Shanghai Daily news

He's been nicknamed "the silly grandpa" for the past few years but 76-year-old Ni Zhen doesn't mind at all, Shanghai Daily reported.

Ni, who lives in the Hongkou District, came out of retirement in 2003 to devote his energy to the mentally handicapped of his district.

Purely through his efforts there will be a special segment in the opening ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympic Games - his own 107-member folk dance troupe.

The troupe, all mentally handicapped, perform with traditional red waist drums, a folk dance which blends rhythm and movement.

It began as a small choral group of 10 performers. At the beginning of 2002, Ni had formed a small choir and they practiced every Friday morning in the community center.

"They were very happy doing that - no one mocked them," he said. "By the end of that year, we had 30 people in the group. That was a good start."

One day Ni walked through a park and passed some older women playing drum dancing for exercise. This inspired him to start his own waist drum group for his young mentally handicapped friends.

"I can't think of an activity more suitable. Drum dancing uses all of the body and encourages a feeling for music and rhythm, a good exercise both physically and mentally."

Ni's enthusiasm for his new idea and for his troupe earned him a fair bit of teasing and the nickname.

"When I heard my nickname," he said, "I asked my wife if I really was silly. She said she wouldn't have married me if I were."

The problems encountered in creating a drum dance group were beyond Ni's imagination. "We didn't have a place for rehearsal, we didn't have any money and I could only ask the children's parents to make a little contribution."

Four years later Ni's drum dance group gives more than 20 performances a year. They have stepped out of Hongkou District and on to the stage of the big city. Their ultimate goal is to dance at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics this year.

"For the past two years, we not only dance but also learn English and we are learning other dances from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region," said Ni.

The troupe and the parents who help out have not had it easy. They bought a DVD of Xinjiang dance teaching instead of finding a possibly expensive teacher and mothers made the costumes at home.

Now the children who once stayed home all day watching television are leading busy lives. They get together three times a week - for drum dancing on Saturday, folk dancing on Sunday and English on Tuesday. And they all practice at home.

Zhang Xinhui, 21, is now playing one of the stars of the troupe.

"Before, she was rather quiet and seldom talked to people," said her mother, Wu Leili. "I'm so proud of her - she is completely different."

Ni has bigger plans for his children. He wants them to learn dragon and lion dancing.

Q: What is the logo of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games?

A: "The Eye." The logo is shaped like an eye with two athletes leaping inside it - it also can look like a white magnolia in bloom, Shanghai's city flower. Using freehand brushwork as is used in traditional Chinese painting, it conveys a strong, appealing message of hope, concern, love and awareness.

Q: When and where were the Special Olympics first held?

A: On July 2, 1968, Chicago Park and the Kennedy Foundation planed and staged the First International Special Olympics Summer Games, held in Soldier Field, Chicago. More than 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 26 states and Canada competed in athletics, floor hockey, and aquatics.

On February 5, 1977, the First International Special Olympics Winter Games were held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with more than 500 athletes competing in skiing and skating events.

Q: How many sports events will be held in 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games?

A: There will be 21 competitive events, including bowling, outdoor bowls, sailboat, golf, weightlifting, basketball, equitation, volleyball, table tennis, handball, aquatic sports, gymnastics, track and field, tennis, badminton, cycling, canoeing, judo, ice skating, soccer and baseball.

Demonstration sports include dragon and lion dancing, dragon boat racing, cricket and Motor Activities Training Program (MATP).