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

By THOMAS ADAMSON and JOHN LEICESTER
Associated Press

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — 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. It will combine urban, contemporary, classic, and break dancing, complete with stomps, shouts, and body rolls. The Associated Press got a behind-the-scenes look of one of the rehearsals for the opening show, which is largely shrouded in secrecy. Dance director Maud Le Pladec instructed around 50 dancers on their twists and turns at a warehouse in the northern Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis. She said the rich cultural mix of her melting-pot troupe “represents the part of France I love.”