With stars in their eyes, dancers start auditions for Rio 2016 ceremonies cast
Candidates told to have fun and express themselves as search begins for volunteers to bring the opening and closing ceremonies to life
Each audition can feature up to 150 candidates (Rio 2016/Alex Ferro)
Auditions always create tension among the candidates. Even more so if they are for a mega-production that will be beamed around the globe, right? Well, it was not so at the auditions to be part of the cast for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Check out this video of the auditions (click on the cog symbol to select English subtites):
For the first wave of auditions, which started on Saturday 7 November and will continue until the first week of December, the candidates were nervous as they arrived at the National Institute for Education of the Deaf, in the leafy Rio neighbourhood of Laranjeiras.“On my way here I was really anxious, I couldn’t stop worrying about how it was going to be, but once I arrived and saw that there were all kinds of different people, I relaxed,” said Agatha Cordeiro, from Nova Iguaçu, a town on the outskirts of Rio.
Creative team gives glimpse of preparations for Rio 2016 Olympic Games opening ceremony
The atmosphere was relaxed because the choreographers are searching for two very Brazilian qualities: diversity and contagious energy.
“Everybody arrived thinking they had to dance well, but we’re not looking for perfect ballerinas”
So said American live-event director Steve Boyd, who has contributed to 13 consecutive Olympic Games and is leading the selection process along with Bryn Walters, a British choreographer who has worked on four Olympic Games.
If you want to audition for the Rio 2016 ceremonies, you can join the the waiting list to ensure you receive information about the next wave of audtions.
Photo: Rio 2016/Alex Ferro
