The theme of the program was "Passion Lives Here," and the 4000m2 stage was shaped like an anatomic
heart with a
mosh pit in the centre where the athletes congregated for the second half of the ceremonies. The athletes were thus put in the centre of action and in front of the stage, emphasizing that the heart of each athlete was the focus of the Games. There were sentiments of self-conceit amongst TOROC for not including a tribute section during the Opening Ceremonies honoring the Past Host Cities of the previous installments of the Olympic Winter Games that was the very first part of the
XIX Olympic Winter Games that had been held in Salt Lake City, USA on 8 February 2002. The ceremony was conducted in
French and
English, the two official languages of the
International Olympic Committee, and
Italian, the language of the host country. The program was executed by 6,100 volunteers and 240 professionals after 15,000 man days of work.
Rhythm of Passion Sparks of Passion • Artistic, 1m countdown plus 4m 20s • 776 performers • Direction: Gabriele Vacis • Assistant direction: Roberto Tarasco • Choreography: Giuseppe Arena • Moshpit choreography: Doug Jack • Pyrotechnical effects: Christophe Berthonneau • Segment coordinator: Annalisa Barbieri • Helmet-donning skaters costume design:
Lino Dainese • Sparks special effects: Vittorio Comi • Helmet-donning skaters choreography: Giuseppe Arena • Helmet-donning skaters: Fabio Cassinelli, Simone Giaccaglia, Luca Imperio, Elia Locagliano, Simone Martino, Daniele Pin • Original Music: Composed arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze in collaboration with Stefano Nanni The Opening Ceremonies began with a traditional
countdown by the spectators. Italian gymnast
Jury Chechi as a
shaman striking an
anvil with a hammer opened the first scene of the program representing the industrial past of the
Piedmont region. Each strike spewed up a fountain of flames and were responded to with flames over three metres high, lit from 52 nozzles lined up around the piazza. A group of
inline skaters in red unitards soon entered and executed their choreograph and formations. With the fire, costume and flood light, the stage was soon turned into a sea of red. In the mosh pit, performers executed synchronised swimming moves to the pulsing rhythm. It was said that the choreographer was inspired by
synchronised swimming when he saw the event for the first time during the
2004 Summer Olympics in
Athens. The skaters then gyrated to the pulsing rhythm forming a familiar heart shape pumping to the beat. The formation was soon shattered when a lone skater symbolising a spark of passion shot through the beating heart. Six helmet-donning skaters then entered with two-foot flames flared from the back of their helmets and crisscrossed the stage.
Greetings from the Alps Mountain Folk • Artistic, 4m 30s • 829 performers • Direction: Gabriele Vacis • Moshpit choreography: Doug Jack • Segment coordinator: Annalisa Barbieri • Music:
Occitane Anthem "
Se Chanta" performed by L'Ange Gardien Chorus;
Ouverture "
Gazza Ladra" by
Rossini, arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze in collaboration with Stefano Nanni Following the exit of the flaming skaters, the sounding of seven
alphorns to the notes of the
Occitan Hymn signaled the beginning of the next segment that paid tribute to the
Alps and the seven Alpine countries:
Italy,
France,
Switzerland,
Liechtenstein,
Austria,
Germany and
Slovenia. Artificial snow and life-size pine tree shapes set the mood for this segment as the stage was transformed from red to white. It had been 14 years since the Winter Olympic Games were last held in the Alps, in
1992 in Albertville, France. The 13 million people living in the mountainous region were represented by dancers waltzing in their national costumes. Life-size cow effigies were pulled in and paraded around the stage representing the significance of the
dairy farming industry in the Alpine region. Three waltzing couples in cow suits soon entered the scene, while cow bells were heard ringing from the crowd. After the stage was cleared, 50 performers in white
unitards entered with very large white balloons on their heads symbolising the arrival of the snowflakes. A change of music signalled the exit of the snowflakes and in the
mosh pit performers formed a snowflake which was lit up by flashlights as the segment came to a close.
