Duality, Together: Milano-Cortina show at Beijing 2022 to highlight human-nature harmony

BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Milano-Cortina eight-minute show at the closing ceremony of Beijing 2022 on Sunday will unfold a harmonious coexistence between human and nature with a concept "Duality, Together," said Lida Castelli, artistic director of the show, in an interview with Xinhua.

"In 2026, two distinct cities, Milano and Cortina d'Ampezzo, will co-host Italy's third Winter Olympics, after Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 and Torino 2006. Milano is a futuristic city, while Cortina d'Ampezzo is a very beautiful place in mountains. The dialogue between the heart of these two places inspired us with the motto 'Duality, Together,' " Castelli explained.

"The harmony within two different visions creates a perfect balance," she added. "We are actually saying that we need to be gentle with our planet, because we really need to take care and find the balance between human and nature, conveying a message of sustainable development."

In fact, this is not the first time for Castelli and her fellow colleagues to direct shows on Olympic stages. As early as the closing ceremony of the Salt Lake City 2002, they were in charge of the Torino eight-minute show. "About twenty years have passed, we will once again bring the flag of Winter Olympics back to Italy," she said.

At Beijing 2008, Castelli was in the National Stadium, or the "Bird's Nest," to watch the opening ceremony. "There were many messages expressed through a lot of performances in 2008, while the opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 was more intimate, quiet, romantic and technological," she recalled.

Castelli was impressed with the LED screen in the "Bird's Nest," saying "The beautiful screen already embedded will also be used in our eight-minute show."

"Our team is collaborating with the organizers of Beijing 2022 very well and talked with the director Zhang Yimou some times. We can receive all the information that we need and exchange ideas with each other during our preparation over the past year and the rehearsals in the recent six months," Castelli noted.

At the closing ceremony of Tokyo 2020, Paris played a video in its eight-minute to welcome friends from the world to the 2024 Olympics.

"In the show of Milano-Cortina, we also prepared a video to show our places and concepts, and there will be Italian performers at the stadium as well, although very few," Castelli introduced. "The eight-minutes is an important moment for the entire world to come together and look into a better future. We aim to provide an interesting and high-quality show with the minimum indispensable."

"Less is more," she said. "But we have a quite known Italian singer, young and talented classical musicians, and skilled dancers in the show."

Whether it is "Together for A Shared Future" or "Duality, Together," both Beijing 2022 and Milano-Cortina 2026 advocate "Together," the newly-added concept in the Olympic motto.

"We didn't talk to each other in advance. It is a coincidence, meaning that this is the right concept for the world. We are all in this together," Castelli said. ■