Wheelchair fails to get in way of young man's dancing dreams
So Cheung-ho is wheelchair-bound - but that doesn't stop the 25-year-old from spreading his arms on stage and taking flight.
Mr So and about 20 fellow members of the Spastics Association of Hong Kong have formed a wheelchair dancing group at the association's Lok Wah Hostel.
Mr So, born with cerebral palsy, has difficulties walking steadily and expressing his thoughts fluently. But when he whirls in his wheelchair on stage, he feels free.
'I like the flying movement best in the performance. I think I could be a bird flying freely when I open my arms,' he says with a smile.
Mr So began wheelchair dancing after moving into the hostel in 1996. The group gives performances at community events held by organisations for handicapped people.
He says the most unforgettable performance was at an association carnival last December. It took more than three months to rehearse the dance, entitled Hope.
Mr So and two fellow cast members acted as birds, with wings spread, as they changed formation from lines to triangles to circles.
'My parents didn't think I could dance, but after they watched my performance they felt proud of me. This was the happiest thing for me,' he said.
Leaving the care of his parents, who could not spare the time and effort to take care of him, he lived in a special school and took a simple packing job at the Wo Che Sheltered Workshop when he was 16. Two years later, he moved to the hostel and enjoys it.
'I like living here because I have many friends and can join in many interesting activities like dancing,' he said. 'I was very shy and seldom took part in community activities before. But now I have more confidence.
'The most important thing in dancing is self-confidence. Dancing can develop my ability of controlling the wheelchair.'
He expects to move from the semi-independent hostel and live a more self-reliant life one day. Despite being warned his illness could worsen until it threatens his life, he remains optimistic. 'I never think about my illness since it is useless to think about,' he said.
'I keep many things on my mind, such as my job, dancing and friends. I have no spare time to worry about my illness, so I am not afraid of it.'
Besides dancing, Mr So also enjoys playing the electronic organ and using computers. He is chief editor of the hostel magazine, Happy News, which records residents' activities and hopes.
When asked about his own hopes, he says: 'I hope all of my friends can be happy all the time. I myself am happiest when I see their smiling faces. The most important thing in my life is to live every day with joy.'
