|
Leaderette: the writer of the article is San Francisco Bureau Chief of Los Angeles Times. In October, 2007, he watched the flm and live performances of My Dream. After this, he visited the ofce of China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe in Beijing for deeper interviews. This article was published together with pictures for 3 pages in Los Angeles Times. For space limit, some parts were abridged from the original work.
9-year-old trainee: Wang Yimei (hearing impaired)
Their 'Dream' realized
A new flm about a troupe of disabled performers delivers a message of empowerment
TROUPE: Says Mr. Liu-advisor of the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe, "We do 150 performances a year, but we only have so much time. However, there are 6.5 billion people in the world, and I want them all to see us. A movie is the only way."
For two decades, the troupe has a unique cast of more than 100 performers that has inspired audiences to view the disabled in an entirely new artistic light.
The China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe features dancers who cannot hear, others who cannot see. Tere are blind singers and musicians as well as performers with physical deformities: a vocalist with spina bifda. A dancer without arms.
The group has performed worldwide, including in New York and Los Angeles, often to standing ovations. Clips of their work have circulated over the Internet.Now they have taken their act one step further -- to the big screen.
This year, the Beijing Film Academy made a documentary titled "My Dream". Using lavish sets, the flm intersperses performances with poignant behind-the-scenes footage. Tough the movie has yet to be released in China, the cast is already aiming for an international audience.
|
