Article written by Breanna Smith.
15th of April 2018. The Closing Ceremony of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. When asked, many people have a wide view of ideas of what made the Ceremony good and bad. And there were faults in it both major and minor, but many still enjoyed it. So what made people unsure of this Ceremony? Overall many people seem to celebrate the Games and the people of the Game in a strong way but it fell short in many people’s eyes. It was not bad but less than what they hoped for.
But first we must address the clearest issues. The lack of athletes both from Australia and around the world. While a few were briefly on stage dancing they were not in focus and the athletes did not enter the arena or the flag bearers for each countries, an honour for each that was overshadowed. Besides words in speeches which are quickly forgotten, the only sign of the international community besides the handing over of the flag to Birmingham, were the flags passing by in the background of the speeches not a good look for a proud international event broadcast internationally. Viewers understand that the ceremony is about performance not sport. But the night seems to have to been taken over by the main focus of the show being the speeches and singing all night long. The night may have been viewed better had the evening been broken up more like something seen with the Opening Ceremony.
People watching wanted to celebrate the Commonwealth Games and the athletes but instead we were given many singers performing many songs and while the individual performers were skillful, due to the large number of singers, with each performing one after another, the performance blended together leading to a negative overview of all the singers, however well each one performed. The audience simply got tired with it.
Now when comparing it to the Opening Ceremony we can see they had a simpler issue that we are able to work around.
While there were still small complains, such as Borobi not being in the ceremony, something which was addressed in the closing ceremony, one of the most common thought was that the Indigenous dancers took up much of the program. Personally, I disagree. I found it was one of the best parts of the performance, acknowledging what has been hidden for many years by many countries of the Commonwealth and brought it to the main spotlight. But there are a large number of people who, while they did not dislike it, they thought it took up to much of the show. And while this is able to be compared to the singing during the Closing, it was preferred due to fact it was divided with smaller acts in-between and the arrival of the athletes. It allowed for a better flow and more patience. We were able to watch and focus on something else before coming back in and turning to another performance.
Another part of the night that had many people talking was the handover to Birmingham. Now Birmingham is seen by many people inside Britain as dull. This is from people who grew up there and lived around England. So when introducing themselves Birmingham, or Brum as they are known by the locals, wanted to come out swinging. Which is great, but there are a few issues with that. Birmingham forgets that they are not known internationally. So when they introduce us via a fast pace video which kept errors in to make it light-hearted, it was fine but slightly confusing unless you had 100% of your attention on it. And after a long night not everyone was.
Coming back from that clip we have Lady Sanity, a Brum rapper, in with athletes around her and it is a great performance and exciting to see a different genre of song performance but sadly it is overshadowed by their next performer.
Amerah Saleh is a proud poet from Brum and is ready to fight arrogantly for how people see Brum and bring pride to it. A wonderful goal, but as people not from England we don’t see Birmingham that way we see it as a city in Britain and it may be a bit high-class going off the Mayor’s robes. Is this true? We don’t know but having a poet seeming to yell at us about great Brum, doesn’t seem to want us to learn more. It leads to Lady Sanity performances being overshadowed and a dislike of Birmingham in the eyes of many. And remember Australia is a country that has a stranded relationship with highbrow performance piece. Remember this is a country that during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony had Ballerinas from The Australian Ballet dressed in tutu’s to look like AFL team jerseys. Overall it may be known nationally and they fight that view of them but what they don’t see is it makes them seem angry.
We then see the live performance piece from Brum being broadcast to the world with the performance exploring different parts of the culture of Birmingham in what seemed to be a one take scene which always impresses me. It was bright colourful and made use of not just the performer of Birmingham but the spaces as well, Victoria Square, which some readers might remember in the title sequence from the British children’s show Brum, which was set in the city. It brings life into our knowledge of the town and gave hope for exciting event in a town that can’t wait.
When looking at the Closing Ceremony here is what I find ironic. When researching Brum’s part, I wondered how Australia did in the hand over. So when I stumbled across the Glasgow Games Closing Ceremony on YouTube I could see how we did. And I was surprised. Many of the issues with our Closing Ceremony were addressed in the 12 minute part. To narrow it down some of the complaints were that the flags of other nations were overlooked and the athletes as well, the ceremony didn’t focus on the Gold Coast or Queensland enough. Now the Aussie performer who performed in Glasgow was Jessica Mauboy who performed two songs. One called Sea of Flags. While performing, the flags are clearly seen behind the dancers - strong and proud. And athletes dancing are seen in many shots front and center. It is a big difference from a quick flag moving away in the background of the closing. They are proud to welcome all those at the Glasgow Games to come to Australia.
We see this continue after Jessica Mauboy, a schoolboy, Mick Fanning and a ranger from Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary showing the site of Queensland from Currumbin, the theme parks, beaches and beautiful rainforests. It focused on what we have to share and share’s it proudly. It showed what there was to love and shared it. And they didn’t back away from athletes, giving Sally Person a proud part, still in uniform from the Glasgow Games. They then show the glitz and glam of the Gold Coast before handing back over to Glasgow. It was what was asked for the ceremonies so when going for the large performance they wanted to do something different and not repeat. So they left out parts they had already addressed, and when coming to the Closing they wished for a bright send-off, of something trying to do different, which lead to some mixed reviews.
The thing is the Ceremony will be forgotten. Yes we remember Matilda but do you remember anything else from that Ceremony? Do you remember the tram with wings flying into the MCG in Melbourne or John Barrowman singing about different parts of Scotland and Scottish invention during the Glasgow Ceremony? These are all memorable things but have all been forgotten. Yes you can look them up on YouTube and I inquire you do as they are beautiful and jammed pack and lovingly created but they have been forgotten. And these are the Opening Ceremony. So was our closing ceremony the best there ever was? No. Should we be proud of what it was? An attempt to show to our children, and showcase what they can do? Through dance, and poetry, sharing their skills and announcing. In Ceremonies' past these jobs go to adults who have trained to be the best in their jobs and here it went to the children. And the youth of Brum waiting for it to come to there. I think this ceremony will be the best and the best remembered not by those who watched it but those who were in it. It is a performance that will stay with them and lead them onto other events on their lives and I think what the people who performed in the event do with this experience will be the way it is remembered.
To see Birmingham handover search “Go the Distance #Brum” on YouTube
The Gold Coast handover is also able to be seen on YouTube.
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