Good art is not dependent on the physical abilities of dancers and the performance of 'hand ballet' is proving this point. During the closing handover ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020, a group of 128 wheelchair-using artists, both amateurs and professionals, performed ‘hand ballet'. A video of their dance performance recently went viral on Twitter. The performance was led by Sadeck Waff, a popular French choreographer. The music for the routine was composed by French singer-songwriter Yoann Lemoine and executed by the Orchestre National de France. The dance performance began with Oxandre Peku, 12, who was the first person in France to receive a 3D-printed bionic “Hero Arm”. After Peku's cameo, the focus moved to the performers in wheelchairs whose perfectly synchronised and sharp movements created a captivating performance. In the last segment of the dance, the performers created “2024” with their hands for the upcoming Paralympic Games that will be held in France in 2024. 128 performers in wheelchairs. French choreographer Sadek Waff leads a mesmerising hand ballet during the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics … pic.twitter.com/dl0Dai82C9 — Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) October 24, 2022 if only the networks would air the paralympics the same as the olympics, we wouldn't be finding this 2 years later. — sarah ♿️ (@gimponastick) October 24, 2022 Power of a Haka, and grace of ballet. Ok please someone incorporate this into team intros as lights go down in arena type performance. As a Philly fan I would love it! And residuals raised each time played go towards more great art like this! My random hope❤️ TeamSadek👏👏👏 — TFD (@TonytoyouTfd) October 24, 2022 Oh my. This is beautiful. I haven’t seen this before. — Matt Hosack (@Hojack419) October 24, 2022 Just stunning. The world desperately needs amazing art like this more than ever. Congrats to all the performers. — DAPPER DON DHARSHI • K A M I L • (@SoloFlow786) October 24, 2022 It's beautiful. But I'd have sat the lead in a wheelchair too, this way the message wouldn't be that the able is leading the disabled. — Andrés da Silveira Stein (@AndresStein05) October 24, 2022 My mom teaches dance and music to otherly abled kids - she will LOVE this. Everyone is a part of dance 💕 — Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) October 24, 2022 This is one of the most beautiful performances I've ever seen. — danaDavm15@🏡 (@DanaMarshall41) October 24, 2022 Commenting on it a Twitter user wrote, “French staging/choreography has fascinated me since seeing the opening Olympic ceremonies and attending the closing ceremonies in Albertville. Stark, surrealistic, but visually arresting. This is beautiful and you get the message.” Another person remarked, “It's beautiful. But I'd have sat the lead in a wheelchair too, this way the message wouldn't be that the able is leading the disabled.”
