PK with some of his "Snowgum" dancers
Peter Kamper was an Assistant Choreographer for the Ceremonies Team. Here is his euphoric post-event report of the Opening Ceremony
Right now, a little under a week after the Opening (does anyone remember it??), I'm in a weird space! During the weekend that started on Friday 15th September, I was High, VERY high. I had pre warned everyone I met not to miss the Opening Ceremony because it would be the very best show anyone would see.
And so the months and months of practice with thousands and thousands of volunteers were delicately moulded into a show that had been created in the back rooms of some of our best creative minds. For all those creative minds that had dared to 'push' their section, to create elements that their colleagues said would never come off. Congratulations on your belief.
To the production crew who were brought together from all over the country, thank you. Then there were the Creative teams and the Logistic teams who all came together over the months leading up to the big night. We worked together; we froze many times together at sites all over Sydney. And finally we put on a show that was always going to be worth it.
I suppose for me, my effort in the Opening Ceremony was my chance to represent Australia. My own sporting careers were doomed never to spark any higher than being a 'handy' player on local and representative levels. Most of those sparks flew many years ago. But here was my chance.
The announcement,7 years ago, that Sydney had won the Olympics was a euphoric moment for me. I was backpacking in South America at the time. There were a lot of whoops of joys and exclamations of excitement washed down with a budget-bending celebratory beer binge, but I had very few of my country folk to share with. My determination back then though was that I would be involved in helping showcase my country to the world. I think backpacking (or any kind of travelling) only reinforces what a great country and culture we have here in Oz.
At my first audition for a performing role, I was impressed by the qualities of the Director of Choreography, Doug Jack and decided that I would like to work on his team. So it was with providence and desire that I found myself on the team to help with the coordination of the performers and choreography of certain sections of that performance. Coincidently, my initial summation of Doug was that he was under valued! For me, he was the real star of the show.
It was the start of many months of an absorbing process that took ideas on paper, charted on grids, taken to practice on stadium floors and inally to Stadium Australia. After many practice sessions, at the final dress rehearsal we finally did the whole creative show without a break. What a relief. What joy felt by all the creative team. It was with a certain gratitude and expectation that the show would be a hit that we gathered for Friday the 15th.
The Show, backed by so many practice performances, ran smoothly, like clockwork, like Australia's history sped up to last just a couple of hours. But it involved so much beauty, interpretation, and laughter, dazzling sights, 'first time ever seen pieces'. It was beautiful. It was magnificent. For all those 110,000 people in the Stadium not only were you able to see the show, but you FELT the heartbeat of the Show. That atmosphere I suppose is what will be missed the most, when replays are shown over and over again. For those who were there, I hope all the emotions will be caught up in your memory banks and continually cascade whenever you go back to where you were on that night.
The whole Cauldron situation only added to the emotion of hope and expectation. Another rollercoaster ride that was to be ridden; only that one wasn't planned! Many friends who were there have told me of their pride when singing the Aussie songs, tears during the show for the sheer beauty of what was being created before their eyes, of screaming with excitement, of waving their wrists enthusiastically with red flashing lights on them, of jumping up and dancing, of (despite no education in) tap dancing in their seats, of yelling themselves hoarse.
So now I find myself in a void. I've achieved my goal. It was a goal to help Australia put on an event that would show the rest of the world how amazing Australia is. In addition, along with the rest of the 15 or so in the choreography team and the 12,500 performers, we helped create a showcase that one third of the world's entire population stopped and watched. The actual performance far exceeded my goal. It was the world’s best. I've spoken to many people afterwards, both novices at these types of shows and audiences of over 40 years experience. All have backed up my view that the Sydney 'show' sets the standard much higher than all before it.
It’s a weird feeling setting out to climb Mt Kosciusko and ending up conquering Mt Everest. Where does one go from here?
My feelings though of the ceremony will always be with the people it involved. They are my memories. The show wasn't just about the beautiful flowers and forms created in Nature, and the correctness of the Tin dunnies and rain water tanks, it was sharing months with each of those performers who gave their time to lug those pieces around the field for a couple of minutes on the night. It was for all the fun and stressful times we spent together working together to achieve a common goal. It was working together with the production crew to achieve an outcome that was synchronicity itself. It was spending time with people from all walks of life. Very few came to the show with experience in what we did, and yet, in typical Aussie fashion we gave it a shot. In this example, with the skilful direction of the Doug, Dave and other members of the team, it was a gold medal performance.
One of my lasting memories is of being on the stadium floor during one of the last pieces, with the whole crowd providing (via their flashlights) the Milky Way backdrop while members from each of the different pieces danced in unison. The whole Stadium was pulsating to the Olympic rhythm, in perfect harmony for the sheer joy of life. For a true believer in the Olympic ideals, humanity and a self-confessed sports nut, it doesn't get any better than that. Australia, you deserved and got the best possible show anyone could muster. I'm honoured to have contributed, and humbled by the people I worked with.
PK
PK Event Enterprises.
pkamper@tpg.com.au
|
