Chinese President Hu Jintao (C) talks to International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven (L) as International Olympic Committee Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch looks on before a performance dubbed My Dream presented by China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe at the Poly Theatre in Beijing Sept. 11, 2008.(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
BEIJING, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- With the Beijing Paralympic Games under way, Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders watched a musical and dancing performance staged by disabled artists in Beijing on Thursday night.
The grand show, titled My Dream, was presented by the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe (CDPPAT) in the Poly Theatre in downtown Beijing. Specially prepared for the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, the show has been continuously modified and Thursday's was already its fifth edition.
Sitting among the audience were Party and state leaders Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, as well as International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Philip Craven and International Olympic Committee Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch.
Chinese President Hu Jintao greets artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe after their performance My Dream at the Poly Theatre in Beijing Sept. 11, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
The performance -- a mixture of music, dancing, Peking Opera, dancing drama and music drama -- has been a hit since its debut on Aug. 10, staged for more than 40 times in the Chinese capital.
The performance on Thursday night began with a poem titled My Dream, which was presented by performers using the sign language.
We are trying to hear sounds and rhythms in silence, to see light in darkness, and to pursue perfection with disabilities, the poem goes.
In a classical repertoire of the troupe called the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva, Tai Lihua, a deaf dancer with great popularity in China, led 20 other hearing-impaired dancers in golden costumes to perform in breath-taking synchronicity.
Chinese President Hu Jintao, other top party and state leaders Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, He Guoqiang and Zhou Yongkang, International Paralympic Committee President Philip Craven and International Olympic Committee Honorary President Juan Antonio Samaranch pose for a group photo with artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe after the performance My Dream at the Poly Theatre in Beijing，China, Sept. 11, 2008.(XinhuaHuang Jingwen)
Other highlights of the show included singing by disabled vocalists, playing of traditional Chinese musical instruments by blind musicians, and rhythmic dances and Peking Opera performance by blind, deaf or amputated artists.
Amazed by the spectacular show, the entire audience, including President Hu and IPC chief Craven, warmly applauded time and again to show their respect for the artists.
When the show ended, Hu, Craven and others also ascended the stage to shake hands with the performers and congratulate them on the success of the performance.
Artists perform the Thousand-hand Bodhisattva during a performance dubbed "My Dream" presented by China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe at the Poly Theatre in Beijing Sept. 11, 2008. (Xinhua/Ma Yan)
Artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform in a performance dubbed "My Dream" at the Poly Theatre in Beijing, China, Sept. 11, 2008. (Xinhua/Ma Yan)
Visually-impaired artists of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe perform in a performance dubbed "My Dream" at the Poly Theatre in Beijing, China, Sept. 11, 2008.(Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
Artists with hearing impairment or physical disabilities from China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe present a performance dubbed "My Dream" at the Poly Theatre in Beijing Sept. 11, 2008. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
