The opening ceremony

[ARipp42014]

I am not very familiar with O Canada. But yesterday, yes my family and I were saying that it did not sound like a National Anthem. That contemporary twist made the song sound a bit like a snoozer. As I re-listen to a more traditional version on the Youtube, it was stately and I liked it a lot better.

I think she was trying to be too much like a certain diva from Quebec! I much prefer how hockey fans perform the national anthem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk

[Dee4707]

I loved everything they did with the Aboriginal peoples. Their costumes were absolutely beautiful. What stamina too, they danced for over an hour.

Also, I wasn't too impressed with what the US & Canada were wearing. I did love Estonia's outfits the best.

[Ladskater]

It was a great show. I really enjoyed the way the ceremony showcased Canada's vast variety of music and heritege. I loved the segment with the boy flying above the wheatfields of the Prairies to Clouds by Joni Mitchell and the reference from WO Mitchell's book - "Who Has Seen the Wind." Of course, the real highlight was KD Lang's version of Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I have heard KD sing it before at an awards show for Leonard. It was also great that Donald Sutherland did the voice overs. He has had a huge part in the Olympics - doing ads and promoting the games.

Well done!!

[colleen o'neill]

Loved seeing the Aboriginal people getting proper, respectful representation. Too often ignored at these types of events.

Whales. Horses.Forest.Spirit Bear. Slam poet Shane Koyzucan.The quotes (read by Donald Sutherland?). Wild and wacky fiddlers. Sarah McLachlan. k.d.lang and Measha Brueggergosman...



Wonder if any skaters will adopt k.d.'s version of "halleluiah' as an exhibition piece in future ?

[Ladskater]

Well, that was unimpressive. Pre-taped footage of snowboarder going down hill, smattering of CGI, he pretends to arrive just in time for the opening ceremonies at a completely different hour of day. That games start not with a bang, but a yawn. The big wigs sit, some nobody sings O Canada to a synth-heavy adult contemporary arrangement. Then suddenly, furries!

There is always an armchair expert in every crowd...

[Dee4707]

Loved seeing the Aboriginal people getting proper, respectful representation. Too often ignored at these types of events.

Colleen, you took the words right out of my mouth. As I said in my post, I loved everything they did---their costumes are were just beautiful. I don't know if you ever saw one in person but some of the beading has to take years to do. This is what I was most impressed about in the opening ceremony.

I wasn't at all impressed with the singers.

[Ladskater]

The Olympics are supposed to be about the youth and it's best. Young Nikki Yanofsky is representing that ideal and at the same putting a youthful interpretation on an otherwise pretty traditional song. I thought it was great. She has a beautiful voice. Yes, the ending of the song was a different arrangement, but it was meant to inspire; nothing wrong with that!

Okay, this is for all US members here,

Of course you don't get what most of the show was about because you are not familiar with Canada's history or culture. The fidlers and tapdancers represent Eastern Canada with its rich Cape Breton, Scottish heritege. There are many famous fiddlers and irish/Scots from Canada's past and contemporary musicians who still bring this tradition to their culture. Also the boy flying above the wheat fields represented our connection with the Prairies and a famous Canadian author - W.O. Mitchell who wrote the bestseller "Who has Seen the Wind?" It was appropriate that another famous icon - Joni Mitchell would be represented when he did his routine to her song - I am sure you are familiar with "Clouds" as it was also made famous by the US singer Judy Collins. The song sung by Sarah Mclachlan was interpreted by the Alberta Ballet company and represented Emily Carr (a famous British Columbia artist). Her painting of the West Coast and aboriginal peoples are world famous.

Of course we knew we could not compete with the opening Beijing Olympics ceremony, but then what Nation could? I thought all things considered Canada did a great job to try and represent all of Canada in it's different seasons and cultural contributions as a Nation. The aboriginal part of the show was only a small part - not the whole show. Canada is mostly settled by Scottish and English and French. It was wonderful to see how these diverse groups were mentioned as well...

[Hsuhs]

I enjoyed the 1st 1,5 hrs of it.

The rest looked pretty low budget and naive to me.

[Dee4707]

Okay, this is for all US members here,

Of course you don't get what most of the show was about because you are not familiar with Canada's history or culture.

Lad, I don't think it makes any difference whether we understand or not, some of it was not my cup of tea.

Of course we knew we could not compete with the opening Beijing Olympics ceremony, but then what Nation could?

I didn't like everything about Beijing either. I probably wouldn't like everything the US would do either.

The aboriginal part of the show was only a small part - not the whole show.

For me it was....it held my interest and it made me feel proud to see that Canada would spotlight them.

Lad, you know you would be saying the same thing about the ceremony if it weren't in Canada.

[Olympia]

Okay, this is for all US members here,

Of course you don't get what most of the show was about because you are not familiar with Canada's history or culture. The fidlers and tapdancers represent Eastern Canada with its rich Cape Breton, Scottish heritege. There are many famous fiddlers and irish/Scots from Canada's past and contemporary musicians who still bring this tradition to their culture. Also the boy flying above the wheat fields represented our connection with the Prairies and a famous Canadian author - W.O. Mitchell who wrote the bestseller "Who has Seen the Wind?" It was appropriate that another famous icon - Joni Mitchell would be represented when he did his routine to her song - I am sure you are familiar with "Clouds" as it was also made famous by the US singer Judy Collins. The song sung by Sarah Mclachlan was interpreted by the Alberta Ballet company and represented Emily Carr (a famous British Columbia artist). Her painting of the West Coast and aboriginal peoples are world famous.

