James Hadley to stage closing ceremony of Baku 2015

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Baku 2015 European Games announced James Hadley as an artistic director of the Closing Ceremony.

Hadley has over 25 years of experience in professional theatre, circus arts, and directing large-scale events. He was Cirque du Soleil's Senior Artistic Director for their North American shows including Mystère, La Nouba, "O", The Beatles' LOVE, Ka, Iris and Zumanity, and directed Cirque du Soleil’s appearances in events including the Grammy Awards, The Tonight Show, Live with Kelly and Michael, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Today Show.

The Baku 2015 Closing Ceremony will be the farewell show reuniting 6,000 athletes from the 50 national delegations for the very last time, as well as the families of the athletes, coaches, volunteers and sponsors and the general public.

“Creating the Closing Ceremony for Baku 2015 is both an honour and a challenge,” Hadley said. “My goal is to give the European Games the spectacular finale it deserves and to create a memorable show for the attendees and the viewers worldwide.”

Libby Hyland joins James Hadley as his creative partner, and will serve as the Creative Director of the Baku 2015 Closing Ceremony. Libby has led the creative side on multiple ceremonies including the Rio 2007 and Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games.

Leading production company, FiveCurrents, led by Scott Givens, will produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Baku 2015 European Games.

Catherine Ugwu, Baku 2015 Director of Ceremonies, said: “James and Libby complete the already strong artistic team we have put together in Baku. Their creative vision, combined with FiveCurrents’ production experience, will ensure a Closing Ceremony that is fitting to celebrate the end of the European Games.”

FiveCurrents produced the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games Ceremonies, and other credits include the Rio 2007 and Guadalajara 2011 Pan American Games Ceremonies, the 15th Anniversary of Cinco de Mayo and the Reveillon Copacabana New Year Celebration in Rio de Janeiro.

The Baku 2015 Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held in the newly-built National Stadium in front of a capacity crowd of 68,000 people, and a worldwide television audience of millions.

The grandiose opening ceremony will be organized by Dimitris Papaioannou, a renowned artist, choreographer, performer and visionary.

Tickets for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies have been available for purchase online since March 20 on www.baku2015.com/tickets, and from April 3 can be bought in ticket outlets across Baku including Park Bulvar, 28 Mall, and Metro Park.

An exciting and innovative new multi-sport event this year will include 20 sports, 16 of which are Olympic, during the 17 days of competition in June 12-28. 6,000 athletes will prove themselves in Baku.