Opening show of Plovdiv European Capital of Culture 2019 themed ‘We are all colours’
“We Are All Colours” is the theme of the opening show of Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019, to be held in the heart of Bulgaria’s second city on January 12.
The show will start at 7pm, but organisers said that the public should get to the venue a few hours early and use public transport to avoid traffic.
The artistic director of the show is Sven Sören Beyer, who founded the Phase7 project in Berlin in 1999, and whose goal is to provide viewers with an unforgettable experience.
“At first I was a tourist in Plovdiv. But after so much time spent here, I’m partly a Plovdiv citizen,” Beyer said, according to a statement by the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.
The basis of the program is a stunning 30-metre tower providing 360 degree viewing, the statement said.
The stage has six levels, but five of them will be used because of security measures. It weighs 200 tons with the participants. Its parameters are consistent with all safety requirements and agreed with the relevant authorities. It is extended with two podiums with a length of 100 metres, which are three metres high and four metres wide.
Three hundred and sixty-degree screens will be on the stage and supplemented by podium media.
The tower has the capacity to hold 1500 participants at the same time and to give all viewers a good view of the spectacle.
This complex construction is unique and is specially prepared for the opening of Plovdiv – European Capital of Culture 2019.
Sixty thousand people are expected to attend the opening.
The opening performance is to be in several segments and combines traditional Bulgarian performances and modern modern technologies.
The show will start with renowned Bulgarian kaval player Theodosii Spassov, who has written a new work specifically for the opening performance.
More than 200 kukeri (mummers who chase off evil spirits) from across the region will be in attendance, the statement said.
Other performers include the Trakiya Ensemble, which will have an unusual role: “Its members are entrusted with a new contemporary dance choreography,” the statement said.
Director Hristo Namliev is preparing a segment in which 200 choristers from choirs in the city will be conducted by Dian Chobanov. They will be accompanied by 20 pipers.
A performance by Valia Balkanska and piper Petar Yanev, and a fireworks display, will close the show.
German DJ Schiller will kick off his European tour in Plovdiv with a live set after the show, the statement said.
