Quan Yin is the Goddess of compassion and mercy to Buddhists in East Asia. Her name means "observing the cries of the world." She is a "compassionate being who watches for, and responds to, the people in the world who cry out for help."
Below is a video of a dance called the "Thousand-Hand Guan Yin," which is part of China's Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe. They had their first debut as the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. Each of these 21 dancers is COMPLETELY DEAF-MUTE!! They rely on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage.
The choreographer, Zhang Jigang, described this as the ultimate message of this performance:
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
Just like the dancers who were part of the STEP IT UP contest, this troupe uses a dance to spread a message about helping your fellow man while reminding us that there are no limits to what you are capable of.
