Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Expo 2020 Dubai’s Opening Ceremony will be a breathtaking curtain-raiser featuring hundreds of performers in a 90-minute spectacular that will change the way people around the world see Dubai and the UAE.

Giving a glimpse from behind the scenes, creative directors and performers describe their excitement at being part of a transformative once-in-a-lifetime event.

Amna Abulhoul, Executive Creative Director, Events and Entertainment, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “The opening ceremony is a breathtaking experience. It is not something that I can explain through words. It will trigger something inside you, something that will make you feel that you are ready to change the world.”

Dazzling costumes and projections will reflect the diverse nature and landscapes of the UAE, while the entire ceremony personifies Expo’s theme and purpose to connect minds and create the future, with more than 1,000 performers and technical crew, drawn from the UAE and around the world, coming together to make the magic happen.

The ground-breaking Opening Ceremony will be broadcast to a global audience of millions across multiple channels, including Expo TV.

Kate Randall, Vice President, Ceremonies and Programming, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “Expo is all about bringing the world together and that is definitely represented in our Opening Ceremony-- the cast, the crew all of the team that have worked on it also become like family, because we work so hard together for many months, for some of us many years, to bring the show to fruition.”

Tareq Ghosheh, Chief Events and Entertainment Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “What you will see here is something huge, it’s a hybrid story of local talent working with some of the best creative and technical people in order to send a message to the world that tomorrow is better, that future generations are going to have a very optimistic and successful life, that we when we work together as human beings we can save this planet, and we can prosper as well.

Using music, dance, drama and projection, the ceremony will give audiences around the world their first experience of Expo 2020’s beating heart, Al Wasl Plaza - demonstrating the cutting-edge technology that will bring Al Wasl dome, the world’s largest 360-degree projection screen, to life.

Tareq Ghosheh added: “It is an experience that the world has never seen before in terms of the number of creative minds and capable technical people working together in order to produce this event in this format - whether for a live audience or for broadcast.”

Mounir Cherkaoui, a performer and choreographer from Morocco, has been rehearsing for more than three months for the incredible event. Inspired to take up dance after watching Michael Jackson as a young boy, he described the show as a “piece of art”. “I meet a lot of people at Expo and that’s what makes me happy. I meet different nationalities, different knowledge, different mentalities. We are friends, we are family that’s what I like… I can’t tell you about the show, it’s a secret, but I can tell you that it’s a piece of art. I’m so happy to dance and to be a part of this project,” he said.

With Expo 2020 the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region and the largest event ever in the Arab world, the show is a huge moment of pride for the UAE, kickstarting 182 days of celebration in the year of the country’s Golden Jubilee.

Kate Randall said: “We are incredibly proud of our Emirati performers participating in the Opening Ceremony. For a lot of them this is the first time they will have had the opportunity to do something like this on the world stage.”

The Opening Ceremony will take spectators on an incredible journey across Expo’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, showcasing the deep-rooted values of the UAE and the vision and purpose of the Expo, while welcoming the mega-event’s 192 participating countries in spectacular fashion. Headline acts will be announced shortly.

From 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will welcome visitors from every corner of the globe to join the making of a new world, as it brings together the planet in one place to reimagine tomorrow.

With the purpose of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 will be the world’s most impactful global incubator for new ideas, catalysing an exchange of new perspectives and inspiring action to deliver real-life solutions to real-world challenges

Expo 2020 will be the biggest cultural gathering in the world, presenting a visually striking and emotionally inspiring 182 days, as more than 200 participants – including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses, and educational institutions, as well as millions of visitors – create the largest and most diverse World Expo ever.

Expo 2020’s subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability will inspire visitors to preserve and protect our planet, explore new frontiers and build a better future for everyone.

For six months, Expo 2020 will be a must-visit family destination, with thousands of events, amazing exploratory experiences, and free entry for children up to age 18.

Expo is committed to building a more equitable and just world for everyone, while keeping visitors safe by following the latest guidance of the world’s leading medical, science and health experts.