Italy Italian flag Entry of the authorities Italian anthem • Direction: Gabriele Vacis • Artistic direction and costume design:
Giorgio Armani • Protocol coordinator: Sigrid Guillion Mangilli • Protocol segment coordinator: Pamela Allvin • Segment coordinator: Annalisi Barbieri • Coordinator: CONI - Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano •
Carabineers' Guard of Honour • Music: "
Amarcord", by Nino Rota;
Italian Anthem, composed by
Goffredo Mameli and Michele Novaro, arranged by Michele Centonze This section paid tribute to the
Italian flag, whose entrance was led by 26 Olympic medalists in white suits and gowns marching in two files. Following the athletes was model, singer and future French first lady
Carla Bruni carrying a folded Italian flag. Bruni wore a sparkling gown by
Giorgio Armani, inspired by crystal and ice. The stage was flooded in the Italian colours red, white, and green by the coloured spotlights at the top of the stadium as the entrance of the President of the
International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge and the President of Italy
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi was announced. Sustained drumbeats set a mood as three
Carabinieri officers entered and retrieved the flag from Bruni and brought it to the flag pole. The flag was raised to the solo rendition of the Italian national anthem after a short pastoral orchestra introduction (as opposed to the usual marching introduction). "
Il Canto degli Italiani" was performed by nine-year-old Eleonora Benetti wearing the
Italian tricolour. Her verse ended as the choir, conducted by Roberto Bertaina, joined in for the much more rapid
refrain.
Torino Olympic City XX Olympic Winter Games The Great Skier • Artistic, 6m 10s • 467 performers • Direction & Choreography Concept: Doug Jack • Choreography: Bryn Walters, Nikis Lagousakos, Claire Terri • Segment coordinator: Annalisa Barbieri • Original music: composed arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze in collaboration with Stefano Nanni 467 performers, each wearing one of the 5 Olympic colours, created a ski jumper formation, after the playing of the Italian national anthem. The choreography showed an animated ski jumper gliding down the take-off slope, flying through the night air and eventually landing safely in perfect form on the ground. Puffs of air could be seen as the jumper prepared his jump. Performers carrying a blue banner then entered to show the skier gliding down the slope. In flight the figure was lit up by headlamp flashlights in a formation of a ski jumper in peak flight. The ski jumper eventually made a graceful landing on the ground as performers released confetti (to represent a snowplow stop) and cheered as the segment came to a close.
Olympic Spirit Citius, altius, fortius • Artistic, 6m 10s • 149 performers • Direction and choreography: Giulia Staccioli (Kataklò) • Technical director: Richard Hartman • Production director: Simone Masserini • Segment coordinator: Vichi Lombardo • Kataklò technical Coordinator: Andrea Zorzi • Ground choreography: Bryn Walters • Performer athletes: Maria Agatiello, Davide Agostini, Sara Bonarti, Ilaria Cinzia Cavagna, Mauro Maurizio Colucci, Valentina Marino, Giulia Piolanti, Stefano Pribaz, Davide Rabaioli, Marco Zanotti, Gabriele Zappa • Original music: composed, arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze, in collaboration with Stefano Nanni The Sparks of Passion reentered the stadium in this segment where the largest and tallest Olympic Rings for the Opening Ceremonies would be created. Acrobats could be seen maneuvering on three ring shaped frames floating up and down along four lattice columns on the opposite end of the stadium to the stage and the mosh pit. Dancers in red unitards below gyrated to pulsing beats as the theme of passion returned for this segment of the program. While the acrobats descended to the ground, two additional ring shaped frames were raised. The five circular frames were flipped vertically revealing the five Olympic Rings shimmering in light. The rings were then illuminated in the Olympic colours and the structure was lit up in fireworks. The black ring in the centre of the symbol was substituted with white since it is impossible to produce
black light.
Heroes of Our Time - Parade of Nations • Protocol, 53m • Director & Choreography:
Doug Jack • Placard bearers' costumes:
Moschino (Rossella Jardini, Joan Tann) • Music:
Medley of
disco music The national teams then entered underneath the five-ring structure in the traditional Parade of Nations. As with all Olympic games, the first team to emerge was Greece, since it was the birthplace of the games, and the host nation Italy entered last. The rest of the nations entered following the alphabetical order according to the spelling of the country in Italian, the language of the host country, as is tradition. The names of the nations were announced first in Italian, then in English and followed by French.
North Korea and
South Korea marched together under the
Unification Flag for the first time in the Winter Olympic Games; this would not happen again (either Summer or Winter) until the
2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. Altogether, 80
National Olympic Committees participated in the Games, an increase from 77 in the previous Winter Games. The
Moschino designed the clothes of the women bearing the placards with team names in Italian for the athletes' parade. The dresses were shaped as snowy mountain tops, complete with pine trees and small houses lit up by embedded lights.
