Dance of the thousand hands

This is an awesome dance, called “The Thousand-Hand Guanyin”.

Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf.

Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are  deaf- mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during a Spring Festival.
It all started with the establishment of the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, with members recruited from around China in 1987. It gradually grew into a formidable performing arts group of disabled people. In 2000, it produced what was very aptly named “My Dream” music and dance extravaganza. One of the dances was none other than the “Dance of the thousand-hand Guanyin”. “My Dream” toured and impressed the world. They have performed in more than 40 countries.

The troupe comprises of 88 performers, of which, 55 with hearing impairments, 28 with visual impairments and 5 with physical disabilities. The average age of the troupe is only 18. The troupe comprises of 3 teams. Teams A and B are experienced performers, while Team C is still undergoing training.