December 3, 2009 By Atiyyah Khan
Gentleman, start your vuvuzelas. The stage is set as the Fifa Live Draw finally comes together tomorrow.
Fifa and the SABC have spent considerable energy constructing the stage at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, which has seen the shiny halls completely transformed.
The occasion is given a strong African focus through a combination of film, live music and dance. The line-up includes contemporary dance company JazzArt performing to three songs: Scatterlings of Africa, performed by Johnny Clegg, Miriam Makeba's Pata Pata, performed by The Soweto Gospel Choir and Agolo, by Angelique Kidjo.
Artistic director of JazzArt, Alfred Hinkel, is overseeing the choreography for these performances and has spent considerable time rehearsing in front of the cameras.
The event's finale will see dancers from JazzArt and Umoja perform the Domba snake dance.
Hinkel said the dance pieces will draw on African imagery and Khoi San choreography and include traditional jumping by the men of the Masai tribe.
The draw decides the groups in which the 32 teams will participate and the venues at which they will play in the World Cup.
After the 32 teams have been announced, a preview of a brief history of Fifa will follow and thereafter the draw will take place.
George Mazarakis is the producer of the event and the producer of Idols, Gavin Rattin, is on the creative team as the TV-director. They have an animator, from the Ministry of Illusions, who will design special graphics for the event. The music score was composed by JB Arthur.
South African-born actress Charlize Theron is set to co-host the draw with Fifa General Secretary Jerome Valcke.
Said Mazarakis: "We've ensured that the show honours our African identity and that it is authentic. We feel it is an opportunity to celebrate the draw, a celebration of the World Cup coming to Africa and of being South African. We aim to host the World Cup in an efficient and beautiful way."
Every angle of said beauty will be faithfully captured, as Fifa has invested in a Sony digital broadcast van, valued at R100 million, which will receive images from 18 cameras at the event and air the footage to the world. The speeches given by President Jacob Zuma and Fifa President Sepp Blatter will be watched by millions of people.
The event hosts a plethora of celebrities, sport stars, world leaders and dignitaries and promises to be a schmoozefest, with the likes of the Beckhams rubbing shoulders with political leaders.
Guests will be welcomed in flamboyant style at a red-carpet ceremony that will be decorated with 15 truckloads of proteas and fynbos. Cape minstrels and African drummers will provide music.
The 90-minute event has been in preparation for more than a year and required a staff of 3 254, including 1 587 security officials, 400 host city staff, 80 entertainers and 380 volunteers. The stage has three large screens attached to it and is 40m wide, 30m deep and 8m tall. It has taken 3 600 hours of manpower to set up the hall and 950m2 of timber to construct the African-inspired stage, which has structural architectural interpretations of the baobab on it.
So far, 27 of the 32 coaches have confirmed their attendance, including Brazil's Dunga Robinho, Portugal's Carlos Queiroz, England's Fabio Capello, Italy's Marcello Lippi and Spain's Vicente Del Bosque.
The draw takes place in conjunction with a free festival on Long Street that will provide local entertainment and stream a broadcast of events for the city's citizens.
The fest kicks off with live music from local and African acts at noon and about 15 000 people are expected to attend. The concert line-up includes Freshlyground, Jimmy Dludlu, Cassette, TKZee, K'Naan, Flat Stanley, Coda, Fancy Galada and Alistair Izobell.
source: http://tonight.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=346&fSetId=251&fArticleId=5271720
