Li Cunxin

Li was the sixth of seven brothers, 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. ==Career==

Artistic Director of the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson was teaching two semesters at the Beijing Dance Academy. 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.) Australia Li subsequently danced with the Houston Ballet for sixteen years, during which he won two silver and a bronze medal at International Ballet Competitions. While dancing in London, he met ballerina Mary McKendry from Rockhampton, Australia. They married in 1987. In 1995 they moved to Melbourne, Australia, with their two children. Li became a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. In July 2012, Li established himself as a mainstay of Brisbane's cultural scene. On 20 June 2023, Li announced that he and his wife Mary would retire at the end of 2023, 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. Li is now retired and living in Brisbane. ==Honours==

He was named Australian Father of the Year in 2009. In July 2016, Barbara Baehr and Robert Whyte from the Queensland Museum named a newly discovered spider species Maratus licunxini after Li Cunxin. Dr Baehr said a Queensland Ballet performance of Li Cunxin's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' reminded her of the stunning mating display of the peacock spider. 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, 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 2019 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". On 11 December 2023, at the graduation ceremony of the University of Queensland, Li was honoured with the degree of Honorary Doctor of Letters, and gave the graduation speech. Others honoured were Katherine Hirschfeld AM also awarded a Doctor of Letters, and Professor Julie Duck awarded the university's R.H. Roe Award. ==Stockbroking==

After arriving in Australia in 1995, when sidelined by a sprained ankle, Li occupied himself by gaining work experience with ANZ Securities and embarking on a three-year diploma course with the Australian Securities Institute. He had previously become interested in the stock market while in Houston. The Australian Ballet and ANZ Securities accommodated his desire to work at two professions simultaneously, dancing and stockbroking. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays he worked at the stockbroking firm from 7:30am till noon when he arrived at the Australian Ballet for rehearsals and to prepare for performances. He followed this routine for two years. He believed these were his best years as a dancer. "I got to a level I thought I would never reach, a fusion of technique and artistry. When I was younger I might have been better technically, but I was lacking artistic maturity." Li retired from ballet in 1999 at the age of 38 and joined Bell Potter Securities to establish its Asian desk. ==''Mao's Last Dancer''==

In 2003 Li published his autobiography, ''Mao's Last Dancer''. It has received numerous accolades, including the Australian Book of the Year award. In 2008, the children's version of this book, ''Mao's Last Dancer: The Peasant Prince'' (illustrated by Anne Spudvilas), won the Australian Publishers Association's Book of the Year for Younger Children and the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Children's Book Award. ''Mao's Last Dancer was adapted into a 2009 feature film of the same name by director Bruce Beresford and writer Jan Sardi, starring Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood and Kyle MacLachlan. At the São Paulo International Film Festival 2009 the film won Best Foreign Feature Film Audience Award (tied with Broken Embraces''). American figure skater Nathan Chen skated to the soundtrack from the film at the 2018 Winter Olympics, winning the long program. Chen, himself extensively trained in ballet, consulted with Cunxin in the development of his on-ice persona during the run-up to the Olympics. ==Personal life==

Li's first marriage was to Elizabeth Mackey in 1981. They were divorced in 1987. Mary McKendry and Li were married that same year and now have three children: Sophie (born in 1988), Thomas (1992), and Bridie (1997). On 20 June 2023, Li announced that he and Mary would retire at the end of 2023, she from the teaching position as principal repetiteur with the ballet company. Li cited a heart condition. Mary has been undergoing treatment for cancer. ==References==