A Beautifully Expressive Hand Ballet Performed by 128 Performers in Wheelchairs for the Paralympic Games

As part of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games closing handoff ceremony, French choreographer Sadeck Waff created an absolutely gorgeous and beautifully expressive hand ballet performed by both professional and amateur performers in wheelchairs.

The performance opened with Oxandre Pecku, the first person in France to receive a “bionic” arm from Open Bionics, and then turned to the stage of the wheelchair performers, who gracefully moved their arms in time with each other and with the music, which was composed by Woodkid and performed by Orchestre National de France.

(Translated) Original choreography created by Sadeck Waff. Sadeck Waff, Oxandre Peckeu and 126 professional and amateur performers. Thanks to the Neodance Academy and their teams for the casting and management of the dancers.

The hand ballet was truly reminiscent of a murmuration of starlings, by design.

There is magic everywhere, the key is knowing how to look, know how to see and listen in silence, like a cloud of birds forming waves in the sky, each individual has his own identity, but an irreplaceable place in the whole.

The final move was to create “2024” with their hands, signifying the upcoming Paralympic Games in 2024.

Paralympic Game Hand Ballet

via swissmiss

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.