| This is a video of a broadcast that originally aired on China's English-language CCTV channel 9 during a modern dance competition in Beijing, China in 2007. This very unique couple--she without an arm, he without a leg--was one of the finalists among 7000 competitors in the 4th CCTV national dance competition. It is the first time a handicapped couple had ever entered the competition. They won the silver medal and became an instant national hit. The young woman, in her 30's, was a dancer who had trained since she was a little girl. Later in life, she lost her entire right arm in an automobile accident and fell into a state of depression for a few years. After rebounding, she decided to team with a young man who had lost his leg in an unrelated farming accident as a boy and who was completely untrained in dance. After a long and sometimes agonizing training regimen, this is the result. The dance is performed by Ma Li (馬麗) and Zhai Xiaowei (翟孝偉). The music "Holding Hands" is composed by San Bao. The dance is entitled Qian Shou (牵手"Hand in Hand"). Update: This is from a comment made on Saturday, 12 September 2009, about an interview with the couple (also on China's CCTV, channel 1, viewable at www.youtube.com ) by someone who apparently understands Chinese (the quote is edited for minor spelling, punctuation, & grammar): "The part [of the interview] that moves me the most was when the father told the boy that after he lost his leg he'd have to face many challenges and ... |
