Paris gets into the groove for historic Olympic opening ceremony, adapted to its iconic cityscape

SAINT-DENIS, France — The Paris Olympics are getting into the groove for the historic opening ceremony on the River Seine. Dancers who’ll jazz up the July 26 show under the artistic direction of prize-winning French theater director Thomas Jolly are putting finishing touches on a high-octane performance that will combine urban, contemporary, classic, and break dancing, complete with stomps, shouts, and body rolls. She spoke with pride of the rich cultural mix of her melting-pot troupe, declaring: “It represents the part of France I love.” “We’re in France but we’re talking to the whole world,” she said, “which means we have different identities, bodies, ages.” The grandiose open-air ceremony will be held during sunset and is expected to last nearly four hours, transforming the heart of Paris and its iconic landmarks into a giant stage for Jolly’s artistic talents but also requiring a massive security effort. Detailing how he’s had to revisit some of his ideas to fit the urban environment, Jolly said he’d imagined having a giant ballet with 200 dancers on one of the bridges that span the Seine but, after a study was done, “we were told that everyone doing the same step at the same time would endanger the bridge’s solidity.” He also said: “I wanted to build an upside-down Eiffel Tower. Dancer Sharlyne Say, 22, described the prospect of performing on a global stage as a “dream come true.” “It will be crazy,” she added, “because I’m not used to dancing outside.” ___ Leicester reported from Paris.