Of course we knew we could not compete with the opening Beijing Olympics ceremony, but then what Nation could? I thought all things considered Canada did a great job to try and represent all of Canada in it's different seasons and cultural contributions as a Nation. The aboriginal part of the show was only a small part - not the whole show. Canada is mostly settled by Scottish and English and French. It was wonderful to see how these diverse groups were mentioned as well...

Ladskater, I reacted pretty much the way you did, and I'm not Canadian. (Though Friday night I was ready to join up!) I thought the performances were a wonderful evocation of the diverse geography and cultures. My favorite parts were the whales, the huge ice bear, and that wonderful flying boy over the prairies. If anyone has a link to a video of the boy flying, I'd love to revisit it. It occurred to me while I was watching that segment that this kid in a flight harness looked more convincingly airborne than all the superheroes in all the computer-generated movies I've ever seen. I also loved the Donald Sutherland narration. He's got such a spectacular voice, doesn't he--warm and precise and subtle.

I think it was very clever of the ceremony's planners to design something more homemade and intimate. First of all, the Winter Olympics is smaller than the Summer Olympics--fewer participating countries, smaller teams. (One of the reasons I enjoy it more than the Summer Olympics.) Second, Canada is smaller than China--not geographically, but in terms of population. Why be huge and showy? I was thrilled to see the fiddle music, the First Peoples' dancing, and the array of individualistic stars who hail from Canada. Can you imagine the U.S. ever having a female performer in a loose-fitting suit singing an anti-war song, in a nationally televised event? Go, Canada!

I was pleased to see Terry Fox's mother as one of the flagbearers, and Barbara Ann Scott. (She was so tiny next to the others!). My one regret was that there weren't more skaters represented somehow. After all, Orser, Browning, Stojko, and the others are such an embodiment of Canadian achievement and sportsmanship. But maybe they'll be in the closing ceremonies. One can dream!

Anyway, I vote an emphatic yes. I feel welcomed to Canada, and I'm thoroughly happy with the choices made by the producers. I just wish they'd had more projected animals. They were magical!

[Tonichelle]

by the time the closing ceremonies comes around people will forget the parts they didn't like and will remember the parts that they did and were amazing

in SLC certain members didn't like everything the US did, but we're not still talking about it (to be honest outside of teh skaters used, the dinosaurs that talked, the World Trade Center Flag, and the fireworks I couldn't tell you anything about the ceremonies)...

My one regret was that there weren't more skaters represented somehow. After all, Orser, Browning, Stojko, and the others are such an embodiment of Canadian achievement and sportsmanship.

Ya know, it's funny, in SLC - we used Kurt Browning in the... closing (?) ceremonies.. huh.

[Dee4707]

I don't think there was anything negative said....people were saying what they liked... I didn't like everything about SLC either. The biggest joy for me was Alexei winning and Josh Groban singing!!!

[Alatariel]

Okay, this is for all US members here,

Of course you don't get what most of the show was about because you are not familiar with Canada's history or culture. .

This actually IMO shows that it wasn't presented well. People outside of Canada should be able to 'get' the show because this is an international event, not some internal Canadian event that only Canadians understand. We outside of it are the audience this should have been made for, not Canadians.

Overall, I thought it was a good opening ceremony. Mostly I had issues with the length of the pieces, I thought it would have been far more effective if most things were shortened. I would have preferred something a bit original in the ideas, this was a tad too formulaic for me.

This aside, I only severely disliked one thing and this was repeated by everyone I've met who has seen the OC - the poet. I have no idea what the organizers were thinking, perhaps this issue with it not transferring outside of Canada but they should have thought of that way before. Too long, completely out there when it comes to international audiences. I simply tuned him out in the end by hitting mute and waited for him to get off the screen.

I don't mind the glitch over the torch thing, it was bound to happen sooner or later. It's just life. I don't like this multiple people lighting the fire approach, nor the separate one after outside but this was a new thing tried so it's a bonus automatically.

[Tonichelle]

I loved the Poet, best part of the night for me and I'm not Canadian

[futureidol]

Of course you don't get what most of the show was about because you are not familiar with Canada's history or culture. The fidlers and tapdancers represent Eastern Canada with its rich Cape Breton, Scottish heritege.

Canada is mostly settled by Scottish and English and French. It was wonderful to see how these diverse groups were mentioned as well...

My ancestors on my mother's side are Scottish-Canadian East Coast and eventually settled in New York (actually I am almost all Scottish/English and a little Austrian) and I really enjoyed the Scottish dancing I have many family members who fiddle and/or dance, so we're carrying the tradition proudly. Also loved the first Winter opening part with the bear and the whales! I thought the ceremony was awesome!

Crossing my fingers for the Kerrs in Ice Dance (GO Scotland) and all the Americans!!!