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here where he would create and innovate all kind of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote the Opening
techniques. Over the years, they started to be deployed Ceremony was “designed as a three part-harmony
whether it was in concerts or in Salt Lake. Things celebrating the world’s youth, the South, and the 100th
started popping up for him. He was on the radar.” anniversary of the modern Games.”

In Barcelona, Minshall was part of a bigger team. Antoni The youthful verve was evident in the opening segment,
Miralda, a famed Spanish artist who created big Call To Nations, which featured performers dressed in
installations and large scale media events, admired bouncing, circular shapes like those of Minshall’s mas
Minshall’s work for a long time and used the opportunity band Callaloo. The colours red, green, blue, yellow, and
to outsource him for the Olympic production. For black representing those of the Olympic flag.
Barcelona, experiments and prototypes were done at
the Callaloo workshop in Chaguaramas and then Fast forward to the presentation of the flags by the US
shipped to Spain where the final costumes were armed forces and R&B legend Gladys Knight, with
eventually manufactured. Summertime: The Beauty of the South taking centrestage
at the 37-minute mark.
Don Mischer, producer for the Olympic opening and
closing ceremonies for Atlanta 1996, was keen on The piece opens with a quote from the author Zora Neale
Minshall after seeing his work in Barcelona. He selected Hurston on summertime to lay the concept of the
him for the Atlanta Games, which marked the characteristic Southern landscape, then former Carnival
Centennial anniversary of the Olympics. Queen Alyson Browne enters as the Spirit of the South,
with elaborate white wings and bele skirt as she dances
The Atlanta presentation carried more work as Minshall among blue butterflies.
was made not only the designer but co-artistic director
for both the opening and closing shows with Michael More than 60 puppets in the style of Tan Tan and Saga
Jackson choreographer Kenny Ortega. Boy puppets dance along a river of Southern culture as
ladies and gentlemen of the ball, square dancers, and jazz
“This was obviously bigger. It was a one off. We had to players. Suddenly, the massive Thunderbird enters and
wow the world,” Manwarren said. scatters everything before it.

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