HOUSTON – At 89 years old, British ballet icon Ben Stevenson still vividly recalls his first encounter with China in 1979, comparing it to Cinderella’s magical moment at the ball. The Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) recipient, speaking to China Daily during Houston Ballet’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, reflected on his extraordinary five-decade connection with Chinese dance that began just as diplomatic relations normalized between China and the West.
Stevenson’s remarkable journey saw him transition from Royal Ballet dancer to artistic director of multiple American companies, including Houston Ballet where he served for 27 years. Though the nonagenarian confesses he’s lost count of his China visits, his memory overflows with cherished anecdotes – from sharing KFC on the Great Wall to memorable encounters with a 97-year-old Oxford-educated monk outside Beijing. “We landed in a field in Beijing and they threw our bags out on the grass,” Stevenson recalled of his first arrival, contrasting it with today’s world-class airports.
The ballet master’s most significant legacy emerged from his 1979 teaching stint at Beijing Dance Academy, where he discovered extraordinary talent among Chinese students. This led to his groundbreaking decision to invite two dancers – including future Houston Ballet principal Li Cunxin (subject of the film “Mao’s Last Dancer”) – for training in America, establishing the first US-China ballet exchange program. Another protege, Li Anlin, joined Houston Ballet in 1989, beginning a 30-year collaboration that continues today at Texas Ballet Theater.
Stevenson’s eyes still light up recalling classroom moments in Beijing: “All the students would have a little party…someone would play a little drum or sing a song.” His rendition of the Chinese children’s song I Love Beijing Tian’anmen, learned from Li Cunxin, never failed to delight students. These cultural exchanges, he believes, created bonds far stronger than technical training alone could achieve.
Beyond professional achievements, Stevenson treasures the human connections – like the time a restaurant prepared fish he’d caught himself, or his comedic bicycle mishap with a Beijing bus. As China’s dance world prepares to celebrate Stevenson’s 90th birthday, his legacy endures not just in theaters but in the countless personal bridges he built between East and West through the universal language of ballet.
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