Winter Games Opening

[WhoMe]

AWESOME!!!!


FIRST NATIONS WERE TRULY REPRESENTED DURING THE OPENING OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES IN VANCOUVER!!!!

I WAS SOOOOOOOOO PROUD!!!!

Did anybody know anybody who participated?

[wyo_rose]

And they're STILL dancing!! Totally Great!!

Going on a whole hour now...the commentators commented.

[Shawl Lady]

Finally! It's wonderful!

AWESOME!!!!


FIRST NATIONS WERE TRULY REPRESENTED DURING THE OPENING OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES IN VANCOUVER!!!!

I WAS SOOOOOOOOO PROUD!!!!

Did anybody know anybody who participated?

[Toolbox]

That was so awesome! What really dropped my jaw was the coordination of like 300 projectors and robotic lighting that illuminated the perfromances. I didn't know anyone who participated but my girlfriend knew a bunch of them.

The most awe-inspiring aspect of the night was the fact that it seemed for just one night people put aside their differences, came together and celebrated the spirit of the games and humanity. There in the same stadium marched athletes and delegates from nations who under normal circumstances would despise one another, inlcuding the likes of Israel, Iran, North Korea, and South Korea, all there for the same thing. A beautiful thing to say the least.

[gtbdave]

And they're STILL dancing!! Totally Great!!

Going on a whole hour now...the commentators commented.

____
Yeah, a while after they said that, I said they are probably still dancing out in the parking lot. My daughter said, yeah, they are probably dancing on people's cars. Some dancers danced on her new car in the parking lot when we went to GON, a coupla years ago. There was moccasin prints all over the hood of her new car.

It was a pretty good show, the Native American dancers did a good job, it was something to see, but not like a real pow wow. Some of those pow wows get like 50-60 fancy dancers on the floor at one time, or even jingle dancers, or fancy shawl dancers. It's really a spectacular show when you get that many. Then you always have those champions, or winners, especially the dance offs. I think that one year a Canadian dancer won at the Red Earth, best overall dancer, best of pow wow. She was real tall, graceful, like a ballet dancer, sort of glided, or floated around the arena, probably the best fancy shawl dancer that I ever seen. Really brought the crowd to their feet.

I hope people noticed that at the opening ceremony, they didn't stand for the whole time, and there were Flags all over the place. Also, there was no invocation, that I noticed, maybe the moment of silence for the fallen Olympian, but if there had been one, or was one, it probably only lasted for a coupla minutes, maybe 5 minutes at the most, not an hour long sermon, that everyone had to stand for. It was very audience friendly, and courteous to the audience, I'm sure they all had a good time, and enjoyed the show, or the ceremony.

[shadowoman]

AWESOME!!!!


FIRST NATIONS WERE TRULY REPRESENTED DURING THE OPENING OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES IN VANCOUVER!!!!

I WAS SOOOOOOOOO PROUD!!!!

Did anybody know anybody who participated?

It was so beautiful to see Our People there!! we saw people we had meet last summer at Pikwakanagan Canada---- and a couple Fancy Shawl Dancers that had danced at CMU Pow Wow--- Star danced at home to the whole thing so she felt like she was with Our People in Spirit

[NorthofAda]

I didn't personally know anyone who participated, but some folks looked familiar from powwows up this way.

Awesome, plain and simple, and yes, WhoMe it made me proud, too.

[Shawl Lady]

Best Opening Ceremony EVER!

I didn't recognoze anyone, but it was hard to see them all. I was so proud to see so many tribes/nations represented. The special effects were fabulous. I loved it all -- the constellations, the trees, the whales, the people. It was one of the best, most welcoming entrance of teams too. A great night for Canada.

AWESOME!!!!


FIRST NATIONS WERE TRULY REPRESENTED DURING THE OPENING OF THE 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES OPENING CEREMONIES IN VANCOUVER!!!!

I WAS SOOOOOOOOO PROUD!!!!

Did anybody know anybody who participated?

