A dance troupe of the disabled from Anji county, Huzhou, Zhejiang province was recently invited to give a performance at an international folk-art festival in Zaragoza, Spain, and its efforts wowed the European audience.

They performed the Zhu Ye Long, or bamboo dragon dance, at the closing ceremony of the festival on Sept 8.

The dance, a folk-art from Anji dating back over 200 years, is performed with a dragon made of bamboo. The dragon is also decorated with 12 lanterns.

The disabled dancers performed by following gestures, mouth shapes and facial expressions of an instructor offstage.

The audience gave thunderous applause and cheered three times during the performance.

"Their performance transcended language, nationality and territory, bringing us not only artistic pleasure but also emotional strength," said the chair of the festival.

He added that it is the first time the festival had invited a performance group of the disabled. 

After the performance, the troupe also donated their bamboo dragon to the Confucius Institute at the University of Zaragoza.