Yao Kai, a dancer from Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Among the dancers involved in Paralympic Winter Games Waltz, a performance held during the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games opening ceremony on March 5, was Yao Kai, a Huzhou native.

Yao became deaf following a high fever when she was a child, but this disability has not stopped her from pursuing her dream of becoming a dancer. In fact, the 34-year-old has gone on to win numerous national awards. In 2005, Yao was selected to be a member of the Zhejiang Disabled People's Art Troupe.

Alongside other performers from the troupe, Yao received training in Hangzhou and Beijing after she was informed last October that she would be involved in the opening ceremony.

"To present a good performance, we rehearsed intensively day and night. In the eight days before the opening ceremony, we slept only three or four hours a day," Yao told local media.

"Since we cannot hear the music, we have to rely on sign language from the instructors to perform the movements. Sometimes we have to adjust our movements according to the floor and sound vibrations," she added.

Despite the long hours, Yao believes her efforts are worthwhile.

"The performance may only last three minutes, but getting to perform at the Bird's Nest will be the most unforgettable moment of my life. It's as if I can hear the nation cheering for us,"she said.

Besides Yao, three other hearing-impaired dancers will perform at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games.