[Shawl Lady]

____
Yeah, a while after they said that, I said they are probably still dancing out in the parking lot. My daughter said, yeah, they are probably dancing on people's cars. Some dancers danced on her new car in the parking lot when we went to GON, a coupla years ago. There was moccasin prints all over the hood of her new car.

It was a pretty good show, the Native American dancers did a good job, it was something to see, but not like a real pow wow. Some of those pow wows get like 50-60 fancy dancers on the floor at one time, or even jingle dancers, or fancy shawl dancers. It's really a spectacular show when you get that many. Then you always have those champions, or winners, especially the dance offs. I think that one year a Canadian dancer won at the Red Earth, best overall dancer, best of pow wow. She was real tall, graceful, like a ballet dancer, sort of glided, or floated around the arena, probably the best fancy shawl dancer that I ever seen. Really brought the crowd to their feet.

I hope people noticed that at the opening ceremony, they didn't stand for the whole time, and there were Flags all over the place. Also, there was no invocation, that I noticed, maybe the moment of silence for the fallen Olympian, but if there had been one, or was one, it probably only lasted for a coupla minutes, maybe 5 minutes at the most, not an hour long sermon, that everyone had to stand for. It was very audience friendly, and courteous to the audience, I'm sure they all had a good time, and enjoyed the show, or the ceremony.

That is so cool. This was the best opening ceremony for the Olympic ever!

[Shawl Lady]

I have to agree with you. Not only were the teams from different countries getting along and happy to be there together, the indigenous people of Canada were FINALLY recognized at a North American Olympics. The mutual respect was powerful. I will never forget this incredible ceremony and how it may reverberate in a good way in the future.

[eap7]

I LOVED it! It truly was an amazing show that incorporated Native aspects throughout instead of a token "shake hands with the Indian dancers". The graphics were breathtaking, especially the bear constellation. I didn't know how Vancouver was going to even come close to the Chinese performance, but it was so completely different that it's hard to even compare. Congrats to all the First Nations who must be extremely proud to be Canadian today!

[SlingShot]

The other side of the olympics

No olympics on stolen Native land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKvx3_ZwRHs

[roanna103]

It truly was just gorgeous, the dancers were beautiful and so colorful. What an amazing experience it must have been for each and every dancer (not to mention all of those there and all of us viewing it on TV), an enormous shared experience and a first of its kind. Loved it! The graphics were awesome, I especially loved the whales spouting steam which rose above the stadium floor, just breathtaking.

I do wish the commentators did not feel they had to interpret everything for us and talk so much. Every Olympics the same thing bothers me. We don't need interpretations or all the statistics, just shut up and let us enjoy the experience for ourselves! Whether it is opening/closing ceremonies, or the individual events, just because no one is saying anything doesn't mean the commentors should. The music and the visuals are already a complete experience. Except for that, this opening ceremony was absolutely the best I have ever seen, one that I will remember forever. It was a historic experience and I am so very happy to have seen it.

[WhoMe]

There were three things that really impressed me about the opening ceremonies.

The first was the consultation with First Nations people to make it authentic. The designs in the lighting were real. The dancers were representive of the four directions of Canada. There was a good mix of traditional and powwow dancers.

Second were the drums that were given to audience members. They were light blue painted octagon hand drums that had Pacific Coast designs. Instead of applause, the audience beat on the drums to show their appreciation and enthusiasm.

Last was the dignity shown to the local Native community leaders. They were sitting in the VIP section along with other dignitaries. They were often seen throughout the duration of the show.

I applaude the stamina of those Native performers who danced the entire length of the performance. I saw my good friend Carol Melting Tallow giving it her all right to the very end!

[Shawl Lady]

Best Opening Ceremony!

I LOVED it! It truly was an amazing show that incorporated Native aspects throughout instead of a token "shake hands with the Indian dancers". The graphics were breathtaking, especially the bear constellation. I didn't know how Vancouver was going to even come close to the Chinese performance, but it was so completely different that it's hard to even compare. Congrats to all the First Nations who must be extremely proud to be Canadian today!

I agree with your comments. There was much media hype that this was to be a lower budget, low key ceremony. It shows that Canada got more BANG for its bucks than other countries have. I wish I had a video of it to watch again and again.