Dance of the Hands
The Thousand-Hand Guanyin
Besides being astounding simply because of the tight coordination required, all the performers of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin in this video are deaf-mutes. The dancers rely only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage.
The first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. However, the Thousand-Hand Guanyin has long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe, and has been performed in more than 40 countries. The lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a Bachelor’s of Arts from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year. Please enjoy!