) No discussion is made in the text why it is so incredibly precious that his parents got to see him dance in America: how difficult it used to be for ANYONE to travel out of China, for example.

As someone who lived on the other side of the Taiwan Straight and did not experience the Cultural Revolution but had always followed the "stories," I always wish that the reality of that very tough period is explained to children from other countries. Not so watered down and so glossed over...

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is the picture book companion to the best-selling Mao's Last Dancer. It is a first-person account of overcoming hardship and is, for a good deal of the text, rather depressing, but it does describe a time and place in history that can only accurately be described as depressing, so it is to be understood. Still, the story is ultimately one of resiliency in the face of terrible odds. Li Cunxin managed, through talent, hard work, and a lot of good fortune, to make a life for himself in the United States and even to reunite with the family that he had to leave behind when he joined the Beijing Dance Academy. This is an interesting look into life during the Cultural Revolution that occurred in China told as only someone who lived it could. Really well done book. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Mary Lou Carolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally written as the adult memoir, Mao's Last Dancer, the story of Li Cunxin's life reads like a fairytale as he tells of growing up in communist China, yearning to be free and live a better life. This junior biography depicts the struggles of peasant life and how being chosen for the Beijing Dance Academy helped Li fulfill a dream few other children would ever realize. He was miraculously chosen from millions of children in China and yet he had no ballet experience. He went on to become a famous dancer. Although this version is simplified for children, the authors' end note brings it all together for a more complete understanding of his challenges under oppressive conditions and his ultimate triumph and defection to America. The illustrations are lovely and the story of a boy ballet dancer is a nice change of pace.

[Shippseattle]

In a poor village in northern China, a small boy named Li Cunxin was given the chance of a lifetime. Selected by Chairman Mao’s officials from a...more [close] In a poor village in northern China, a small boy named Li Cunxin was given the chance of a lifetime. Selected by Chairman Mao’s officials from among millions of children to become a dancer, Li’s new life began as he left his family behind.



At the Beijing Dance Academy, days were long and difficult. Li’s hard work was rewarded when he was chosen yet again, this time to travel to America.



From there his career took flight, and he danced in cities around the world—never forgetting his family, who urged him to follow his dreams.

[close]

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a picture book version of Li Cunxin's biography Mao's Last Dancer. Li condenses his fascinating life with short, but lyrical prose and draws parallels between his life and his favorite fable from his childhood, making it easy for children to understand. The striking mixed media illustrations convey Li's emotions, ranging in colors from gray to deep reds and oranges.

Li was a peasant in the Chinese countryside when he was chosen to attend the Beijing Dance Academy. He moved into the city and didn't see his parents again for years. After years of practice and hardship, Li was invited to dance in America, where his parents were finally brought to visit him. Li became a world-reknowned ballet star.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Li Cunxin was a boy in China during Mao's Cultural Revolution, he was chosen to go to ballet school. He eventually became a renowned dancer and was offered a chance to study and perform in the United States, but due to the tension between China and America, that would mean leaving his family behind - possibly forever. Stark, beautiful illustrations bring the tone of this true story to life. An author's note includes information about China during the leadership of Mao Zedong. Kids will need scaffolding to understand the Cultural Revolution and what life was like at this time in China, but this would make a nice addition to classrooms studying dance, performance, or Communist China.

[Lartemis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the adult book "Mao's Last Dancer" and watch the DVD. As a retired elementary teacher and now a granny, I decided to also read the children's book version of Li Cunxin's autobiography. I'm so glad I did! What a sweetly told story and what beautiful illustrations by Anne Spudvilas. This book would be most appropriate for mature second graders and older. I can imagine reading it with my twin grandsons when they are 8 or 9...perhaps before we visit China together! Even at 65 I have dreams to follow just like Li Cunxin!

[Linda Costello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Li tells his own story of being a child in rural china. He talks of his almost starvation and how he was chosen at school to study ballet. He was taken from his family and brought to the city of Beijing where he became one of the most talented ballet dancers in China. He is brought by an American ballet master to America, which is where he becomes famous. He travels the world as a famous dancer. The book closes with his reunion with his parents at one of his performances.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cunxin tells the “true story of Mao’s last dancer,” a first person narration by the author who left home to study dancing and became famous. The narrative is clearly-worded without being pedantic or condescending. Cunxin couples the narrative with colored sketches that reinforce the text. A multitude of colors are used, but they are all muted; the muted colors contribute to the dark mood whenever Cunxin discusses how much he misses his family.

[Joenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selected by Chairman Mao's officials from among millions of children to become a dancer, Li's new life began as he left his family behind. At the Beijing Dance Academy, days were long and difficult. Li's hard work was rewarded when he was chosen yet again, this time to travel to America. Beautiful illustrations and a wonderful story to tell children that anything is possible.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully told story of a young boy living in China during the Cultural Revolution, and how he took advantage of opportunities that came his way to rise above his parents' poor station in life. This is the picture book version of a longer adult book, Mao's Last Dancer, which I now must read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Small, gentle (true) tale about a young boy, plucked out of the "peasant class" in the Chinese countryside, who becomes a ballet dancer during Mao's cultural revolution. Some nice descriptions of his observations when he first came to America in the 1990's (So much food everywhere! Wow, money comes out from an ATM machine!).

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in first-person, this book tells the story of Li Cunxin, a ballet dancer during Mao's reign who was picked by government officials to study ballet far away from his poor village and family, giving him a chance to escape the steep and narrow well of poverty. It is a story of sacrifice, and working hard, and reaching for a dream, all while remembering your roots and family. 680L

[Shirlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

About a young peasant sent to learn ballet at Madame Mao's dance school. It catches your interest right away and even if you don't know ballet, it's his story that is intreging. Wonderful book! Loved it!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true story about an eleven year old boy from a small village in China who becomes a world famous ballet dancer. He must make a very serious decision that will affect his dancing career and also his family.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful picture-book biography of Li Cunxin, a young boy who was chosen to study ballet in Maoist China. After years of studying, Li was allowed to travel to America to perform with the Houston Ballet. From there, he traveled all over the world as a famous ballerino.

Historical note included.

[Rosie Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a true story about a Chinese boy from a poor family who becomes a world famous dancer. I did not really connect with the story but I gave it 4 stars because the illustrations are amazing. I would use this book in my classroom if I needed to explain communism to a young group of students.

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read about China's most famous dancer. The time period and situations briefly tackled upon in this inspiring picture book piqued my interest and may end up reading his memoir, Mao's Last Dancer.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

WoW that was a great story it touch me and it was also emotional and that was a great little tale about the frog in the well