Miss Italia 2005,
Edelfa Chiara Masciotta, was carrying the placard for team Italy who wore a special dress designed to pay tribute to Turin. When assembled on stage the ladies represented the Italian Alps' beauty, strength, and poise. The march of the Olympic teams was accompanied by a selection of 1970s and 1980s American and European
disco music, including "
Video Killed the Radio Star" by
The Buggles, "
Y.M.C.A." by the
Village People, "
I Will Survive" by
Gloria Gaynor, "
Daddy Cool" by
Boney M, and songs by the
Doobie Brothers and
Eurythmics, among others. The following table lists the countries and territories in the order of their entrance. It is worth noting that not all the athletes participated in the opening ceremonies, as some may have chosen to prepare themselves for the first events that were scheduled the very next morning. Other National Olympic Committees may have prevented some athletes from participating in the parade. For example, most men's ice hockey teams would not arrive in Turin until the following week since most of the players are involved with the
NHL. On the other hand, the parade included officials, judges, coaches and other team staff. • The 2006 games were the first winter games in which these countries have participated. • Yang Yang (A) was China's first female flag bearer for the Olympics. • These flag bearers are also citizens of Canada. • This young
snowboarder replaced her older colleague
Jagna Marczulajtis who was sick.
From Renaissance to Baroque • Artistic, 16m • 515 performers • Direction and choreography:
Monica Maimone • Artistic direction:
Valerio Festi • Costumes: Gabriella Pescucci • Segment coordinator: Nicola Tamburrano • Producer: Alessandra Rossetti • Set design: Roberto Rebaudengo • Drammaturgy: Paolo Dalla Sega • Flag wavers' coordinator: Stefano Mosele • Flag wavers and musicians: F.I.SB. – Federazione Italiana Sbandieratori • Original music: composed, arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze, in collaboration with Stefano Nanni After a short homage to
Dante and the
Divine Comedy, there were
Renaissance and
Baroque displays, with an homage to
Arcimboldo. One scene was based on the
Botticelli painting
The Birth of Venus. The role of Venus was played by Czech supermodel
Eva Herzigová, emerging from a shell like in the painting. Dance played a major part in the ceremony, as well as displays of flag waving and
baroque bands. Sportscaster
Bob Costas called it a celebration of the emergence from the dark days of the Middle Ages, embracing the intellectual pursuits of art, literature and music.
From Futurism to Future • Artistic, 9m 30s • 205 performers and 24
bambolari • Direction: Enzo Cosimi • Futurist hero:
Roberto Bolle • Costumes and props: Daniela Dal Cin • Segment coordinator: Nicola Tamburrano • Set machine realization: Raoul Rossigni • Music: composed and arranged by Ritchie Hawtin ("Substance Abuse" from the F.U.S.E. disc
Dimension Intrusion) The segment started with a modern
ballet performance which led from a replica of
Umberto Boccioni's sculpture "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" to a celebration of
Futurism.
Roberto Bolle performed as lead in the dance part. He represented the
futuristic hero, dancing with other
mechanical dancers to show modernity, technology, and speed. The second part was performed by
kung-fu athletes representing futuristic soldiers, while in the final section a group of bodybuilders pushed 6 motorbikes in the center of the stadium, thus emphasizing the role played by speed and technology in
Futurism.
Pit Stop • Artistic, about 4m • Driver:
Luca Badoer • Note: this segment was kept secret before the Ceremony and is not reported in the official programme Italian driver
Luca Badoer drove the 2005
Ferrari F2005 car bearing only the Olympic Rings,
Torino 2006 name and Italian
tricolore to the centre of the stadium, performing '
donuts' and revving the V10 engine for a few minutes.
Words and Symbols Address by the President of the Organising Committee Address by the President of the International Olympic Committee President of the Italian Republic: Opening of the Games Olympic Anthem Entry of the Olympic Flag Olympic Oath • Protocol, 20m • 264 performers • Choreography: Doug Jack • Olympic flag coordinator: Nicoletta Mantovani • Protocolcoordinator: Sigrid Guillion Mangilli • Protocol segment Coordinator: Pamela Allvin After the Parade of Nations had concluded and the athletes were gathered in the center of the stadium, two short speeches in Italian, French and English were delivered. The first speech came from
Valentino Castellani, the chief organizer of the Torino 2006 Olympic Games. He declared the industrial city "the world capital of sports" during the Olympics. Valentino Castellani was followed by
International Olympic Committee President
Jacques Rogge, who told the Olympic athletes, "Your achievements will inspire and motivate
future generations," before adding, "Please compete cleanly, without using doping." Rogge also hoped for peace during his short speech. "Our world today is in need of peace and brotherhood, the values of the Olympic Games," he said. "May these Games be held in peace in the true spirit of the Olympic Truce." Rogge then introduced
Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who declared the games officially open. Following the trend set from the selection of eight personalities representing the five continents and the three pillars of Olympism at the
Salt Lake City Olympics Opening Ceremony, the flag was brought this time into the stadium by eight women: •
Sophia Loren, Italian born actress who was the patroness of the Ceremonies; •
Isabel Allende, Chilean novelist; •
Nawal El Moutawakel, member of the IOC from Morocco, the first Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal; •
Susan Sarandon, American actress and activist; •
Wangari Maathai, Nobel laureate and the founder of the Kenyan Green Belt Movement; •
Manuela Di Centa, Italian seven-time Nordic skiing gold medalist; She would later bestow the 50 km (Cross Country) Freestyle Gold Medal to her brother
Giorgio Di Centa during the Closing Ceremony. •
Maria de Lurdes Mutola, gold medalist from Mozambique; •
Somaly Mam, Cambodian human rights activist. Their walk with the flag was accompanied by Giuseppe Verdi's "Triumphant March," from Aida. The
Olympic flag was then handed over to eight members of the
Alpini, an Italian infantry unit, who raised the flag while the
Olympic Hymn was played. Italian skier
Giorgio Rocca recited the
Olympic Oath on behalf of all the athletes from the podium followed by
Fabio Bianchetti from the
International Skating Union reading the oath on behalf of all judges. There had been a
major judging controversy in the figure skating event at the
previous Winter Games.
