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Opening Ceremony of the 2015 Cerebral Palsy World Games

Date published: 14 Aug 2015

Posted by: Joe Pick

Performers hold painted silk discs

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Photos from the stunning, City Arts produced, opening ceremony for the 2015 Cerebral Palsy World Games on Sunday 9th August 2015.

The opening ceremony was directed by acclaimed actor/director Jamie Beddard, who has cerebral palsy. The theme was ‘Aspirations’, focusing on the athletes’ hopes for the competition, their expectations for the Games and the hard work they have invested into training for the event.

The ceremony kicked off with a procession of the athletes, who have traveled from around the world to compete, led by Queens from East Midlands’ carnival troupes. An amazing group of dancers, assembled and choreographed by Dance4, alongside actors from Unanima Theatre Company led the audience through a story inspired by artwork created by pupils Nottingham’s Seely Primary School.

In the run up to the event the schoolchildren were invited to produce illustrations exploring the idea of ‘Aspirations. Ali Petty from Kinetika, and artist Jessica Kemp, transferred their beautiful drawings onto huge brightly coloured silk discs, which featured heavily in the opening.

Magical moments from Extraordinary Bodies, a partnership between Diverse City and Cirque Bijou, punctuated the show, including an incredible performance by aerial artist Karina Jones, who has a visual impairment. Composer Damian Coldwell and electronic musician Si Tew provided an impressive and insistent soundtrack to the night, with samba rhythms from a band of Nottingham musician, led by Ceri Howels and Michael Davis, interspersed.

Feedback from the event has been great, with lots of people taking to Twitter and Facebook to voice their delight:

https://twitter.com/EmilyK_92/status/630482510808485889

Download the programme for a full list of performers