Smitten with Sochi's Opening Ceremony

As we suspected, the 2014 Winter Olympics’ opening ceremony Friday night was nothing short of sensational. A flashy and mind-boggling revue spanning Russia’s rich history, it had all the ingredients necessary for a Broadway-sized spectacle—multiplied by a bajillion. Special effects? Check. Amazing sets? Check. Wacky costumes? Check. Far-out symbolism that was slightly over everyone’s heads? Check!

Missed it? Here’s a rundown of our five favorite moments (excluding the ever-trending snowflake-to-ring debacle):

1. Svetlana Zakharova. Need we say more? The Bolshoi star appeared during the section representing Russia’s Imperial age with a tribute to Tolstoy’s War and Peace.  Plot line? Didn’t matter—once Zakharova displayed some leg and foot action, the night was complete.

A heavenly pas de deux: Danila Korsuntsev and Svetlana Zakharova. (Photo Paul Gilham/Getty Images via ctpost.com)

2. Ivan Vasiliev. Also part of the War and Peace dance break, he broke the mold with this manège:

Swoon. (Gif via Vanity Fair)

3. The human-size hamster wheels plus all the dance and theatrics during the Age of Industrialization section.

Not sure what this contraption would make…but all the moving parts were super cool. (Photo by Grigory Dukor/Reuters, via nbcnews.com)

4. These light-up roller-skaters and sky-bound illuminations:

White unitards are rough—LEDs make them better. (Photo Ryan Pierse/Getty Images via nbcnews.com)

5. That moment when we thought it was over, but then Mariinsky star Diana Vishneva appeared and twirled to music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, MOMIX-style (the ceremony’s choreographer, Daniel Ezralow, was one of MOMIX’s original dancers and choreographers):

The whirling Vishneva. (Photo REUTERS/Brian Snyder via yahoo.com)

Bonus: Team USA’s promenade into Fisht Olympic Stadium. USA! USA! (PS: If anyone has an “in” at Ralph Lauren, I’d love a complimentary USA sweater. Thanks!)

USA! USA! USA! USA! (Photo via mashable.com)