Irina
Despite all the doom and gloom coverage in the lead-up to the games, the Rio opening ceremony of the Olympics kicked off at the Maracanã Stadium tonight without a glitch.
More than 200 countries took part in the 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony, which celebrated diversity around the world. The show was a riot of music and a celebration of Brazil’s multi-ethnic history, watched by audiences around the world.
With Katy Perry’s dedicated song to the competition in the back of our mind – another inspirational anthem – launched ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympic we go trough the ge eral vibe of the global party.
Rythm of samba music featured prominently at the event, that was put together by the City of God director Fernando Ferreira Meirelles.
After an emotional rendition of the Brazilian national anthem, sung and played on acoustic guitar by singer-songwriter Paulinho da Viola, video projections beamed on to the floor of the stadium explored the history of the country.
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen was the queen of the night as she dazzled the crowds at the opening ceremony, in what was billed as her final cat walk appearance.
Performers danced across projections of giant buildings, symbolizing the cities of Brazil, while a recreation of a 14-bis biplane – the invention of Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont – drew one of the biggest cheers of the evening as it flew out of the arena.
We wish good luck to all national teams, which dressed in a fashionable manner where cheered and applauded by a 60.000 roaring crowd.
In an environmental rallying cry, giant pantomimed insects, and a tribe of indigenous Amazonian performed an elaborate dance with a giant fringe of ropes suspended from the ceiling.
In homage to Brazil’s colonial past, rollicking ships carrying European sailors arrived on scene.
The most visually stunning element of the opening ceremony featured a stadium-wide dance between performers of every stripe (there were orange dancers; golden and silver, and reds; a technicolor army of dancers in signature mini dresses).
The cherry on top was Brazilian musician Jorge Ben Jor that came out and sang his irresistible Carnival hit, “País Tropical,” which had the thousands of attendees joining in on the celebration.
Now let the Rio 2016 Olympic Games begin!
Gabriela
