Mary Li

So most of us have heard the story of Mao's Last Dancer, Li Cunxin, but I doubt as many of you have heard of his beautiful wife Mary Li. Mary grew up as Mary McKendry, one of eight kids, in Rocky in Central Qld. Her story of wanting to be a prima ballerina as a little girl, then dancing on stage in London and all over the world, even training with the legendary Rudolf Nureyev; is actually the stuff of fairytales. And so is the love story of how she met her future husband, both of them principal dancers. But it's actually the story of their little girl Sophie, who was born profoundly deaf, that led Mary to sit down and write a book. And this is what we chat about today. The confidence of stepping on stage in front of Royalty. The confidence of raising a child with a huge challenge ahead of her, in an era where medical advancements aren't what they are today. And in the ultimate act of love, to give up her own glittering career to be a champion for her. I'm so excited to announce that after 29 years away from the stage, Mary is making her dancing comeback. If you are lucky enough to be close to Brisbane, Australia, you can see her onstage at the Lyric Theatre on the 8th, 10th and 15th of June. So here's the fabulous Mary Li on Claiming Her Confidence. Thanks as always to Marc from Term Six Productions for audio on this episode. Link is in my bio. Follow @claimingyourconfidence or your host @katrinablowers on Instagram for more confidence tips and behind-the-scenes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.