|
Sassy Lipstick Maverick
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,827
Thanks: 276
Thanked 274 Times in 166 Posts
|
Tragedy of Injured Chinese Star Dancer
Behind Pomp of Beijing Games, a Dancer’s Tragedy
By DAVID BARBOZA August 14
Opening ceremony organizers at first asked witnesses and friends not to disclose news of Liu Yan’s fall during a rehearsal.
Quote:
The organizers of the opening ceremony seemed intent on not having the injury detract from the pageantry of the event. They initially asked witnesses and friends not to disclose the tragedy before the production last Friday that showcased China’s prominence on the world stage, according to people who have visited the dancer in the hospital.
But after an inquiry from The New York Times about the injury and rumors about it on the Internet, members of the Beijing Olympic Committee visited the dancer in the hospital on Monday with a television crew and said they would do everything possible to help her. They also announced that they would soon hold a news conference to offer more details about her condition, according to family members.
The performer, Liu Yan, considered one of the country’s top classical Chinese dancers, was preparing for the performance of a lifetime: dancing the only solo piece in a four-hour spectacular that was expected to be seen by a global audience of more than one billion people.
But on July 27, during an evening rehearsal at the National Stadium in Beijing, the so-called Bird’s Nest, she leaped toward a moving platform that suddenly malfunctioned and plunged about 10 feet into a shaft, falling on a set of steel bars and injuring her spine, according to family members.
She was taken to a local military hospital where she underwent six hours of surgery. But she now suffers from severe nerve and spinal damage.
Her head was not badly injured, and she can now move her arms. But she has no feeling below her chest and cannot move her lower body, including her legs. Doctors have told her family that it is unlikely she will ever walk again.
During an interview in her hospital room on Wednesday, Ms. Liu was teary-eyed and said she was still in disbelief about the accident.
“I never imagined I could suffer such a tragedy,” she said.
For the most part, the Chinese state-run media have not reported the accident, though People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official organ, mentioned it in a small article on Tuesday.
Zhang Yimou, the show’s artistic director and one of China’s leading film directors, expressed deep sadness and regret following a visit on Monday to Ms. Liu’s hospital room.
“I feel sorry for Liu Yan,” he said. “My heart is full of regrets. I’m deeply sorry. Liu Yan is a heroine. She sacrificed a lot for the Olympics, for me, for the opening ceremony.”
In an earlier interview with the Chinese media, after his artistic direction of the opening ceremony won high praise from viewers around the world, Mr. Zhang said he was pleased with the show but noted that there were some serious problems in rehearsals for a show that involved more than 15,000 performers.
“I regret many things, many details of this performance, many things I could have done better,” he told the Chinese media. “For example, there are performers who were injured. I blame myself for that. It might well have been avoided if I had given more detailed instructions.”
The opening ceremony was widely considered a success, but it has also come under criticism because organizers had a young girl pose as the singer of a patriotic ballad that was actually recorded by another young girl who was deemed not cute enough to perform onstage. Beyond that, some of the fireworks seen on television may have been digitally enhanced.
But nothing can compare to the tragedy that has befallen Ms. Liu, who for much of 2008 had been preparing for her performance.
Following the fall, her parents flew to Beijing from their home in the Inner Mongolia region of northern China. Her husband, friends and relatives are now trying to find a spine and nerve specialist to help determine whether Ms. Liu can regain her ability to walk or move her legs.
Ms. Liu, a graduate of the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy, has received considerable praise for her talent. Dance experts called her movements incredibly fluid and said her beauty radiates on the stage.
Her dance performance for the opening ceremony, part of “The Silk Road” segment, was the only solo dance performance in a show that was rich with traditional imagery and synchronized performances involving hundreds or thousands of performers at a time. Another dancer took Ms. Liu’s place.
In an interview earlier this year, Ms. Liu said it was a dream that she could be chosen for such an important role. But on Wednesday, she said she was hoping for a miracle so that she might someday walk again.
“I hope one day I can just stand up like a normal person,” she said, wiping away tears.
Chen Yang contributed research.
|
__________________
The candidate does not speak for the campaign.
Last edited by julia; 08-15-2008 at 12:38 AM.
|
08-15-2008, 12:34 AM
Yeti Pentathlon Champion!
Linear Mode
