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A party of
joy, which celebrated the success of the Olympic Winter
Games and the athletes’ victories, coupled with a touch
of sadness for an event that was coming to an end. This was
how the Torino 2006 Closing Ceremony, which was held
last night at the Olympic Stadium, presented itself, a
great show that had the Carnival as its dominating
theme. This was the weekend during which the whole of
Italy disguised itself, and this celebration, deeply
rooted in Italian tradition, was the underlying
theme of the entire evening. The show, designed and
directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the most widely
recognised director, writer, choreographer and clown at
an international level for his theatre performances
inspired by the circus world, combined the fantasy and
colours of the Carnival with the sounds and shapes
typical of the circus and Art Comedy.
The protocol
moments of the ceremony alternated with the more
informal and irreverent ones typical of the Carnival.
Thus, the clowns came on to the scene, together with
snow explorers, the mermaid, interpreted by Valeria
Marini, the Carnival Court, led by the King and the
Queen, and the Masks of the Viareggio Carnival. And
there was also a tribute to Federico Fellini, as six
original costumes from the film “The Clowns” by the
master from Rimini, created by the Oscar Award winner
Danilo Donati, were worn by the entertainers. The
audience was also very involved. Just as for the Opening
Ceremony, all the spectators were given a kit with angel
and devil masks and with a red nose that lit up.
Everyone was invited to wear them, including the heads
of state and government and the other celebrities
packing the grandstands. “We will see how they will react to this joke” Finzi Pasca smiled prior to the event. It took take
place on the occasion of the athletes’ parade, who this
time were parading all together and not divided by
nations, preceded by the flags of all the participating
countries.
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The Torino 2006 Closing Ceremony, which was held
last night at the Olympic Stadium, presented itself
as a great show that had the Carnival as its
dominating theme. This was the weekend during which
the whole of Italy disguised itself and this
celebration, deeply rooted in Italian tradition, was
to be the underlying theme of the entire glamorous
evening. |
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A party of joy to celebrate the success of the
Olympic Winter Games, coupled with a touch of
sadness for an event that was ending - Fiat's home
city of Turin was in the world spotlight once more
as it presented an extravagant Closing Ceremony last
night. |
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The Italian flag bearer during the parade was Armin
Zoeggeler, who had captured the nation's hearts when he
won the gold medal in the luge. There was then space for
memories: Fiat Cinquecento, Vespe, Ape and Lambrette all came driving on to the scene and many
characters were dressed up as Harlequin and Pulcinella.
The official moments included the award ceremony of the
cross-country skiing 50 km (it is still a final novelty
feature, taken as an example by Athens 2004, when the
marathon was awarded), the closing speeches of the IOC
President, Rogge, and Toroc, Castellani, and then the passage
of the Olympic flag from the hands of the mayor of Torino, Sergio Chiamparino, to his counterpart of
Vancouver, Sam Sullivan. Then an eight-minute segment
started, presented by Vanoc, the Organising Committee of
Vancouver 2010. The protagonists during this were the tenor Ben
Heppner, who sang the Canadian national anthem, as well
as the young Canadian rockstar, Avril Lavigne.
Another
important official moment during the Closing Ceremony
came with the extinguishing of the Olympic Cauldron:
with Andrea Bocelli on the stage, 400 maids walked into
the stadium holding a lantern in their hands. Their
blowing led to the simultaneous extinguishing of the
Cauldron. Then it was time for the grand finale with the
aurora borealis, the pyrotechnical fountains, and live
performances from singing stars Ricky Martin and Elisa,
and finally all the amazing the fireworks.
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