BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Following is a detailed description of
London's 8-minute performance at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics
on Wednesday night:
0 to 1 min
Title sequence
A short animated title sequence (drawn by a team of young animators from
Soho - one of London's creative hubs) establishes the tone of contemporary
London and the rest of the UK - colorful and diverse with the friendly icon of a
big red double-decker bus acting as a guide around world-famous landmarks and
marking the start of a journey.
1 min to 2.30 mins
Arrival of the transformed London bus
The journey continues the atmospheric arrival of the bus, transformed to
reveal an interior of green, populated by dancers. Paralympic medalist Ade
Adepitan guides the transformed bus in to the stadium. He is accompanied by
young Paralympic gymnast and winner of a competition on the UK's most famous
children's television program "Blue Peter", Gareth Picken (aged 9, from
Gloucestershire). Some of the dancers beat out an edgy urban rhythm on their
bodies. A living facsimile of Nelson¡¯s statue in Trafalgar Square stands above
the London skyline.
2.30 mins to 3.30 mins
The mood changes
The cast descend from bus as a drummer appears with a full drum kit on the
rear scissor lift, sending up a solid "four to the floor" rhythm. The drummer is
a young London musician, Cherisse Osei.
The central column rises and the figure of Nelson puts on his sunglasses
and is handed an electric guitar on which he plays a funky riff - an image both
of an iconic landmark and also of Britain's easy ability to be respectfully
irreverent.
3.30 mins to 5.30 mins
Dancers
Dancers separate into two groups and engage in a call and answer dance
section - street dance on one side, integrated contemporary dance on the other
and sport in shape of wheelchair basketball ace Ade Adepitan in the middle.
Culture meets sport in a competitive exchange with basketball as a symbol both
of sport and urban street life.
5.30 mins to 6.30 mins
Time for tea
The dance section reaches a climax and then - tea break! The appearance on
the third rising platform of a tea lady - staple of British comedy - and two
trolleys of tea, cakes and cucumber sandwiches for the cast signals a complete
change of gear.
Tea break over, the dance battle resolves into a series of partner dances.
The Waltz then the Lindyhop reference Britain's love of ballroom and our ability
to embrace other cultures.
6.30 mins to 7.30 mins
All change please
The announcement "All change please!", familiar to rail and tube passengers
across London, marks an abrupt change in the music to a cheeky modern Bossa
Nova. The cast form a single unit with Ade and Gareth. The bus begins to
transform back into its original form.
7.30 mins to 8 mins
Transformed
The "petals" of the bus fold up to reveal that it has been further
transformed from its traditional red to a vibrant colorful rendering of the
London 2012 Paralympic logo.
8 mins to 8.30 mins
Journey home
The entire cast move to the front of the bus and, headed by a dancer
holding aloft a single umbrella, they parade out leading the bus towards its
journey home. They are accompanied by leading competitors from ParalympicsGB.
Enditem