Admittedly, I have been very critical of China in the past (is that why my blog is blocked in China?). However, I have to admit that the opening ceremony was nothing short of spectacular. It was highly entertaining as well as extremely creative.
I was told that a lot of the dancers have been rehearsing for over a year. Wow. Having said that, the practice clearly paid off. The performers were not only in sync with each other over long periods of time, they were also in sync with the stadium. I remember one scene in particular where an army of taichichuan practitioners formed what looked like a perfect circle - I can only imagine how difficult that is to achieve!
Update - Just read about the "fake" fireworks. Although this is a shame, I won't be amending the above post as I believe the comments stand.
Update 2 - Just read about the fake girl singer. Talk about a scummy thing to do. Considering the amount of fake shit thats coming up, I'm really evaluating my above post. On one hand, its a shame that the achievements of the dancers is being overshadowed by idiots and morons. On the other hand, am I really comfortable praising the opening ceremony when it is so fake (just like the rest of China! - I know, Iknow, that is low - but I just couldn't resist).
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4 comments:
So, fake fireworks are ok. Whats your view on the fake girl singer?
Apparently the first choice (a 7 year old girl) was considered unsuitable at the last moment by one of the Politburo due to her imperfect teeth - so they put forward the pretty one and dubbed her voice with that of the first choice.
Nice...
Yeah - just read about that today as well. Talk about the wrong message to send out.
Also, I wasn't saying the fake fireworks are ok. I was saying that the show was really impressive despite the fake fireworks (in particular, the various dancers)
Makes you wonder what else is fake though.
Really gives you an interesting look into their psyche though. All show and no substance.
One further update for you...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2561979/Beijing-Olympics-Ethnic-children-exposed-as-fakes-in-opening-ceremony.html
Minor one, but hey they add up.
Interesting - I hadn't read about that one till now.
My first reaction was very much "so what?". In this case, I thought they were representing the diverse cultures in China and as such, you only need the costumes. Not necessary for the people inside the costume to actually be from that ethnic minority.
This is the standard I apply to professional actors/dancers and I don't intend to change it just because the person in question is an amateur child.
However, according to the article, the official guide indicates that the children "came from" the ethnic minorities.
And that is a lie which is plainly wrong (admittedly, I'm assuming its a lie and not a problem in translation).
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