When Li Cunxin walked into the theatrette at Arden Street, only a few Kangaroos’ players were aware of his inspirational story, but by the end of his hour long talk, none were left wondering about the significance of his visit.
Cunxin is the author of the international best seller Mao’s Last Dancer, a memoir that made it all the way to Hollywood and was transformed into a spectacular movie.
Now residing in Melbourne, Cunxin’s heart wrenching tale of courage, hope, determination and dedication struck a chord with players from veteran captain Brent Harvey to rookies Marcus White and Matthew Scott.
Identified as one of the world’s top ten dancers during his prime, Cunxin spoke of the hardships he has had to endure, including being taken away from his family at the age of eleven, almost losing his life and experiencing a punishing seven-year training regime at the Beijing Dance Academy.
“It was a real eye-opener for us and something I will take a lot out of,” defender Michael Firrito told kangaroos.com.au.
“Li’s story is unbelievable and he spoke to us about achieving our goals, never giving up on our dreams and making the most of our opportunities.”
Cunxin says a close friend convinced him to become a member of the North Melbourne Football Club several years ago and he is now a proud and passionate supporter along with his wife Mary, daughter Bridie and son Tom.
“The athleticism and spectacular nature of AFL drew me to the game,” he told the group of 75 players and staff.
“It (AFL) is a remarkable team game and like ballet, if one person doesn’t perform, the entire team or dance company suffers. There are a lot of similarities.”
After a tour of the new Arden Street facility, Cunxin said he was extremely envious of the players with the amount of equipment and technology they have at their disposal. He went on to speak of having to hop, one-legged, up and down stairs with heavy sandbags tied to his ankles to build his leg strength.
“The lengths he went to in order to make his dreams come true are amazing,” young forward Robbie Tarrant said.
“Every single player was totally absorbed in his story and marveled at his resilience, perseverance and achievements.”
Cunxin moved to Melbourne in 1995 with his family and became a principal dancer with the Australian Ballet. He attended North Melbourne’s match against Sydney on Sunday and plans to get to more games in the near future.
With his movie being released all over the world, Cunxin says he has a busy time ahead and has to juggle work commitments, speaking engagements and family life.
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