With little less than two weeks to go, the
stage is set for the Opening Ceremony of 2013’s most exciting soccer tournament
– the 29th Edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations SOUTH AFRICA
2013. The Opening Ceremony, starting at
16h00 on January 19th, precedes the kick-off match at the National
Stadium and promises to be a dazzling spectacular of African pride!
Rehearsals boast a cast of more than 520 dancers, singers, stilt walkers and
gymnasts. The Opening Ceremony fully
intends to live up to the theme “Celebrate Africa – The
Beat at Africa’s Feat”.
The team behind the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, enlisted by the Local Organising Committee (LOC), boasts an impressive arsenal of South Africa’s finest live-production talent - event production company VWV Group, are renowned for the dazzling technical and production mastery they displayed in delivering the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
“As the
LOC, we were very clear in our brief to the production company” explains
the LOC Chief Communications Officer, Sipho Sithole “We
instructed them to deliver an event that will raise Africa to its feet through
an artistic and creative display that would showcase Africa at her finest, in
all our beauty, diversity, and of course, celebrate our sporting prowess. They
have responded with a creative that we can truly describe as spectacular, and
is reflective of an event that is truly African – they’ve done us all proud.
“
The theme lives through the ceremony’s
various performance elements – from performing artists, to the vibrantly
outfitted traditional and contemporary dancers, and cultural elements
creatively inserted into the event, ‘Celebrate Africa – The Beat at Africa’s
Feet’ reverberates throughout.
Clever usage of the unlikeliest instruments –
from women pounding the traditional mortar and pestle, to larger-than-life
African beadwork as performance art, and giant drums powered by tumbling
acrobats, skillfully combined with the rhythm pounded out by the dancers – all
work to create a dramatic sound and visual effect. The beat of African drums is
a constant refrain, creatively woven through the different aspects of the show.
“Creatively,
we wanted to present a showcase that lived out the theme, and celebrated the
different aspects that make us unique as Africans – all in a world-class
ceremony,” explains VWV’s Jameson Hlongwane, opening ceremony project
director “Equally importantly,
the event had to represent us as a soccer-loving continent. To do this, we
obviously had to bring some of our finest performers on board. They’ve been
rehearsing their hearts out for months now, and the results are mind-blowing!
We can hardly wait for everyone to see it, it’s a truly incredible spectacle!”
That said, there is little doubt that the
Opening Ceremony will be a dazzling display of the colours, sounds and rhythms
that makes us uniquely African. Saturday,
January 19th 2013 is the
date. The National Stadium –Soweto, the place.
The teams – South Africa’s Bafana Bafana versus Cape Verde, and Angola
vs Morocco – come Celebrate Africa - The Beat at Africa’s Feet!
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