Bruce Beresford	...	(Director)
Jan Sardi, Cunxin Li	...	(Writer)
Chi Cao	...	Li - as an adult
Bruce Greenwood	...	Ben Stevenson
Penne Hackforth-Jones	...	Cynthia Dodds
Christopher Kirby	...	Mason (as Chris Kirby)
Suzie Steen	...	Betty Lou
Madeleine Eastoe	...	Lori
Aden Young	...	Dilworth
Wen Bin Huang	...	Li - as a child
Shu Guang Liang	...	Jing Tring - 8 yrs
Ye Wang	...	Cunfar - 14 yrs
Neng Neng Zhang	...	Gong Mei
Wan Shi Xu	...	Shen Yu
Shao Wei Yi	...	Yang Ping
Hui Cong Zhan	...	Teacher Song
Ji Feng Sun	...	Headmaster
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Charles Foster
Joan Chen	...	Niang
Amanda Schull	...	Elizabeth Mackey
Shuangbao Wang	...	Dia (as Shuang Bao Wang)
Chengwu Guo	...	Li Cunxin - as a teenager
Camilla Vergotis	...	Mary McKendry
Jack Thompson	...	Judge Woodrow Seals
Chloe Traicos	...	Frizzy head girl
Zhi Xue Chai	...	Official Guan
Chang Suo Zhang	...	Official Chan Feng
Jie Cheng	...	Official Yu
Zheng Nong Yang	...	Cunyuan - 21 yrs
Wen Bin Zhang	...	Cunsang - 17 yrs
Ferdinand Hoang	...	Consul Zhang
Tian Xia	...	Door Soldier
Yue Hu	...	Long Face Boy
Jia Hui Zhang	...	Clumsy Sumersault Boy
Hang Yu	...	Boy Candidate
Bao Li	...	Advisor Xu
Hao Tian Xue	...	Shing Hua - 11 yrs
Hui Min Tian	...	Chung Jun Town Leader
Yu Qi Zhang	...	Chan Lan District Chief
Hong Tao Wang	...	Cuncia
Ping Chen	...	Miss So
Peng Cao	...	Mr Hung
Su Zhang	...	Teacher Chan
Ming Yue Ma	...	Lau - 11 yrs
Jian Wang	...	Su - 11 yrs
Chang He	...	Tong - 11 yrs
Jun Ming Tian	...	Lujun - 12 yrs
Xi Guo Wu	...	Director Wang
Gang Jiao	...	Teacher Gao
Jun Ping Zhu	...	Mistress Chiu Ho
Meng Ni Yang	...	Shing Hua - 15 yrs
Zu Quan Kou	...	Lau - 15 yrs
Cheng Yue Zhu	...	Su - 15 yrs
Long Dai	...	Tong - 15 yrs
Hong Jian Li	...	Lujun - 16 yrs
Steven Heathcote	...	Bobby Cordner
Xiuqing Yue	...	Madame Official (as Xiu Qing Yue)
Jun Long Kang	...	Madame's companion
Meng Wang	...	Bow shooter
Feng Qi Ma	...	Cobbler
Ya Xuan Xu	...	Shing Hua - 19 yrs
Jia Yong Sun	...	Lau - 19 yrs
Ke Zhu	...	Su - 19 yrs
Lu Ning Chen	...	Tong - 19 yrs
Hong Tao Lin	...	Lujun - 20 yrs
Yang Li	...	Shi Dao
Fan Wang	...	Chinese translator
Xiao Dong Tian	...	Cunfar - 21 yrs
Huai Ping Yang	...	Jing Tring - 15 yrs
Monica Curran	...	Mrs Tan
Lucy Egger	...	MC / Orlofski
Alice Parkinson	...	Assistant Stage Manager
Kip Gamblin	...	David
Paul Stanhope	...	Swan Lake Conductor
Deni Hines	...	Anita Jones
Jon-Claire Lee	...	Vice Consul Lan
Min Lu	...	Security Guard #1
Robin Choi	...	Embassy Guard - Security Guard #2 (as Rob Choi)
Ron Lee	...	Security Guard #3
Cory Vi	...	Security Guard #4
Cheuk-Fai Chan	...	Security Guard #5
Sean Huling Chen	...	Security Guard #6
Quan Tran	...	Consul Duty Officer
Gibson Nolte	...	China Desk Officer
Ted Maynard	...	Newsreader
Nick McKay	...	TV Reporter
Nicholas Hammond	...	TV Reporter
Chad H. Loxsom	...	FBI Man
Leslie Bell	...	TV Presenter
Ian Meadows	...	WTC Backstage Manager
George Ellis	...	Houston Ballet Conductor
John Thwaites	...	Senator
Jane Harders	...	Senator's Wife
Leanne Atkins	...	Reception Guest
Dan Yang Cong	...	The Boy who asks
Sam Anderson	...	Stage Manager
Elia Da Costa	...	Disco Dancer
Laurence Fuller	...	Aspiring Dancer
Tony Hall	...	Office Worker
Brenda Kuciemba	...	Concert Patron
Christopher Gordon	...	Composer
Peter James	...	Cinematographer
Mark Warner	...	Editor

Summary: A drama based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was plucked from a poor Chinese village by Madame Mao's cultural delegates and taken to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet.