Discipline is key to Chi’s success

Ballet dancer Chi Cao has accomplished many remarkable things in his life: contest awards, a fine career as a principal dancer for the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet in England, and the lead role in "Mao’s Last Dancer," the 2009 biopic about another Chinese dancer whose desire to freely pursue his life and passions caused an international uproar.

But given the chance, Chi might have pursued other options: boxer, mixed martial artist and Ultimate Fighting champion.

"If you asked me who the current stars in the ballet world are today, I could name a few," said Chi, relaxing Monday after his first rehearsal for Ballet Hawaii’s "Nutcracker," where he headlines an international cast. "But if you ask me about the champion boxers and the champions of UFC, I could tell you his fights, what his style is like. I could tell you why he’s famous, I could tell his significant fights for the last 20 years."

Chi admires and identifies with the raw physicality and mental determination required in mixed martial arts, which isn’t surprising considering the discipline he applies to his dancing.

"Once I know the steps and everything, every rehearsal I do, I will treat as if I’m on stage," he said. "Even if I’m standing on the side, I will make sure I’m standing how I would on stage … I want to know exactly how I would feel on stage."

Chi got a leg up on his dancing career as the son of the director of the Beijing Dance Academy, the national dance school of China. The young Chi went to the academy with his parents every day, soaking up the culture of ballet. "When I decided to take up ballet seriously, I already knew what ballet was," he said. "I knew all the steps, how they’re called, how they should look, where all the other kids don’t even know what ballet’s like."

At age 15, he abandoned his academic studies to devote himself to dancing for three months in anticipation of his first competition. He placed third and went to England on a six-month exchange program, getting exposure to top European dancers and proving himself worthy of staying on to launch his career.

Five years later, Chi took the gold medal at a competition in Varna, Bulgaria, where dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov have made their names. It is a grueling contest requiring entrants to perform over 18 straight days.

CHI WAS hand-picked for the film role of Li Cunxin, a Chinese dancer whose defection to the United States in 1981 during a cultural exchange program led to a standoff between the United States and China, with Li even being held hostage for a day in the Chinese embassy in Houston.

Li had studied with Chi’s father and recommended him for the film. Chi took a "crash course" in acting in China for the film, but ultimately it was his knowledge of Li’s story that helped him play the role. "I felt (we had) a lot of similarities, and so did Li," Chi said. "We both came out to the West when we were very young. We both achieved at a very high level as a dancer, and we both had that loneliness as we were younger. I understood what he felt."

The film has not been publicly screened in China, though people can view pirated versions, Chi said. Li was banished from China and kept from contacting his family for years, but Chi said he suffered no repercussions for portraying him.

For Ballet Hawaii’s production of "Nutcracker," Chi will portray the Cavalier and partner with Carolina Ballet’s Lilyan Vigo Ellis, who portrayed Juliet in Ballet Hawaii’s summer production of "Romeo and Juliet." It was one of the first major roles of his career and one of his favorites, allowing him to display the combination of Russian dance style he learned as a youth and the British styles he developed during his years in England.

Ballet Hawaii’s production will also feature New York City Ballet’s Sterling Hyltin (Snow Queen) and Andrew Veyette (Snow King and Russian Dancer), Carolina Ballet’s Timour Bourtasenkov (Arabian Dancer) and Gabor Kapin (Chinese Dancer and Harlequin Doll), and Broadway star John Selya (Soldier Doll and Spanish Dancer).

Chi is especially pleased to perform in Hawaii, an opportunity afforded through his connection with Hawaii native Amanda Schull, a ballerina and actress who was his co-star in "Mao’s Last Dancer."

"I always wanted to come to Hawaii, always," he said. "Growing up in China, you know Hawaii before you know about America. You see the palm trees on TV and everything."

A bigger attraction for Chi these days is local boy and former UFC champion B.J. Penn. "It’s a shame that his gym … isn’t finished yet. I would love to go there, work out and meet the guy," he said.