Shelby's Social Diary
Houston Ballet greats, including "Mao's Last Dancer," reunite for Dance of AsianAmerica gala
Photo by Jia Li
Photo by Jia Li
Photo by Jia Li
Photo by Jia Li
Photo by Jia Li
Photo by Jia Li
It was a rare moment in the world of Houston dance when former Houston Ballet prima ballerina Janie Parker and former principal dancer Li Cunxin, Mao's Last Dancer, reunited in the spotlight at the Omni Houston Hotel. As honorees at Dance of Asian America's 10th anniversary gala, the two provided rare insights into their time together on stage at Jones Hall.
There was at least one guest in the audience who knew their stories intimately — former Houston Ballet artistic director Ben Stevenson, who flew in from Dallas where he's the Texas Ballet Theater artistic director. Stevenson had a front-row seat to Li's defection as did immigration attorney Charles Foster, who attended the gala with his wife Lily Foster.
The evening of reminiscences included a performance of traditional Chinese dance by Dance of Asian America, which strives to preserve China's cultural heritage through authentic Chinese dance.
Joining forces as chairs of the "East Meets West" evening were former Houston Ballet prima ballerina Lauren Anderson, Linda Wu and Yuki Rogers. Former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush lent their names as honorary chairs.
Among those applauding the evening's cultural and diplomatic goals were Houston Ballet artistic director Stanton Welch, managing director C.C. Conner, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater's Dominic Walsh, Cathy and Giorgio Borlenghi, Ella and Arthur Hemberg, Theresa and Peter Chang, Sylvia and Gordon Quan, Sugar Land City Councilwoman Jacquie Chaumette, Chinese Cultural Consul Tsai Lian and Vicky and James Wei, director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office.
