Opening ceremony rehearsal gets the thumbs up
The most important event of the 25th SEA Games, the opening ceremony, was put to the test yesterday in a dress rehearsal run by the opening and closing ceremony committee at the National Stadium in Vientiane .
Thousands of performers gathered at the stadium in a spectacular display witnessed by the Lao Party Central Committee and government leaders, who saw how the real ceremony would run on the big night.
Guests at the rehearsal included President Choummaly Sayasone, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh and other Party members.
There were also some local people who were interested to watch the rehearsal.
There was a collective cheer from the crowd when the sign bearer for Laos entered the stadium.
The ceremony featured traditional performances from all parts of the country and other displays to welcome spectators to the games.
Many onlookers said the performances were very good, and they were happily surprised that Lao people could perform in such an impressive way.
A feature was the sea of colour created by the mix of bright costumes, with performers dressed in the different traditional styles of each of the 11 countries in South East Asia competing in the games.
Other performances included a traditional dance with candlelight, which was a fitting representation of Lao lifestyle and culture.
Impressive acrobatics and sword displays also caught the attention of the audience.
There were a few minor glitches in the performance, however, which the opening and closing ceremony committee will work on before the real performance on December 9.
Souknilundon Southivongnorath
(Latest Update November 13 , 2009)
