Now a family concert being produced by Queensland Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Queensland Ballet adds a new dimension to Li Cunxin’s life story. Based on Li’s autobiographical children’s book of the same name, The Peasant Prince traces a young boy’s journey as he is plucked from a life of poverty in rural China at age 11 to train at the Beijing Dance Academy, before going on to become one of the world’s most famous dancers.

This family concert will be a multi-sensory, interactive experience, with Brett Kelly conducting a composition by Katy Abbott, narration by award-winning Queensland actor Bryan Probets, and big-screen projections of artist Anne Spudvilas’s illustrations, which originally appeared in the book.

The production also stars Brisbane-based dancer Hugo Tang from The Queensland Ballet Academy, who will perform steps choreographed by Paul Boyd.

There will be two performances of The Peasant Prince at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Studio at South Bank on Saturday, March 21, as well as four midweek educational performances, to be held next Wednesday and Thursday. These performances are designed especially for primary school-aged children and complement the Queensland curriculum, but all are welcome to attend.

QSO’s director of artistic planning Tim Matthies said this rendition of The Peasant Prince featured “a really engaging piece of music that I think people of all ages will appreciate”.

“We are always looking for work that we believe will be musically interesting and exciting, and that showcases the orchestra, but also that has stories that will draw people to them, so that for example, teachers can use them to explore different areas of the curriculum and the family can also use them to broaden their children’s experiences,” Matthies said.

“Katy had talked with Li about the idea of there being dancing because in the previous performances of the work in other parts of Australia that’s never happened but we thought, because of Li’s connection, being artistic director of Queensland Ballet, that we would talk with the ballet company about involving dance in this for the first time.

“They thought the best way for us to work would be with the Academy, the ballet’s training program, and that’s a fantastic opportunity for a young dancer to be given this chance to showcase.”

Matthies said those involved with the production were mindful of the fact this would be some children’s first exposure to the performing arts, and they had made a pointed effort to ensure it was engaging for younger audiences.

“One of the things that’s really important for us is to introduce young audiences to music that’s beautifully written, fantastically performed and also has these other elements,” he said.

“Katy worked with Li on adapting the text to make that work and Bryan is a fantastic actor and presenter, he’s worked with us before, so it was great that he was available to work on this with us.

“What we really like to do with our concerts is just ensure that we have the best people possible to present this music to young audiences.”

One of artist Anne Spudvilas’s illustrations for The Peasant Prince.

Li said he was excited by the prospect of seeing his story come to life on a Brisbane stage in a fresh and innovative way.

“It will be wonderful to see this children’s version of my autobiography on the stage produced by Queensland Symphony Orchestra,” Li said. “Paul Boyd’s choreography, coupled with Hugo Tang’s performance, promises to delight audiences.”

Discussing the production last month, Li said he hoped The Peasant Prince would inspire young people to achieve their best.

“Seven years of harsh training taught me discipline, resilience and determination,” he said.

“Whether you have read the book or not, whether you have seen the movie Mao’s Last Dancer or not, I think you will walk away inspired and uplifted and I do hope my story will reach out to you, to speak to you but also I hope it will inspire you to achieve great things in your lives.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit qso.com.au