Dance in Film · 2009
Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
Bruce Beresford casts principal dancers Chi Cao and Chengwu Guo as the adult and teenage Li Cunxin, letting ballet training and full-bodied stage performance carry the Chinese-born dancer's passage from Beijing discipline to Houston Ballet freedom.
Mao's Last Dancer is a 2009 dance feature film centred on ballroom and social dance. For dancers, it's a chance to see the style performed on screen — the phrasing, partnering, and musicality that the same dances carry onto a real floor.
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Where to watch: Prime Video U.S. rental and purchase listing verified 2026-08-08; availability and pricing may change.
The dance sequences in Mao's Last Dancer
6 sequences — what is danced, by whom, and where to find it.
Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes
Ballet pas de deuxDanced by Chi Cao · Choreography Graeme Murphy; Janet Vernon
A close two-person ballet exchange drawn from Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes.
The duet supplies a quieter counterweight to the film's spectacle, condensing ballet partnering into a character-focused performance passage.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. The Houston Chronicle names Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes among the film's dance sequences and credits Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon with devising the condensed sequences. The plain-language style label is used because no exact taxonomy key for this named pas de deux was independently supported. No timestamp was asserted.
Don Quixote pas de deux
Classical BalletDanced by Chi Cao · Choreography Graeme Murphy; Janet Vernon
A short burst of technically demanding Don Quixote partnering and variation work.
The bravura repertory excerpt gives the film a compact showcase for Li's virtuosity while preserving full-body ballet performance rather than substituting editing for dancing.
Watch this sequence · Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. TV Guide identifies the exact 59-second Don Quixote clip. The Houston Chronicle confirms the film's Don Quixote pas de deux and credits Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon with the condensed dance sequences. TV Guide listed the full film as unavailable to stream on 2026-08-14. No edition-specific feature timestamp was asserted.
Li meets Liz in the rehearsal studio
Classical BalletDanced by Chi Cao; Amanda Schull · Choreography Graeme Murphy
Li and Liz laughing while he sustains her in a lifted ballet pose.
An intimate studio encounter turns ballet partnering into character development: Li helps Liz through her practice and holds her aloft as their professional connection becomes personal.
Watch this sequence · Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. NFSA identifies the exact scene and performers. Screen Australia lists the 2009 feature at 110 minutes; the official distributor press kit and Apple TV U.S. catalog list a 117-minute edition. TV Guide listed the full film as unavailable to stream on 2026-08-14. No edition-specific timestamp was asserted.
Swan Lake Act II
Classical BalletDanced by Chi Cao; Australian Ballet dancers · Choreography Graeme Murphy; Janet Vernon
Li framed by the swan corps in a full theatrical ballet setting.
A major classical repertory passage anchors Li's screen career in sustained ensemble performance; the production imported the Australian Ballet's Swan Lake staging, dancers, and physical stage world for the shoot.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. The official production notes document the Australian Ballet Swan Lake production, company dancers, cygnets, and sets used for filming; NFSA also names Swan Lake among the recreated public performances. Screen Australia lists 110 minutes while this press kit lists 117 minutes. No edition-specific timestamp was asserted.
The Red Detachment of Women academy performance
Chinese revolutionary balletChoreography Graeme Murphy; Janet Vernon
A stylized revolutionary ballet embedded in the academy chapter of Li's story.
The revolutionary-ballet passage establishes the tightly controlled artistic world of Li's Beijing training and gives the later Western repertory a concrete choreographic contrast.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. The Houston Chronicle names The Red Detachment of Women among the film's dance sequences and credits Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon with devising the condensed sequences. Performer names are left blank because the opened sources do not tie a specific cast member to this exact passage. The plain-language style label marks a taxonomy gap; no timestamp was asserted.
The Rite of Spring finale
The Rite of Spring ballet interpretationDanced by Chi Cao · Choreography Graeme Murphy; Janet Vernon
The force and physicality of the climactic Rite of Spring performance.
The climactic performance converts Li's accumulated artistic and personal conflict into movement, making the ballet passage function as narrative resolution rather than decorative spectacle.
Not currently available to stream; timestamp is for reference. NFSA identifies The Rite of Spring as the film's climactic public performance, and the official production notes credit Graeme Murphy with the film's dancing. The plain-language style label avoids forcing this interpretation into an unsupported taxonomy key. No edition-specific timestamp was asserted.
Poster artwork from TMDB.
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