The final act of the Paralympics in Paris can be a large dance party.
That’s a promise from Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the opening and shutting ceremonies for this 12 months’s Olympics and Paralympics.
Jolly says 24 DJs will perform thumping techno and dance music on the Stade de France on Sunday because the curtain falls on the 2024 Paralympics.
“We need to turn the Stade de France into the most important dance floor to rejoice the top of the Paralympics,” Jolly told The Associated Press in an interview.
Much like in the course of the Paralympic opening ceremony, which featured artists with disabilities and dancers using crutches or wheelchairs, the dance floor can be open for all.
“There can be choreographic sequences that can showcase the body,” Jolly said.
The closing ceremony marks the top of Paris’ Olympic and Paralympic journey. For Jolly, a 42-year-old theater director, it’s the ultimate chapter of a busy summer.
Jolly directed the July 26 opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics on the Seine River, which was widely praised but additionally met some criticism.
Some viewers thought a scene featuring French singer Philippe Katrine disguised as Bacchus, the deity of wine and celebration in the traditional Roman mythology, was an outline of “The Last Supper,” a famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci that represents Jesus Christ’s last meal together with his apostles. Critics considered that a mockery of the Catholic Church. Paris 2024 organizers said they were “sorry” if people took offense.
Though Jolly said his intention was to not mock religion, he and his family faced harassment on social media, including death threats and attacks based on his sexual orientation and wrongly assumed Israeli roots, prompting French authorities to open a hate speech investigation.
“I’ve been doing shows for 20 years, and I’ve had critics on all my theatrical productions,” Jolly said. “Criticism can please, it might probably hurt. That’s the job. But the attacks, the threats, the insults … that’s a distinct matter.”
Jolly, who received support from French political leaders including President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, said the controversy didn’t result in any changes to the ceremonies that followed.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “Nothing was modified, and nothing must have been modified.”
He noted that each one scenes were approved months upfront by the French government, the town of Paris and the International Olympic Committee.
A native of Rouen, Jolly moved to Paris to organize for the Games, dedicating two and a half years to creating the ceremonies. Much of the preparation for the previous ceremonies took place at night or in distant locations, in an effort to keep up a level of secrecy.
Preparations for Sunday’s closing ceremony aren’t any different. With the Stade de France hosting Paralympic athletics competitions in the course of the day, most of the rehearsals happen at night.
“I fully dedicated myself to the job,” Jolly said. “I didn’t rejoice anything yet, I didn’t party, I didn’t even had time to rewatch the ceremonies on TV.”
Jolly said he’s considering writing a book about his Olympic experience before returning to his roots in theater.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have an audience like that (of the Olympic opening ceremony) again in my life,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter. There are also necessary things that may occur in a 50-seat theater.”
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AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games
