Performances at Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony and Victory Ceremonies

The elaborate opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, a closely guarded secret, will involve 4,500 volunteer dancers, athletes, and performers during the entertainment segment with the theme "To Inspire the World," at the Canadian city's BC Place Stadium on February 12, 6:00 pm PST.

The gala features the Parade of Nations with 2,500 athletes from more than 80 nations who will compete in 86 winter sports. With a capacity of 60,000, it will be the first indoor arena for the opening night in Olympic history. An estimated three billion people will watch the televised ceremony.

The producer of the opening and closing ceremonies is David Atkins, the Australian who created the opening ceremonies for the 2000 Sydney Summer Games and the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. It's expected he will reference the 30 tribes of the First Nations in Canada for the program, with elements such as the mythological mascots and symbolic Inukshuk logo of a traditional stone landmark.

Atkins' presentation will represent Canada's cultural diversity and linguistic duality to a global audience, highlighting performances by leading Canadian artists. The choreographer for the opening ceremonies is Jean Grand-Maitre, the artistic director of the Alberta Ballet, but other details remain confidential to provide an element of surprise.

Which of Canada's many contemporary musical artists will perform is the subject of much speculation. The country boasts popular performers such as Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, and Michael Bublé as well as the Quebec-based Cirque du Soliel. Singer Sarah McLachlan has written "One Dream," her theme song for the Olympic Games.

A lineup of more than a dozen North American acts will perform at the Victory Medal Presentations, including Barenaked Ladies, Feist, Usher, Devo, and The Fray. The acts perform at Whistler Medals Plaza, February 13 to 27.

Canadian artists will also perform representing the regions they are from, including Nelly Furtado on British Columbia night, INXS with frontman J.D. Fortune from Ontario, Canada, The Guess Who's Burton Cummings on Manitoba night, and Great Big Sea for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Also, typically, the final torchbearer who lights the cauldron when the Olympic flame arrives at the stadium is kept a secret. Speculation includes Canada's hockey hero Wayne Gretzky, among other possibilities. There have been 12,000 torchbearers, the most in any single country. The ceremonies are mandated by the International Olympic Committee to promote international peace and understanding, honoring the world's greatest athletes, and celebrating humanity.

In addition to the planned performances, NBC television will include the world premiere of the video by an all-star supergroup singing "We Are the World" 2010 to benefit Haiti recovery during the coverage of the ceremonies February 12.

www.vancouver2010.com

RC