Writers in the Schools (WITS) Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Internationally Acclaimed Dancer and Author Li Cunxin Headlines Event at Junior League on Thursday, November 5.

Houston Mayor Bill White and Andrea Ferguson White Serve as Honorary Chairs for Event Honoring

Houston, Texas -- As Writers in the Schools (WITS) celebrates its 25th anniversary, the community is invited to a special event on November 5, 2009 at 7:00 PM at the Junior League of Houston.   Guest speaker Li Cunxin will return from his home in Australia to Houston, where he made history as a former principal dancer at Houston Ballet and rose to international prominence, following his dramatic defection from China that captured national headlines in 1981.  The fascinating story of his life is recorded in his memoir, Mao's Last Dancer, a best seller in Australia and winner of several prestigious literary prizes.  It has been brought to life on the big screen in a new major motion picture of the same title.  Tickets to the event start at $150, and may be purchased by calling WITS at 713.523.3877, by email at mail@witshouston.org and on the WITS website at www.witshouston.org.

Co-chairs for the event are Marcia and Michael Nichols and Ginya and Clayton Trier.  Honorary event c0-chairs are Houston mayor Bill White and his wife Andrea Ferguson White. 

The Host Committee for the event:
Laura and John Arnold, Cheryl and Ed Butler, Jan Carson and Tim Connolly, Meryl and Murry Cohen, Becky and John Crane, Jennifer Langdon and Joe Crownover, Anne and Ken Culotta, Sally and Mike Curtis, Melinda Snell and David Elder, Kelli and Martin Fein, Lily and Charles Foster, Tina and Craig Freedman, Ellen and Brad Gaber, Merrill and Joe Hafner, Sheri and Ron Henriksen, Jill and Dunham Jewett, Y. Ping Sun and, David Leebron, Kathy and Jeff Love, Carolyn and Mike Mann, Nancy and Neal Manne, Candace and Ken McCoin, Ava Jean Mears, Babs and Jay Rosenfeld, Betsy and Ed Schreiber, Lisa and Greg Spier, Nancy and Irving Stern, Betty and Jess Tutor, Diana and Chase Untermeyer, Dominic Walsh, Melissa and Stephen Waters

“In many ways Li Cunxin is the perfect person to speak on behalf of WITS.  Just as Li told his powerful life story in his memoir, WITS encourages and teaches thousands of children every year to tell their own stories in their own voices,” commented Robin Reagler, executive director for WITS. “ WITS empowers Houston children so that many more powerful stories can be told.” 

WITS mission is to engage students in the pleasure and power of reading and writing.  Ranked the number one literary arts organization in Texas by the Texas Commission on the Arts, WITS has sent professional poets, fiction writers, and playwrights into classrooms in the Houston area to introduce new approaches to teaching writing in primary and secondary schools since 1983.  WITS is also involved in national initiatives, such as mentoring other writers-in-schools programs, serving as a model for multidisciplinary arts educators, and designing curricula for use in schools.   WITS  serves as a major force for educational change in Houston as the city’s largest literary arts organization.

In line with WITS’s mission, Mr. Cunxin will address students at The International School, an HISD charter school located within Sharptstown High School at 9:30 am on Tuesday,  November 5, 2009.

Li Cunxin’s story is one of humble origins as a young student in rural China and the astounding perseverance and talent that led him halfway across the world to Houston and beyond.  Li’s memoir details his childhood, his experience at Houston Ballet, his defection to the United States, and his life in Australia where he currently resides with his wife and three children.

The critically acclaimed film version of Mao's Last Dancer won second place in the People's Choice Award at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in September.  The film premiered in Australia in early October, where it has broken box office records.  Mao's Last Dancer features an all-star cast and an Oscar-nominated director and screenwriter.  Thanks to the outstanding debut in Toronto and in Australia, announcement of a U.S. release date is anticipated soon.  Click here to view the trailer.

More About the Speaker:
Li was born into utter poverty in a rural province of communist China, where he was selected to train in Madam Mao's Beijing Dance Academy at the age of 11.  When he was 18, Li was awarded one of China's first cultural scholarships to go to America.  Two years later, Li defected to the West in a dramatic standoff in the Chinese Consulate in Houston.  Li ultimately became a naturalized U.S. citizen and went on to dance with Houston Ballet as one of the world's best dancers, medaling at three International Ballet Competitions.  In 1995, Li and his family moved to Australia where Li finished his dancing career as principal dancer with The Australian Ballet.  Li now works as a senior manager at one of Australia's largest stock trading firms.

The rich story of Li's life is recounted in his memoir Mao's Last Dancer, which was published by Penguin-Australia in 2003. Quickly rising to No. 1 on the Australian Non-Fiction Best-Seller List, Li's book was named in Amazon.com's Break-Out Books list, received the Christopher Award for Literature, the Book of the Year Award in Australia, and was short-listed for several other prestigious literary awards.  Today, the book is currently in its 32nd reprint, has been translated into many languages, and is sold in 20 countries.  In 2005, the Young Readers' Edition was released.

More About the Film:
The major motion picture, Mao's Last Dancer, premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.  The film received second place in the People's Choice Award at TIFF.  Announcement of a U.S. release date is anticipated soon.  Australian producer, Jane Scott, assembled a talented international team to bring this poignant yet triumphant story to the big screen, directed by Academy Award nominated director Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies, Black Robe) from a stunning adaptation by screenwriter Jan Sardi (Shine, The Notebook, Love's Brother). The film stars Kyle MacLachlan, Bruce Greenwood, Joan Chen, Jack Thompson, Steven Heathcote, Madeline Eastoe, Chi Cao, Chengwu Guo, and dancers from The Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company.