10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
The lights turned off. And with that, the opening ceremony for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics had begun.
and the lights turn off, One singular spotlight focuses on a man dressed as Cupid, covered in silver cloth in the middle of a circular stage with a spiral pattern engraved in the floor.
Music begins to play as the man starts to dance between a multitude of similarly clad dancers and large glass boxes that contain oversized sculptures.
This routine is the first of many interpretive dances throughout the opening ceremony.
Each dance is meant to represent an aspect of the game’s theme, which is harmony. While this is a good theme, the dances lacked the necessary element of cohesion, making the whole ceremony feel a bit choppy.
Instead of feeling like one performance, the ceremony felt like a multitude of jumbled dance recitals one after the other.
If you were to ignore the rough transitions and merely focus on the dances themselves, they would be quite enjoyable. Each dance did a wonderful job of portraying a harmonious theme and Italian culture, while being surprisingly lighthearted and almost whimsical. The costumes and music gave a sense of child-like wonder that took away the edge of seriousness the Olympics hold.
These dances were intermittently interrupted by a series of other performances that went with the events of an opening ceremony.
Singer Laura Pausini sang the Italian National anthem, and there was a humorous bit about how Italians speak with their hands to welcome everyone to Italy. The Italian President opened the games, Andrea Bocelli and Ghali gave stunning performances while the torch was being carried and Lang Lang, a Chinese pianist, played while the Olympic flag was raised.
All together, I thought the opening ceremony was a good way to begin the 2026 Winter Olympics, even if there were a few shortcomings.
The performances were completed by the most professional dancers, singers and actors, but the ceremony stayed surprisingly light and fun. The ceremony was truly enjoyable to experience, and I look forward to watching the athletes compete.