Meet Mao's Last Dancer author

The moving life story of Chinese ballet dancer Li Cunxin was first published in 2003 in an internationally acclaimed autobiography entitled Mao's Last Dancer. His story caught the imagination of film producers and soon the film version of Li's book will preview at Nu Metro cinemas in South Africa.

Li's purpose is to raise funds for Zama Dance School, a ballet school based in Gugulethu. Ackerman has been a patron of the school for over 25 years.

A passport to escape

As the title of his book implies, Li was born into a period of revolution and chaos under communist dictator Mao Tse-tung. While he initially had no interest in - or any real aptitude for - dancing, he soon realised that ballet was his passport to escape the desperate poverty in which is family was forced to live. Determined to help them financially, he learnt to dance through sheer strength of will.

Although Li defected to the West, where he went on to become one of world's most acclaimed ballet dancers, he never forgot his roots and still regularly visits his family in China. Li now lives in Australia with his ballet dancer wife and their three children.

Tickets are available from Computicket at R250 and include a continental breakfast. All proceeds will be donated to the Zama Dance School.