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Beijing: The Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics- eight years ago- put me in a good mood. I remember a rough and tumble, circusy atmosphere- and particularly a group of high-stepping, acrobatic dancers got up as "larrikins"- the mischief-making, golden-hearted Jack the lads who exist so close to the heart of Australian cultural identity.
There were no larrikins in Beijing's opening ceremony. It was remarkably spectacular and completely heartless- with the performers reduced to pixels, shifting en masse and winking on and off as they formed elaborate living tableaux on the floor of the arena. Totalitarian regimes love this sort of thing. The individual is subsumed in the crowd- drilled, choreographed, harmonised out of existence- suppressed in the interests of the big picture. I got bored and wandered away from the TV. Actually, I was more than bored, I was indignant.
After this, the procession of the athletes came as sweet relief. No more stepping in time, but gaggles of individuals- some in ridiculous fancy dress- waving flags, grinning, giggling. It's not often- in fact it's only once every four years at the Olympics- that you get to see representatives of all the nations of the world assembled together in the same place and- furthermore- having fun. I'm always cynical about the Olympics until they happen and then I turn to mush.
The lighting of the flame was a high point. Former gymnast Li Ning took off on wires and flew round the stadium with the torch in his hand- a real coup de theatre- and- for just about the first time that evening- with the focus on a single, heroic individual.
Li Ning turns out to be an interesting cove- not just a sporting hero- but a millionnaire entrepeneur and a good friend of Rupert Murdoch's. If the floor show said one thing about China and how it sees itself, this elevation of a pawky, middle-aged company director said something completely different.
In other news: Russia and Georgia have chosen this moment to go to war over South Ossetia and an American tourist has been murdered at a Beijing monument- the Tower of Drums- by a Chinese man who then suicided himself.
There were no larrikins in Beijing's opening ceremony. It was remarkably spectacular and completely heartless- with the performers reduced to pixels, shifting en masse and winking on and off as they formed elaborate living tableaux on the floor of the arena. Totalitarian regimes love this sort of thing. The individual is subsumed in the crowd- drilled, choreographed, harmonised out of existence- suppressed in the interests of the big picture. I got bored and wandered away from the TV. Actually, I was more than bored, I was indignant.
After this, the procession of the athletes came as sweet relief. No more stepping in time, but gaggles of individuals- some in ridiculous fancy dress- waving flags, grinning, giggling. It's not often- in fact it's only once every four years at the Olympics- that you get to see representatives of all the nations of the world assembled together in the same place and- furthermore- having fun. I'm always cynical about the Olympics until they happen and then I turn to mush.
The lighting of the flame was a high point. Former gymnast Li Ning took off on wires and flew round the stadium with the torch in his hand- a real coup de theatre- and- for just about the first time that evening- with the focus on a single, heroic individual.
Li Ning turns out to be an interesting cove- not just a sporting hero- but a millionnaire entrepeneur and a good friend of Rupert Murdoch's. If the floor show said one thing about China and how it sees itself, this elevation of a pawky, middle-aged company director said something completely different.
In other news: Russia and Georgia have chosen this moment to go to war over South Ossetia and an American tourist has been murdered at a Beijing monument- the Tower of Drums- by a Chinese man who then suicided himself.
olympics
(Anonymous) 2008-08-09 01:15 pm (UTC)(link)I was amazed by people performing as one - something I would not want to do, but which I also find very hard. I found myself wondering whether they would have work after the Olympics or be redundant.
The high wire man was fantastic.
Would you like the link to see Thomas' wedding? Would you also like some informal ones sent on - some nice ones of you all too?
Jenny
Re: olympics
A link to the wedding? Yes please.
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Americans, doing similar things, would not, ime, have been so beautifully individual.
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I loved all the children who participated... the little singer, and piano player, the child floating through the air holding the giant kite who looked so happy, and the child hero who marched in with the tall athlete (what a cutie!), and the children in different costumes, as well as the gorgeous costumes of the women... the woman dancer... the pianist... the wonderful "dance painting". I really loved it all. The number of individual performers simply displayed the size of the country and yet they all were in harmony. (at least for the ceremony!) Their faces were so expressive...
The only parts that disturbed me a bit involved the military, but there was really not a lot of that.
It made me want to learn Tai Chi!
ps. It was definitely not heartless.
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I'm such a geek.
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I told my friend that this year when TSO comes to town, I want to sit by the control booth so I can see how they run the show. They have one of the best light shows around. TSO is becoming a Christmas tradition around here.
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Like you, I'm always keen to know how things are done. Unlike you, I'm afraid I never understand the explanations.
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The first part of their show is the Christmas narrative, and the second half is when they rock out. Last year, they wondered what would happen if they turned all their lights and equipment on all at once- apparently they did that in Milwaukee and blew the power at their arena. They have a fantastic pyrotechnic and light show, and they even have a snow machine. It's a blast.
But I'm a geek- once I see the show, then I want to see how they put it together. I am not one for just surface stuff- I want to learn all about it. I've always been that way- a 'behind the scenes' person.
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You know what? That's cheered me up. And now I'm prancing round the house singing Christmas music.
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Yes! The choreography was impressive, no question about it. And it did indeed sparkle. It's just... heartless. You summed it up perfectly in one word.
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While I was impressed by the precision of the performances, I kept wondering where is the actual art in all of this? Whose passion are we seeing? Certainly not the gazillion performers at work. Rather, the effort to make one star out of it all, the leader.
The Nuremberg rallies are spot on in this realm of thinking. I felt bad thinking it, too. Like I was being too narrow minded about China in general, and the fact that there has been so much criticism about having the Olympics there at all. But the more I stew on this, the more I see that this 'coming out party' of China's was hardly that at all.
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I really liked the opening ceremony - but having, I guess, expected the mass performance type of stuff, I found it more relaxed and jovial than I expected. And I liked the mix of ancient and futuristic stuff.
A lot of people I know in China found it quite ho-hum.
I watched with a bunch of PRC-native 20somethings, whose response was very nationalistic, and who spent the parade of athletes discussing which nations think Taiwan is an independent country and bitching about them.
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I know very little about China. I've been telling myself for a while that I really need to learn more.