Olympic Opening Ceremony Recap (aka Where Has All The Dancing Gone?)

I love the Olympics, but the one thing I look forward to above all else? The opening ceremonies! This year was no different. I was pumped on Friday night and all prepared to write a blog about the dance-iest moments of the show. But then, no dancing… for almost an hour! Yes, the Abraham Lincoln look-alikes did some fun hand motions and the kids jumping on the bed were very precious (and surprisingly un-fazed by the 100-foot-tall Voldemort), but it wasn’t until the “Frankie and June Say Thanks Tim” section that the dancers really got to show their chops… kind of.

I was a little confused by the story (how did they have Facebook and smart phones in the 60s?), but by the time they got to the 70s, I was having a good time. Then, it got even better with the awesome, 80s-tastic neon costumes. The choreography by Kenrick “H2O” Sandy wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, but it got the job done—representing each era—and I can’t imagine how hard it would be to choreograph that many people! The best part? Jasmine Breinburg, 18, the formerly unknown dancer who played June couldn’t have asked for a better big break—billions of people will now recognize her face.

Overall, this opening ceremony didn’t really compare to the Beijing games in terms of dance-iness. But, I did learn a lot more about British history. And nothing beats seeing the Queen leaving her corgis behind to skydive with James Bond. Only in England…