Mao’s Last Dancer re-signs with ballet’s State of Origin team

Queensland Ballet’s acclaimed artistic director Li Cunxin has signed on for another three years, and will even take to the stage in 2022.

He’s the Cameron Smith of the ballet world and Li Cunxin has just signed on again with the winning team at Queensland Ballet. Okay it’s not his State of Origin but his wife Mary is a Queenslander (she’s from Rocky) and the man they call Mao’s Last Dancer now has a heart of maroon.

Li will make the big announcement Wednesday at 2pm at the first of two big season 2022 program launches in the Concert Hall at QPAC. He needs two events because the ballet is just so damn popular and he helped make it that way over the past decade.

QB’s dream run is like our Origin teams of old and now he’s a happy man. Li grew up in poverty in China and after defecting to the west went on to become an internationally renowned dancer whose best-selling autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer was made into a Hollywood film.

Li, 60, married Mary McKendry, a dancer from Rockhampton who also made it big internationally and there’s every chance she talked him into going for the job at Queensland Ballet where he is intent on remaining.

Li and Mary Li are loving life in Brisbane as Li signs on for another three years at Queensland Ballet. Pic Mark Cranitch.

“Mary always talked about the wonderful weather and people and beaches of Queensland,” Li says. “And we have had quite a lot to do with Queensland Ballet before I came to work here. We danced at their 30th anniversary gala 3o years ago.

“I’m thrilled to sign on for another three years and to have the opportunity to continue making a positive impact in our local community and the world stage. Queensland Ballet is such a unique company and every day I am surrounded by contagious energy from our dancers, our creative teams and from all of our loyal supporters. This will be fun.”

We can also reveal that Li and Mary, once a dynamic duo on the stages of the world, are going back on the boards again in 2022 in Manon, one of the ballets that will make up season 2022 despite the fact that Li declared that his last foray “nearly killed me”.

Queensland Ballet chair Julieanne Alroe says the company’s growth in the last decade is testament to Li’s vision and commitment.

“We know the next three years will be even more transformational with Li at the helm and we are glad he will be leading the company as we open our newly refurbished Thomas Dixon Centre in 2022.

Giselle will open QB’s season 2022 in Brisbane in the Playhouse at QPAC in April.

“Queensland Ballet has grown into a world-class ballet company with 60 dancers, covering an elite standard of repertory ballet works and an internationally renowned Academy training curriculum, all situated across three world-class homes at the Thomas Dixon Centre, the Academy, and a new Production Centre at Yatala in 2022.”

QB’s Season 2022 is brimming with iconic works, including triple-bill Li’s Choice, featuring three personal picks from Li to celebrate his decade as artistic director. The triple-bill includes We Who Are Left by QB resident choreographer Natalie Weir, Glass Concerto by QB chief ballet master Greg Horsman and the lively ragtime ballet Elite Syncopations by Sir Kenneth MacMillan.

The year will begin with a return season of The Sleeping Beauty at HOTA (Home of The Arts) on the Gold Coast, part of a new partnership with the Surfers Paradise cultural precinct.

Giselle will kick off the year at the Playhouse in Brisbane in April after a regional tour.

Season ticket holders can book for next year from 2pm Tuesday and tickets go on sale to the general public at 12pm Thursday September 30.

For full program see below or go to

queenslandballet.com.au

QUEENSLAND BALLET FULL 2022 PROGRAM

The Sleeping Beauty | 25 – 26 February | Theatre 1, HOTA

Experience a special night under the starry skies as we tour our exquisite box office-breaking fairytale The Sleeping Beauty to Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts (HOTA). Queensland Ballet’s most successful ballet of all time visits HOTA for the first time in 2022, weaving the magic of true love’s kiss throughout this incredible outdoor theatre after a hugely popular 2021 Brisbane season. Intertwined with Marius Petipa’s renowned original 1890s choreography and accompanied by the exquisite Tchaikovsky score, Greg Horsman’s two-act retelling will sweep you away to a land of enchanted forests, kings and queens, and charismatic creatures that creep, crawl, flit and flutter.

Giselle | 3-16 March 2022 | Regional Tour

Giselle | 14 – 23 April 2022 | Playhouse, QPAC

Experience love, envy, betrayal, and tragic redemption in the quintessential Romantic ballet, Giselle. First performed in Paris, France in 1841, this Romantic-era masterpiece is set in an ethereal realm where vengeful spirits dance in the darkness, and love triangles can be deadly. Follow the story of the young peasant girl Giselle, and her death by a broken heart. In the twilight world of the Wilis, will she follow the dark path of revenge or save her true love from certain death? With exquisite choreography, luminous costumes, and an enchanting score, Giselle has held audiences spellbound since its Parisian premier more than 150 years ago.

