In 50 days, Paris and France will create history by hosting their first ever summer Paralympic Games. An ambitious Paris 2024 is reinventing the Opening Ceremony by taking it out of the stadium and placing it at the heart of the city. On 28 August 2024, the bottom of the Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde will be the setting for an unprecedented celebration of the Paralympic Movement. This will be the stage where internationally renowned choreographer Alexander Ekman, will direct the staging and choreography of the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Choreographer Alexander Ekman
All rights reserved Carl Thorborg
Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the ceremonies, has brought in the Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman to shake up the traditions of Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. On 28 August, thousands of Para athletes from 180 international delegations will parade down the legendary Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde, where they will be joined by hundreds of artists. Inspired by the extraordinary scale of the 4,500m² Place de la Concorde stage, Alexander Ekman has chosen to place dance at the heart of the show. More than 150 dancers, including many professional dancers with disabilities, will bring to life the Opening Ceremony with inventive, musical, and humorous choreography.
Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Games, said: "With Alexander Ekman, the fantastic ceremonies team around Thomas Jolly is complete! Today, we are delighted to announce this collaboration with Alexander, who will bring all his talent and knowledge of Paris to the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. We wanted this ceremony to be innovative, spectacular and truly magical, in keeping with this historic event: the first summer Paralympic Games in France. For the first time, it won't be taking place in a stadium, but in the heart of the city, between the bottom of the most beautiful avenue in the world - the Champs-Elysées - and the majestic Place de la Concorde. With Alexander Ekman and the whole team, Paris will enter the Paralympic Games in the best possible way, for eleven days of competition, celebration and emotion. We can't wait!"
For the past two years, Alexander Ekman has been working with Victor le Masne, Composer and Music Director of the Ceremonies, and Daphné Bürki, Director of Styling and Costumes for the Ceremonies to create this exceptional show. An artist of great curiosity, Alexander spent a long time with Paralympic athletes in his preliminary research work. Inspired by the athletes' sporting endeavours, this show highlights the place of sport, and in particular the Paralympic Games, as a solution for creating a more inclusive society.
All rights reserved Carl Thorborg
Alexander Ekman added: "Our goal is to create a Paralympic ceremony that is a celebration with a mix of important messages, featuring the art of choreographic dance and the music newly composed by Victor Le Masne and inspired by sport. It is a real honour to be part of the Paris 2024 artistic team! I can't wait to share with the world the work that my team and I have created."
Thomas Jolly, Director of Ceremonies for Paris 2024, said: "There is 15 per cent of the French population that has a disability. Paradoxically, Paralympic athletes are often portrayed as heroes before many return to a daily life that can be full of barriers. The Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games is a unique opportunity to raise the profile of these battles, which affect the whole of society. To both celebrate the Paralympic athletes and act as spokesperson for them, I wanted this ceremony to be both festive and political. That's why I asked choreographer Alexander Ekman, known for his spectacular universe that transcends the limits of the body, to take charge of the staging and choreography of this show. Together we aim to transcend limits and make them coincide with a more equal and inclusive world.”
Thomas Jolly's artistic team for the ceremonies includes Victor le Masne, Musical Director for the ceremonies, Maud Le Pladec, Director of Dance for the ceremonies and choreographer of the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, and Daphné Bürki, Director of Styling and Costumes for the Paris 2024 ceremonies.
Paris 2024
Photos by Paris 2024
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