By Abbey Cannan
She has spent her life dancing on stages around the world, and now Australian ballerina Mary Li will launch her highly anticipated memoir in Noosa.
Annie’s Books on Peregian are hosting a lunch with the author at Noosa Waterfront Restaurant to discuss her book ’Mary’s Last Dance: The Untold Story of the Wife of Mao’s Last Dancer’.
The book is the long-awaited sequel to her husband Li Cunxin’s bestselling memoir, Mao’s Last Dancer.
Mary said she was excited every time she was able to visit Noosa.
“It’s a beautiful place,“ she said.
“I want people to find persistence and acceptance from this book and discover that love overpowers everything.“
She had an idyllic childhood: a rambunctious family full of love and support, in a large Queensland country town, Rockhampton.
There she discovered the joy and beauty of ballet, an art in which she very quickly found herself at home.
Mary’s dedication and persistence in excelling shone, opening a world of possibility.
She said the music was a large factor of her passion for dance.
“The training early on was very good and I took to that. I was good at it and the more knowledgable I became the more interested I became,“ she said.
“I might have some sort of artistry in me that draws me to performance and communication. That’s what ballet is, it’s a form of communication without language.“
At the age of just 16, she flew halfway around the world to start a life in London, studying at the Royal Ballet School.
Mary’s talent saw her join the London Festival Ballet, where she danced with the likes of Rudolf Nureyev, and then moved on to Houston Ballet, dancing under acclaimed director Ben Stevenson.
“I never forward projected my life ever, I just took every opportunity and then bigger opportunities came my way,“ Mary said.
That was where she met Chinese dancer Li Cunxin as their chemistry ignited the stage, off stage the two fell in love, becoming darlings of the ballet world.
When their first daughter, Sophie, was born, their lives were complete.
On her first birthday they started to notice Sophie wasn’t as responsive to noises as she should have been.
One doctor cleared her of hearing problems – twice – but still, they noticed a difference when compared to other children.
Their fears were confirmed when, at 18 months of age, Sophie was pronounced profoundly deaf.
After being told bluntly by a specialist, If you both want to continue your careers, then she (Sophie) probably won’t learn to speak, Mary stepped out of the spotlight to focus on her daughter, determined that one day the two of them would have a conversation together.
“It was Sophie’s idea for me to write the book,“ Mary said.
“I was quite reluctant to start with but she helped me. I actually wrote 160,000 words freehand and she would wake me up for coffee each morning and say ’start writing’. I would go to work and she would type it all up on the computer. So I would come back and be forced to move on.
“Li’s editor, who helped him with his book, has been wanting my book for the past 17 years but I certainly wouldn’t have done it unless Sophie wanted her story to be told because it was a big part of my life giving up my career to teach her how to speak.“
Mary and Sophie spent years working together to give Sophie a voice. Through hearing aids, hours upon hours of daily speech therapy and fighting for a cochlear implant, all their efforts paid off when a sweet little voice sung along to Rain, Rain Go Away for the first time.
It took further years and specialist schools, but Mary achieved her goal: she and Sophie were able to have a verbal conversation together.
As much Sophie’s story as it is Mary’s, Mary’s Last Dance, is, above all else is a story of love; a love of art, a love of family, and the unbreakable love of a parent for her child.
The lunch will take place on Monday 7 December from 12pm. Tickets are on sale for $60 per person and include a two course lunch and a glass of wine.
To book call 5448 2053 or email anniesbooks@bigpond.com
