Queensland Ballet, ICONIC, Season 2022

Li Cunxin will stay with Queensland Ballet for three more years

At a press launch today (September 28, 2021) for Queensland Ballet's upcoming ICONIC 2022 Season, the company's Board Chair, Julieanne Alroe, announced that Artistic Director Li Cunxin will extend his current decade-long tenure by another three years. She said, "the company's extraordinary growth in the last decade is testament to Li's bold vision and commitment to Queensland Ballet."

As he launched the 2022 season, Li Cunxin thanked the organisation and said he was very happy to extend his directorship: "At the end of these incredible 10 years, it has not been a difficult decision to renew my directorship of this beautiful Company. And our ICONIC 2022 Season celebrates Queensland Ballet's ambitions and bold vision for the future.

Li said he was keen to extend his time at the helm to see some projects through to fruition in the next few years. For example, his continuing work to develop the next generation of dancers at the Queensland Ballet Academy at Kelvin Grove, and new rehearsal and performance spaces: one at the refurbished heritage Thomas Dixon Centre in West End, Brisbane, due to reopen in 2022, and a newly acquired site at Yatala will become the Roy and Nola Thompson Production Centre.

Li said: "My life changed the day I walked into Queensland Ballet as its fifth Artistic Director. This journey has enriched my life and offered so much fulfilment and joy, as well as challenges that have dared me to dream fearlessly to truly see game-changing and life-changing outcomes."

The 2022 Season is called ICONIC, such an apt theme considering that Li and his wife Mary (also a former dancer and the Company's Ballet Mistress) have become Queensland icons for their stories. As told in his autobiography and the film Mao's Last Dancer, Li's journey to Australia via Houston Ballet, where he met Mary, is also a celebrated love story.

Image: Mary McKendry and Li Cunxin performing Esmerelda The Australian Ballet

Li said: "The ICONIC 2022 Season builds on the legacy of the artistic directors who have come before me, and showcases Queensland Ballet's truly world-class dancers. It is our continued ambition to present work of an international standard so that Queenslanders do not have to travel to America, Russia, and other dance capitals to see world-class dance. And also we will continue to attract audiences from interstate and overseas with our dance repertoire."

I spoke to Mary Li about how the ICONIC programme came together. She said that Li has really worked hard to put the season together to reflect the best of Queensland Ballet from the past and look to future iconic performances. She said: "Li starts by looking at the dancers and the talent available in the company and how best to showcase it. We look at classic works and, of course, we also look to see what is happening overseas in the dance world at large. But it really comes down to presenting our best talent to audiences in the best way possible."

Li Cunxin also announced that he and Mary would have the chance to perform together in 2022 for the first time in many decades. They have been granted special permission to perform in Sir Kenneth MacMillan's Manon.

Li told us: "I have performed in several of the male lead roles in Manon, but never Monsieur G. It's a dream come true and I'm thrilled that Mary and I will be sharing this special experience with audiences."

The Company's 60 dancers will perform in the ICONIC 2022 Season, including:

• The Sleeping Beauty (25-26 February - Theatre 1 Home of the Arts (HOTA) Gold Coast)

• Giselle (3-16 March - regional tour, starting in Toowoomba; 14-23 April - QPAC)

• Li's Choice - a hand-picked trio of works by Natalie Weir, Greg Horsman and Sir Kenneth MacMillan (10-25 June - QPAC)