Rehearsals for a street dance performance, the first show of the opening ceremony of the 12th World Games in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, are underway as the games approach.
The opening ceremony will take place on August 7. To optimize the entire ceremony process, the directing team has conducted multiple rehearsals since July 7.
"The first show is called 'A Colorful Appointment.' In the past, the first show of the opening ceremony for large international comprehensive sports events, such as this one, typically featured a grand artistic performance. However, this time our directing team has made a groundbreaking innovation by programming street dance as the opening performance for the entire ceremony. We have over 600 performers presenting the program live on stage," said Zhang Qing, deputy chief director of the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony will last for 90 minutes, including a 15-minute artistic performance. The directing team said the reason for choosing street dance as the opening show is not only to showcase the vitality and international style of Chengdu, but also to align with this year's theme of "Boundless Sports, Countless Wonders." On the opening day, the performers' costumes and props, combined with the on-site lighting and music, will bring the audience an unexpected audio-visual shock.
"This music will give people a positive and uplifting feeling when they hear it. It shows our strengths and the enthusiasm we have as college students," said Li Yan, a performer of the opening ceremony.
The 2025 World Games will be held from August 7 to 17, featuring 34 sports and 60 disciplines.
Street dance rehearsals underway to open 12th World Games in Chengdu
