Olympic opening ceremony to have countryside theme

Olympic Stadium Countryside Danny Boyle Opening Ceremony
Above: Artistic director, Danny Boyle, has been astounded by the dedication of the Opening Ceremony's 10,000 volunteers

London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony is set to excite with a countryside theme including pretty picnics, rippling rivers, mesmerising meadows and real animals…

Olympic Stadium Countryside Danny Boyle Opening Ceremony
Above: Artistic Director Danny Boyle and volunteers reveal the opening set for the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony

The Olympic stadium will be transformed into a rural wonder on 27 July, with a cast of 10,000 volunteers creating the scenes envisioned by Oscar-winning film director and 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Artistic Director, Danny Boyle.

Titled ‘Isles of Wonder’, the ceremony will open with the ringing of the largest harmonically-tuned bell in the world. The bell, which weighs 27-tonnes, was cast at London’s Whitechapel Foundry and is inscribed with a quote from The Tempest – “Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises”.

Each of the four nations will be represented by their national flower – the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and flax from Northern Ireland. “The Ceremony is an attempt to capture a picture of ourselves as a nation, where we have come from and where we want to be. The best part of telling that story has been working with our 10,000 volunteers. I’ve been astounded by the selfless dedication of the volunteers, they are the purest embodiment of the Olympic spirit and represent the best of who we are as a nation,” said Boyle.

Their efforts will be rewarded – an estimated worldwide audience of one billion expected to watch the event and  delight in farmyard traditions that form the backbone of Britain’s history, from farmers tentatively tilling the soil to young sportsmen playing bowls on the village green. A troop of the nation’s favourite animals will be paraded during the celebrations too, including 30 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens, 10 ducks, nine geese, three cows, three sheepdogs and two goats.

With the biggest show on Earth ahead of us, Britain is certainly set to be an exciting place over the coming weeks and months!

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