Li’s Choice | 10 – 25 June 2022 | Playhouse, QPAC

Be captivated by this trio of extraordinary works by Natalie Weir, Greg Horsman, and Sir Kenneth MacMillan, hand-selected by Li Cunxin. Acclaimed Australian choreographer Natalie Weir, known internationally for her highly physical partner work and organic movement style, showcases her deeply emotive war-themed work We Who Are Left. Glass Concerto, by renowned international choreographer Greg Horsman, captures the pulse and escalating intensity of the brilliant music of Philip Glass in this neoclassical masterpiece. And in a fervour of dazzling colour and high energy, ragtime ballet Elite Syncopations by Sir Kenneth MacMillan is, quite simply, entertainment at its best.

Peter and the Wolf | 24 June – 2 July 2022 | Thomas Dixon Centre

Follow the courageous young scout Peter on an adventure to the zoo in this symphonic fairytale ballet designed for families. Children of all ages, along with parents and grandparents, will enjoy a lesson in musical appreciation, as orchestral instruments accompany the dancers in a much-loved story about Peter, a rascally wolf, an unlucky duck, and a graceful bird. Composed as an introduction to the orchestra for children, the lively production fits perfectly with Queensland Ballet’s My First Ballet Series, inspiring the littlest of ballet lovers.

Bespoke | 20 –30 July 2022 | Thomas Dixon Centre

Explore the vibrant world of contemporary dance in a thrilling new season of Queensland Ballet’s Bespoke. Now in its fourth year, this striking triple bill of modern dance offers audiences an opportunity to witness elite ballet dancers in dynamic contemporary spaces. In celebration of the opening of our new theatre at the heritage-listed Thomas Dixon Centre, for this year’s Bespoke, renowned Australian choreographers Greg Horsman, Petros Treklis, and Stephanie Lake have collaborated with dancers and artists to create three compelling new pieces of innovative storytelling, using visual art, music, and the depths of human emotion as elements of inspiration.

Queensland Ballet Academy Gala | 12 – 14 August 2022 | Thomas Dixon Centre

Don’t miss the rising stars of dance in this compelling showcase of outstanding talent by Queensland Ballet’s esteemed Academy. Demonstrating technical finesse and exquisite artistry, the annual Queensland Ballet Academy Gala features our professionally-trained young dancers as they master performance and passion in a dazzling display of classical and contemporary dance. Audiences will enjoy a program of inspiring classical pieces and dynamic contemporary works by renowned international and local choreographers. Performed by dancers at the beginning of their bright careers, this exciting program will be presented for the first time at Queensland Ballet’s heritage home, the newly-redeveloped Thomas Dixon Centre.

Manon | 28 Sept – 8 Oct 2022| Lyric Theatre, QPAC

Li Cunxin AO and Mary Li performance dates | 29 September, 4 and 6 October 2022

Journey from decadent 18th century Paris to sultry New Orleans with this blockbuster classical ballet about possession, desire, and the allure of wealth. Renowned as one of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s most iconic works, Manon is a quintessential romantic tragedy, following the tale of a young French peasant girl conflicted by love and a yearning to be free from poverty. From seduction, ambition, and greed to the persuasive power of love, this sumptuous story has been captivating audiences for more than two centuries. Queensland Ballet is one of only a handful of ballet companies across the world with permission to perform Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s version of Manon – don’t miss it!

Rooster & B-Sides | 10 – 12 November 2022 | Outdoor Stage, HOTA

Travel back to the joyous fun of the 60s with this celebration of energetic choreography and hit pop and rock music in Christopher Bruce’s Rooster and Jack Lister’s B-Sides. Full of humour, infectious energy and toe-tapping tunes - including music by the Rolling Stones Christopher Bruce’s Rooster is an ironic look at male chauvinism, with strutting dancers in vibrant period-era costumes that will have audiences bopping in their seats. The swinging 60s theme continues in B-Sides by Jack Lister with its fusion of colourful kitsch and seamless contemporary choreography. An exploration of relationships and identity to a recording of hit 60s pop songs, this piece will captivate audiences with its engaging effervescence.

The Nutcracker | 2 – 23 December 2022 | Playhouse, QPAC

Whisk the entire family away this festive season to a magical Christmas Eve party where snowflakes flutter, fireplaces crackle, and enchanted toys come alive to frolic and play in The Nutcracker. It’s Christmas Eve and when the clock strikes twelve, nothing is as it seems! Follow Clara and the Nutcracker Prince as they journey across a Lemonade Sea to the Kingdom of Sweets, for a midnight rendezvous of delectable delights and enchanting entertainment. This cherished Queensland Ballet holiday tradition returns to Brisbane for its ninth spellbinding season. Wonderfully whimsical, The Nutcracker is perfect for the whole family.

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Originally published as Mao’s Last Dancer re-signs with ballet’s State of Origin team