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VANOC recruits pan-Canadian creative team for Canadian showcase and flag hand-over in Torino 2006 Closing Ceremony
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Vancouver - The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) announced today that it has recruited talent from across Canada to join its ceremonies staff in creating and producing Vancouver 2010's participation in the Closing Ceremony of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, to be held on February 26, 2006 at Stadio Olimpico in Torino, Italy.
"Our participation in the Torino Closing Ceremonies is an extraordinary opportunity to showcase Canada to the world," said VANOC CEO, John Furlong. "Though we are a very small part of the Torino 2006 Organizing Committee's much bigger show, they've given us an unprecedented window to showcase talent from across our country before an international stage."
VANOC's participation in the Closing Ceremony includes the traditional Olympic Flag handover and an eight minute entertainment segment. VANOC will use that opportunity to start to tell the story of Canada's Games in 2010 by featuring a combination of broad-based Canadian talent and uniquely Canadian themes that reflect the country from coast to coast to coast. The Torino Closing Ceremony is expected to have a live audience of 33,000 and an estimated television viewing audience of more than 500 million worldwide.
Burke Taylor, vice president of culture and ceremonies for VANOC, is executive producer of the VANOC segment of the Closing Ceremony, joined by VANOC's Marti Kulich as producer. Taylor and Kulich assembled an impressive team from across Canada - from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island - to create the concept for its segment in the Torino Closing Ceremony. Their creative team includes:
Robert Lepage, renowned playwright and director from Quebec
Jacques Lemay of Victoria, Artistic Director of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony
Lyn Heward of Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil
Jillian Keilley, director, from St. John's, Newfoundland
Sal Ferreras, Vancouver-based musician and composer
Alan Clark, former head of Olympic properties for CBC
"Each of these talented individuals contributed key creative content that we've shaped into a very Canadian invitation to the world," said Kulich.
VANOC has engaged award-winning Canadian choreographer and director Mark Godden to direct its segment of the Closing Ceremony. Godden most recently created two highly acclaimed works for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, "Dracula" and "The Magic Flute." "I am thrilled to be directing and choreographing this piece for the 2006 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony and I am honoured to have the opportunity to create a vision of Canada for the 2010 Games Organizing Committee that we can share with the world," said Godden.
"The Torino 2006 Organizing Committee and K2006, the producers of the Torino Opening and Closing Ceremonies, have given us a generous welcome and all of the support we could hope for. We are truly fortunate to find ourselves working with such an outstanding ceremonies team," said Taylor.
Information on VANOC's participation at the Torino 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, including further details on its segment of the Closing Ceremony will be released closer to the Torino Games. Certain elements of the performance will be kept in confidence until the Closing Ceremony. The Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games will be held from February 10 to 26, 2006.
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.
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