Lifted high by a handsome ballet dancer, it didn't take long for Li Yue to realize her dream of dancing on stage.

For the 11-year-old, who lost her left leg in the Sichuan earthquake in May, the performance at the Beijing Paralympics Opening Ceremony required perseverance unknown to most girls her age.

Li Yue (C), a 12-years-old victim of May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, stages a ballet at the opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the National Stadium, September 6, 2008. [Xinhua]

Li had showed all the talents of a promising ballerina after taking ballet lessons for more than half a year. But when her leg was amputated during a rescue operation to free her from a collapsed school building in Beichuan county, it was as if those dreams had been shattered.

That is, until a photo from her rescue was picked up by various media and caught the attention of ceremony directors. "When we learned of Li's story from the media, we thought if she could lead the dance, it would best convey the indomitable spirit," said Zhang Jigang, executive director of the ceremony.

When a dazzling fireworks display kicked off the three-hour extravaganza at the Bird's Nest, Li burst into bright laughter in the dressing room, relaxing a little bit for the long-awaited moment to perform her favorite ballet.

Wearing a bright red dancing shoe, Li performed with a group of deaf dancers and Lu Meng, an able-bodied male ballet dancer, under the program's Never-ending Dance theme.

To the magical blend of dreamlike scenery, music and costumes, she started to perform elegant gestures and smooth movements with arms and fingertips. Her slim body twirled gracefully with rhythmic steps and motion.

The teenager inspired the whole world with not only her graceful dance , but also her strong spirit to overcome misfortunes of life.

Her ballet dream does not have an ending.

Xinhua contributed to the story