Peace The Dove A Song of Peace • Protocol, 6m • 40 performers • Direction and choreography: Ivan Manzoni • Segment coordinator: Vichi Lombardo • Original music: composed, arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze, in collaboration with Stefano Nanni Twenty-eight
acrobats climbed on a net set up on the main stage and executed their choreographed manoeuvres, spinning and flipping to the music. At the end of the routine they all came together and formed the shape of a
dove, the
symbol of peace, to a roaring cheer from the crowd.
Yoko Ono, dressed in white like many of the people in the ceremony (the spectators were provided with, and most wore, a white poncho, symbolizing the snow which makes the Winter Olympics possible), then entered and read a free verse poem from a prepared script calling for peace in the world. She called for "taking action" to spread peace. Ono's poem served as an introduction to a rendition of her late husband
John Lennon's
Imagine by
Peter Gabriel.
Light the Passion Arrival of the Flame Lighting of the Cauldron The Olympic System • Protocol, 6m 20s • Choreography: Doug Jack • Cauldron and torch design:
Pininfarina • Original music: "Olimpia", composed, arranged and orchestrated by Michele Centonze The
Olympic Torch entered the stadium in the hand of
alpine ski racer Alberto Tomba, who then passed the flame to the hands of the
1994 men's Italian
cross-country skiing relay team (
Marco Albarello,
Giorgio Vanzetta,
Maurilio De Zolt, and
Silvio Fauner). The flame was then passed to
Piero Gros, then
Deborah Compagnoni before the
Olympic Flame was lit by former Italian cross-country skier
Stefania Belmondo. Belmondo paused to show the torch to the cheering crowd one last time before placing it on the arched lighting apparatus. The flame initiated a series of fireworks before lighting the top of the 57-meter high Olympic Flame, the highest in the history of the
Olympic Winter Games. The cauldron lighting was also the first in recent memory to be lit indirectly, that is, the flame did not directly touch or travel to (such as the arrow lighting at the
1992 Summer Olympics in
Barcelona) the cauldron itself. The precise timing of the pyrotechnics was obviously computer timed from the precise moment the flame touched the center frame in the center of the stadium. Because of the elaborate fireworks, it is highly unlikely the flame travelled to all the charges directly. However, it is possible that the cauldron was lit from a backup flame inside, or that an electronic signal from Belmondo's apparatus to the cauldron served as the "flame" (much like the
1976 Summer Olympics where a satellite signal carried the "flame" from Greece to Canada, though not at the opening ceremony).
Fortissimo singing
Nessun dorma, on his last public performance before his death
Allegro with Fire • Artistic, 7min • Direction: Marco Balich • Chandelier design: Jacopo Foggini • Pyrotechnical effects: Christophe Berthonneau • Segment coordinator: Vichi Lombardo After the largest
curtain yet to be built revealed him on the
stage, Italian
tenor Luciano Pavarotti, wearing a black cape embroidered with silver Olympic rings, ended the ceremony by singing
Giacomo Puccini's well-known aria
Nessun Dorma from the opera
Turandot, which ends with the victorious line "At dawn, I shall win!" Pavarotti's performance caused NBC Olympic commentator
Brian Williams to proclaim "And the master brings the house down." The tenor's performance received the longest and loudest ovation of the opening ceremony from the international crowd. This would prove to be Pavarotti's final public performance of his signature aria. ==Security measures==