A young Chinese dancer realizes the dream of his life by becoming a star dancer in the United States.

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The son of poor peasants, Li Cunxin is 11 years old in 1972, when the Chinese authorities come to his school looking for young talent. After passing some strict flexibility tests, Li is sent to the Beijing ballet academy, where he unhappily submits to a harsh training program. After 7 years, by sheer willpower, he becomes an exceptional dancer. During a cultural exchange with the United States, he realizes he's been brainwashed by the communist regime, falls in love with an American woman and decides to defect and focus on an international career...

Based on Li's bestselling autobiography that was published in Australia and translated into 20 languages, this relatively unoriginal big budget movie will do well with those who love a happy ending and/or ballet scenes - which were choreographed by Australian star choreographer Graeme Murphy.