Dance of 1000 Hands

This came my way and I though it was really cool! The commentary is not mine. And it's long. Bottom line all the dancers in this troupe are Deaf. Watch the video and then read if you want to know more.

I've seen this before... but maybe you haven't. It was so inspiring to see it again! There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin. This dance shows how human beings can morph into the most interesting montages of movement and fluidic action. It certainly is a very inspiring and captivating sight to behold! Considering the tight coordination that is required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read that correctly. All 21 of the dancers are completely DEAF. 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. It is SPECTACULAR!

Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries.

Its lead dancer is 29-year-old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recording in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year.

Although this dance is paganistic, from the Buddhist religion, it's still beautiful to watch. After you watch the video, go ahead and read the history of it and the meaning, which I've included below, after the link for the video.Guan Yin is the bodhisattva of compassion, revered by East Asian Buddhists as the goddess of Mercy. Her name is short for Guan Shi Yin. Guan means to observe, watch, or monitor; Shi means the world; Yin means sounds, specifically sounds of those who suffer. Thus, Guan Yin is a compassionate being who watches for, and responds to, the people in the world who cry out for help.

Bronze figures of her usually have four heads (12 faces) and twenty-four arms and sit on nine layers of 999 petals.

It is generally accepted that Guan Yin originated as the Sanskrit Avalokitesvara which is her male form. Guan Yin is also revered by Chinese Taoists as an immortal. It should be noted that, in Taoist mythology, Guan Yin has other origination stories which are unrelated to Avalokitesvara.

Here's a poem that was written to show the meaning behind this pagan deity:
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
A thousand hands will naturally come to your aid
As long as you are kind and there is love in your heart
You will reach out with a thousand hands to help others