2019 Pan American Games opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2019 Pan American Games took place on Friday July 26, 2019 at the Estadio Nacional del Perú (Pan Am Ceremonies Venue) in Lima, Peru and ran from 20:00 to 23:05 PET.[1] The ceremony was entitled Amazing Peru and featured a stage designed as Pariacaca, the sacred mountain of Lima.[2][3] It was produced by Italian company Balich Worldwide Shows and directed by creative director Francisco Negrin.[4][5]
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Program
Traditional features such as the parade of nations and the lighting of the Pan Am cauldron been held as part of the ceremony. The cauldron is based on an Incan sun.
Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi performed at the Opening Ceremony of the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.[6]
Countdown
The countdown began from minus 30 to zero, while volunteers seated in the stands create the countdown numbers with LED lights. From minus 17 onwards, the Caral part of the stage generated colours inspired by the logos of each of the previous Pan American Games. Afterwards, 362 volunteers ran to the centre of the stage and performed an animated, athletic and joyful choreography that recreates elements of the Lima 2019 Pan American Games logo, and finally form the entire logo.
The Nation
The President of Panam Sports Neven Ilic and the President of the Republic of Peru Martin Vizcarra were introduced to the crowd. Dancers then performed a sound and dance montage of the poem “El Perú” by Marco Martos, conveyed in each of the 49 languages of Peru which were represented by 49 “nodes” of the stage design to express the strength, spirit of resilience and pride of the Peruvian people. Lines of text create paths on the screen of the mountain and finally the languages come together to form the national flag. The dancers, representing all the youth of the country join in a choir and sing a unique version of the National Anthem also expressed in one more Peruvian language, the sign language, while the national flag was raised by Peruvian Armed Forces personnel after being brought in.
The Calling
Three introductory performances followed with the first being The Calling. God Pariacaca, representing the sacred Apu of Lima appears as a part bird, part feline and part snake being. Several performers dressed as chasquis appear on the stage, resembling the chasquis being created out of rock by the god. The modern day runners came on stage running in opposite direction with the chasquis before gather at stage centre. The runners then leave in all directions to call the nations participating in the Games after the chasquis blow their pututus. 41 dancers represent the nations that are challenged by 41 pre-Hispanic gods to a friendly athletic competition that unites the sacred Inca initiation of the Warachicuy and the Games of Lima 2019.
Dawn
Pacific
The god Pariacaca now calls the stars, which fall into the stadium. We see constellations such as the llama, which are especially important in the worldview of Peruvian cultures. The Pacific Ocean wakes up and fish inspired by pre-Hispanic art dance following geometric patterns. Ancient fishermen go fishing on their caballitos de totora, which are fishing boats made out of reeds, and as they ride the waves back to the shore, modern surfers accompany them. A new day dawns in Lima, and the silhouette of Miraflores appears on the Costa Verde. The tide leaves behind spondylus shells, thorny oysters that appear shiny and golden from underwater.
Amancaes
The shells transform into amancaes flowers, the symbol of Lima, and the festival that bears their name is reborn in its valleys. Harp players appear with their repicadores, and the stadium is filled with flowers and music. Groups of cajones accompany zamacuecas, colonial peruvian dances, and caballos de paso, horses of a peruvian breed, dancing marinera. The flowers form a map of Peru and 5 different types of marinera are danced in different parts of the country.
Sports
Scores of cajones fill the stadium and the entire crowd joins in the festive mood with white and red cheering sticks. A choreography inspired by all the sports of Lima 2019 and its official pictograms fills the stage on the mountain. In a unique and emotional moment we hear a special version of the song of the games; "Jugamos Todos" by Pedro Suárez Vértiz while the cajon players create a giant version of the Games' mascot; Milco.
Parade of Athletes
The Parade of Athletes begins, from the north to the south end of the stadium. Each team is preceded by a traditional ekeko carrying a chicha-style banner with the name of the country and wishing many medals to the team that follows. Cajones set the pace and point the way for the athletes. When the name of the country is announced, the Caral stage reproduces the colors of the corresponding flag. When the team arrives at the center, the whole mountain becomes a natural feature of the team’s country
Abundance
Pago a la tierra
A pago a la tierra ritual is observed by young adventurers, who then embark on a trip from the coast up to the highest mountain ranges of Peru. Nature acknowledges the ritual, and the mountain dresses in images full of the texture and colours of the country’s ecosystems, inspired by Peruvian painters. The whole mountain then seems to turn to reveal a rainforest. The Peruvian Amazon appears in all its splendor as seen from the sky. It is made up of hundreds of volunteers who represent its trees, river and flora and fauna. A shaman is a witness to this fluorescent world full of life, as the river becomes a great serpent.
