No matter how imperfect we are: China's physically impaired performing arts troupe

In Asia the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion is an integral part of daily life. Most often she is called Kwan-Yin in China, Avalokitesvara in India, or Kannon in Japanese, but there are other names as well. Sometimes, too, this divine being takes on masculine expression. But no matter the form, this beloved entity always shows deep, unconditional love for all manifestations of life.

She comes in many images, the most captivating of which has a halo of 1000 arms fanning out from around her body. This multitude of appendages makes a perfect circle of all embracing Love radiating out from the Heart center of the divine. No one or nothing is ever left out, no matter how imperfect they may be.

In China there is a performing arts troupe that is composed of physically challenged individuals. The group is called “China’s Physically Impaired Performing Arts Troupe”. Its members have some form of physical impairment, whether it be of sight, hearing, or mobility. Yet, each one passionately believes that everyone has the right to a full life. And for these privileged few their means is through performance. As they themselves say:

Life is full of dreams.
People of disabilities equally love life and art.

And love life they do. Recently I was able to attend their first tour in Japan. It was called “My Dream”. And true to its title, the theme of every performance was uplifting and promising for everyone.

Many of the members were born with physical difficulties, but others had accidents that left permanent damage. One man, for example, had lost his arms as a child due to an electric shock. Yet, he became a farmer, using his shoulders to support a hoe or a shovel. He also used his feet and learned to sew, knit, and paint.  Later he became a member of this marvelous troupe, where he learned how to dance and do gymnastics. To honor his personal history, his special dance involved plowing fields, planting and watering seeds until they grew into a riot of healthy vegetation. The seedlings, shoots, and fully-grown plants were portrayed by dancers, all of them hearing impaired. They were able to perform in perfect synchronization with the music and each other thanks to two women in white on either side of the stage who raised and lowered their arms in an exaggerated way in time to the music.

Another lovely number was the Chinese version of the archetypal tale best represented in the West as “Romeo and Juliet”. In this contemporary Asian version the lovers met in university. They were forbidden to marry by their parents. Being dutiful offspring, they obeyed their parents’ wishes, but both of them died with broken hearts. Rather than have a tragic ending, however, in this story the lovers went to heaven, where they became butterflies and could remain together throughout eternity.

On either side of the stage were large video screens and for this particular dance the following words were flashed on the screen. Although this poem was for this particular dance, they were in perfect keeping with the uplifting theme of the entire show.

This is my dream.
Alas, what a beautiful dream!
To spread my wings,
Soar in the sky,
And follow the colorful clouds.

The visually impaired and those who could not walk were the singers and musicians. They magnificently glided through songs in Chinese, Japanese, and English. They always honor their host country by singing tunes of that particular culture. They are obviously skilled in many languages and types of music.

And indeed, this troupe, which was formed in 1987, has been to over forty countries: the USA, Europe, including Greece and Turkey, Central Asia, Africa, including Egypt, Oceania, and much of The Far East. Wherever they go they win not only awards, but the hearts of the audience as well. These young artists, most about eighteen years old, come from twenty-five provinces in China and represent several ethnic groups. They call themselves “The Image Ambassadors” for the millions of people in the world with disabilities.

Probably the most astonishing spectacle was performed by a group of twenty hearing impaired dancers. They were dressed in gold. They stood perpendicular to the stage front, sandwiched together in a straight line. One by one, from front to back, they would raise their arms, each person a bit higher. In the end they made a perfect image of the Goddess of Mercy with her arms extended out in a perfect circle around her.

This entire performance consisted of arms rising and falling, making a wonderfully alive and magical fluctuation of energy. Usually Kwan-Yin images move only within the mind of the beholder, but in this marvelously creative expression, the Goddess of Compassion was alive, moving, and vibrantly responsive.

Since these dancers were in a straight line, only the persons directly in front of them could get a perfect mandala-like view: Kwan-Yin in the center of her own encircling arms. Yet, video screens on either side of the stage enabled everyone to have the privilege of this perfect front view. In other words, the audience had three simultaneous images. The two on either side were viewed from the center and were identical, whereas the central, live image depended entirely on where the viewer was seated.

This particular performance seemed to carry a special archetypal power. In fact, the energy in the entire auditorium was alive and sparkling with a feeling of astonishment, wonder, inclusiveness, and reverence.

“Avalokitesvara”
Love is our common language
As long as your heart is full of love,
And as long as you are kind-hearted,
You would willingly give to others
A helping hand for thousands of times
And be helped thousands of times in return.

All the pieces in this show were impressive and distinctively Chinese in feel, even though the choreographers made every effort to be as flexible, universal, and contemporary as possible. These “Messengers of Beauty and Humanity” say that their purpose is to provide hope for everyone and an uplifting attitude towards all of life. They ended their deeply moving performance with the following words, parenthesis are mine:

Every life deserves respect and dignity.
Every life is precious beyond measure.
As Heaven’s movement is ever more vigorous, so must a gentleman {and gentlewoman} ceaselessly strive along.
However disadvantaged the environment, a gentleman {and gentlewoman} must hold the world with virtue.
Enjoying the salubrious sunshine and spring breezes,
We are looking forward to a future of joy and hope.