Whether you ’re watching for the noble pageantry or to mock the outlandish getups forced upon the athlete , the Opening Ceremonies are always the best part of the Olympics . Here ’s what you should look on out for today — besides the bathrooms .
Whatever goes down in Sochi ’s Fisht Stadium tomorrow , it ’s going to place the tone of the rest of the Games . This is a chance for Putin to rectify his dear pet projection from theflames of public view , and the pressure is definitely on . We know he ’s a vainglorious sports fan of “ world music ” andlive wrestling — can we ask either tomorrow night ?
The Budget
Sochi official have pass up to comment on the Leontyne Price tatter of the observance — but give the incredible $ 51 billion cost of developing Sochi for the games , it ’s probable to be significantly higher than late games ’ ceremonies . For consultation , Danny Boyle ’s opening ceremony programme in London cost about $ 43 million , while the total price of the London games was a simple $ 13.9 billion .
Workers preparation scaffold for the ceremonies . figure : Joe Scarnici / Getty .
The Director
Andrei Boltenko , a Moscow director who runs an eponymic amusement production group that specializes in TV events , is the bozo in billing of bring on the ceremony itself . But even Putin , plainly , has been showing up for dry run .
Putin and the mayor of the Olympic Village share a private joke . Pascal Le Segretain / Getty .
The Choreographer
Boltenko invited LA - based choreographer Daniel Ezralow to take on the performance that will open up up the games . Ezralow is one of the bighearted names in the business — he choreographer the Beatles show Across the Universe and Spider - Man : sour Off the Dark .
Ezralow ’s style is irreverent and widely - praise , often focusing on the involvement between a smaller group of dancers . So it ’ll be interesting to see how his vogue translate to a performance that call for chiliad of citizenry . Here he is , dance with a babe :
The Show
Though it ’s supposed to be top closed book , a picture of the performance is starting to add up together . It seems to take after the course of big moments in Russian history — presumptively excluding the darker compass point . But in an audience with the LA amusement blogThe Wrap , Ezralow suggest that it wo n’t be all fireworks and smiling children , either , state that the show would “ identify the dark view of dissimilar hundred , and also see the cocksure . ”
A boastful percentage of the show will focalize on Russia ’s glut of capital classical composers and dancers . At the closure ceremonies in Vancouver , a Russian ballet company perform a dancing to the third trend of Tchaikovsky ’s Symphony Pathetique in the traditional trailer put on by the next server rural area .
One entr’acte is reportedly cheer by the 1910s and 20 , when Russia was at the forefront of the Modern historic period . An outlawed picture twirp from within the dress dry run showed a leg set with Soviet Constructivist - expressive style backdrops , suggest that a major section of the show will involve a Broadway take on Russia ’s former avant - garde :
shivery neo - Soviet sombreness for opening observance in Sochi ? Via@adagamov2/2pic.twitter.com / O3NzbLFyXR
— La Russophobe ( @larussophobe)February 5 , 2014
most every Olympic Opening Ceremony has had a magnanimous , crazy finale moment . Last clock time , it was snowboarder Johnny Lyall leap through the flame Olympic rings . This year , it ’s potential to feature a Russian athlete — but we do n’t sleep with much more than that . Is it too much to hope for a resilient performance of theGazprom Song ?
The Performers
Again , we do n’t jazz much , other than that there will be lots of them . There will be thousands of Russian performer involved in the show , including “ a choir of 1,000 children ” on “ a stage with float cathedral domes , glowing magical Equus caballus , buildings , trains and bridgework , ” according toABC .
There will be a few headline acts , too . One intriguingrumorsuggests that tATu — yeah , remember those two!?—might be involved , which would be hilarious and fabulously uncanny given Russia ’s reprehensible anti - gay propaganda law of nature . Russian fiddler Yuri Bashmet , music director Valery Gergiev , and ballerina Ulyana Lopatkina are also expected to take the degree . Gergiev is one to watch — he’sa wedge to many classic medicine sports fan , but human rights activist have criticized his reenforcement of the anti - mirthful laws put in shoes by Putin , a closelipped friend of his .
Another hearsay : That Valentina Tereshkova , the first woman to fly in blank , may be somehow involve , along with Vladislav Tretiak , the ace goalkeeper of the Soviet Union ’s Olympian hockey squad . As for American participant , 17 - twelvemonth - old Texan — and winner of The Voice — Danielle Bradbery will sing “ My twenty-four hours , ” the theme song for the Olympics , dwell .
Of course , the most important performers , by far , will be the pyrotechnicians sic off the giant firework exhibit that will wrap the whole shebang up . If you need to spoil the surprise for yourself , here ’s a picture of the late pyrotechnic dress rehearsal :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvhDZ3B_aU
The Politics
Plenty of world leadership will be in attending , but take care out for the absence , too : Barack Obama wo n’t be there , afterannouncingin December that neither he or Joe Biden would be traveling to Sochi . It ’s the first sentence in almost 15 class that a US chair has n’t appeared at the games , and it indicate to the uprise tensions between the two counties . Also submit out : French President Francois Hollande , British Prime Minister David Cameron , and German President Joachim Gauck .
Do look for Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych , though . The beleaguered Yanukovych is due to call Sochi this calendar week to wait on the afford ceremony — but his trip is also a hydrofoil for ameeting with Putin . Ukraine , of course , has been tangle in violent protests over Yanukovych ’s apparent intimacy with Russia and move away from the EU . It ’ll be interesting to see how much we get wind about the meeting .
Here ’s another interesting tidbit , though you may not see any evidence of it on television tomorrow night : The American ski and snowboarding team hasreportedly employ a private security teamto provide summation protection , which will surveil and keep company jock around Sochi . The Navy has also moved two ships to the nearby coast , just in case .
The Building
The $ 600 million construction project to house it all is Fisht Stadium . Though Fisht is the primary sports stadium for the games themselves , its architect — the US - based athletics venue architect at thickly settled and structural applied scientist at Buro Happold—-designed it so that it could proffer “ studio conditions ” for the open ceremonial .
icon : Getty / Streeter Lecka .
That means a polycarbonate ceiling that can be used as a screen for ejection , as well as monolithic hangars at each end that will be used as scaffolding areas for the thousands of athlete and tons of equipment that must be moved quickly into the arena .
Pretty awing view from our room for some fireworks@MeghanAgosta . Opening ceremonial in 6 days#WeAreWinterpic.twitter.com / idjUao4g9y
— Genevieve Lacasse ( @GLacasse31)February 1 , 2014
When?
We would be delinquent if we did n’t answerthe most important dubiousness of all : When do the Olympic Opening observance start ?
The show start on Friday , February 7th , at 8 pm Sochi time ( that ’s 11 am EST ) . you may eitherstream it liveor strain in to NBC ’s official programme , which will start at 7:30 pm EST .
OlympicsRussiaSochi
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