Superfoods
The forest opens up and we discover two Amazonian groups dancing and wearing their folk outfits; they carry a food ingredient, a Peruvian superfood, to a central table. The mountain is transformed into a mountain of each ingredient. Groups of the coast, the Andes and immigrants also appear dancing and carrying food to the table, contributing to the great fusion. Micha Tsamura, a contemporary Chef and a star of Peruvian cuisine, hovers over it all like a shaman of food.
Weaving
Looms
Nature also offers other ingredients: wool and cotton. We discover women and girls braiding their hair and weaving. Their looms turn into a giant loom that originates from vicuñas and cotton flowers sculpted in the scenography. A colourful mass choreography weaves a great fabric that covers the mountain.
The Cutting Edge
Magnificent clothes are born of Peru’s vibrant fabrics. Both the most spectacular folk costumes and the most contemporary designs inspired by that folklore are worthy of a great fashion show. To the sound of a new version of Condor Pasa and in homage to Yma Sumac, models walk down the catwalk wearing costumes of the past and present. The fashion show ends with a performance of dancers in amazing costumes inspired by the Tapadas Limeñas.
Streets
The tapadas from the previous scene transform into their historic counterparts. Watercolour streets from the Viceroyalty era come to life. We travel in time until the 1950s and Juan Diego Flórez makes an entrance to sing a unique duet especially created for the great Peruvian tenor and the voice of Chabuca Granda, while the whole mountain becomes the celebrated creole singer. Suddenly we jump to present time and hundreds of contemporary limeños come from the San Cristobal hill to recreate a street scene full of the colours of the Chicha world. A great flash mob develops, culminating with a display of urban dance to the rhythm of cumbia. This dazzling and energetic number ends with a mass choreography that forms the logo of Marca Perú, symbolically identifying Peru and its future with its younger generations.
The Games
The Olympic and Panam Sports flags are carried by representatives of Peruvian sport. The flags are raised to the sound of the Olympic and Panam Sport anthems. Though, surprisingly enough, The Olympic flag and anthem were not present during the ceremony. Official speeches by Carlos Neuhaus and Neven Ilic follow. The first speech includes a presentation of Peru’s Bicentennial logo. The President of the Republic of Peru declares the Games open from his tribune. An athlete and a judge take their oaths.
Inti
The Relay
A video showing highlights of the torch relay is shown on the stadium screens. We see the route in reverse order, from Caral, the last stop before Lima, all the way back to Teotihuacan. The mountain becomes the Pyramid of the Sun, where the Pan American flame was lit. An epic procession of the most important Peruvian pre-Hispanic cultures begins. It is a reference to the route of the torch relay through important archaeological sites, representing all eras of Peruvian preHispanic history. Each culture is led by a priest and a king who carries an emblematic object. The mountain is transformed into a representative monument of each culture. The leaders end up on the mountain while all the others form immense geometric patterns on the field, augmented by LED lights. The mountain opens to reveal the cauldron: it is Machu Picchu’s Intihuatana, symbolically united to Caral by a ray of light.
The Flame
The torch is carried into the stadium by Peruvian sport personalities. Once it reaches the Caral stage, the flame is passed on to two young athletes, representing the bright future of Peru. The young athletes run towards the mountain, flanked on both sides by the preHispanic nations underlining their route with light effects. They then climb to the first level of the mountain, where the torch is received by two more sports personalities. As the cauldron is lit, fireworks accentuate the great moment.
The Concert
After a Peruvian celebration, the time has come to launch into a truly Pan-American party with international star Luis Fonsi, who represents both North America and Latin America.
Luis Fonsi performs:
- Imposible
- Calypso
- Échame La Culpa
- Date La Vuelta
- No Me Doy Por Vencido
- Party Animal
- Despacito
List of performers
- Guillermo Bussinger, Pelo D’Ambrosio, Sandra Muente and Shantall (performing "Jugamos Todos" (lit.: Let's All Play))[7]
- Juan Diego Flórez
Dignitaries
- Thomas Bach, President of International Olympic Committee
- Neven Ilić Álvarez, Panam Sports President
- Martín Vizcarra, President of Peru.
References
- Opening ceremony
- Opening ceremony live blog
- Amazing Peru For Lima 2019 Ceremony
- "Lima 2019: Balich to produce Ceremonies".
- Balich Worldwide Shows for Lima 2019
- Singer Luis Fonsi "honoured" to be part of Lima 2019 Opening Ceremony
- Lima 2019 Spectacular Pan American Opening revealed
- "Pan American Games opening ceremony lights up Lima".