Mao's last dancer makes return to ballet

At the age of eleven, Li Cunxin was plucked from a poor rural village in China's Shandong province to attend the Beijing Dance Academy.

He became one of the best dancers China ever produced and was granted permission to visit the United States to study with the Houston Ballet Company.

In the US, Li Cunxin defected, sparking a tense standoff between Beijing and Washington that drew the intervention of then US Vice President George H W Bush.

He remained in the US until 1995, when he moved to Australia and became principal dancer with the Australian Ballet until retiring in 1999.

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Here we have a short interview with Li Cunxin, an accomplished Chinese ballet dancer. He talks about his plans as the new Artistic Director of the Queensland Ballet.