Beijing, February 17 (Xinhua) -- The closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will be staged on the evening of the 20th, at the handover ceremony of the Olympic flag, what kind of "eight minutes" performance will be presented by the hosts of the next Winter Olympic Games, Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo of Italy? In an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency, Lyda Castelli, artistic director of the handover ceremony, revealed that their performance will reflect the harmonious beauty of modernity and nature, and also hope to express the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
Pictured here is Lyda Castelli, artistic director of the handover ceremony
Showcasing the beauty of harmony
On the evening of the 16th, the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics was rehearsed. In the media studio, the reporter saw members of the "eight minutes" performance team of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The rehearsal that night was the first time they practiced together with the closing ceremony performance of the Winter Olympics.
Castries said she and her company have been performing olympic-related performances for nearly 20 years, first at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. "As the next host, we presented the 'Turin Eight Minutes' performance. Now that the Winter Olympics are coming to Italy, Milan and Cortina dʼAmpezzo, we are ready to bring the Olympic flag back to Italy. ”
On 24 June 2019, members of the Milan/Cortina Dampezzoshin Winter Olympics delegation celebrated the right to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo by Xu Jinquan, Xinhua News Agency
In 2026, Italy will host the Winter Olympics for the third time. Previously, Cortina dʼAmpezzo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 and Turin hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006.
Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are two completely different cities, Castelli said: Milan is a modern city that symbolizes the future; Cortina d'Ampezzo embodies the beauty of nature in the midst of the mountains. "The dialogue between the two cities, the city and the mountains inspired us... Achieving perfect balance and harmony in two different dimensions also conveys the idea of sustainability, which actually means that we need to be kind to the earth and care for and balance the relationship between man and nature. ”
Less is more
At the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games, the host of the next Summer Olympics, Paris, France, presented a video version of "Eight Minutes of Paris", and this time, the Italians came to Beijing to perform live. Castelli said their cast was very small this time. On the one hand, because of the background of the epidemic, on the other hand, they also believe that "less is more", hoping that with few actors can also convey important ideas.
On August 8, 2021, the closing ceremony of the 32nd Summer Olympic Games was held in Tokyo, Japan. This is a short film of Paris, the host city of the next Summer Olympics, which was broadcast at the closing ceremony. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Lili
"[The number of actors] might surprise you, we only keep the necessary actors, and sometimes you don't need a lot of actors, but you need a high level of performance." Castelli said there will be an Italian female singer performing an important part, and two dancers, and it is impossible to reveal more specifically because of the need to preserve surprises.
She said that although it is difficult to perform live in China after the epidemic, live performance is still very important at this important moment of the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games. "This can send a positive signal to the world that we can all reunite and move together towards a better future."
Fate with Beijing
Castries and her team have been preparing for the show for a year, and for the past 6 months they have been rehearsing and tweaking. Castries said it was a pleasure for them to work with the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee's opening and closing ceremonies team, getting all the information needed for the performance before coming to China, and also having a long-term cooperation with Zhang Yimou, the general director of the opening and closing ceremonies.
On February 4, the opening fireworks bloomed over the Bird's Nest. On the same day, the opening ceremony of the 24th Winter Olympic Games was held in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Jianli
Castelli recalled that at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games, she was also at the "Bird's Nest" scene. "That opening ceremony conveyed a lot of information through large-scale performances, and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics presented a small and beautiful performance, warmer, more ethereal, more romantic, but also more technological." The ideas and themes are rooted in the era we are living through, very modern and very positive. ”
She specifically mentioned the screens that filled the "Bird's Nest" venue for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. This time in "eight minutes", their team will also make full use of this screen. "We've made a very interesting video that will be played alongside the show to show our city and the ideas we want to convey."
Writer: Ji Ye
Participating reporters: Wang Ziming, Huang Yao, Zhao Xu
Editors: Wang Hengzhi, Yu Sihui, Cao Yibo, Zhang Yumeng (Intern)