Pinoys did it right in Olympic opener

LONDON – There were 7,500 volunteers who formed the bulk of the human cast mobilized by director Danny Boyle for the 30th Olympics opening ceremony at the mammoth Olympic Stadium here and it was estimated that at least 50 were of Filipino descent.

Among the Filipinos who performed in the 3 1/2-hour program were University of Westminster scholar Benedict Carandang, Royal Free Hospital nurse Marvin Soriano, hospital administrator Zarah Serrano, Wave Training health care student Al Reburiano, University of West London nursing graduate Jermaine Matias and John Lewis finance officer Cleo Sagun. They got together for a STAR interview the day after the opener.

Carandang, 30, is a Chevening scholar and was recently chosen as one of 19 Southeast Asian Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. Soriano, 39, has lived nine years in London and is from Malasiqui, Pangasinan. Serrano, 36, is a Miriam College graduate and attends to finance and administrative issues in a London hospital. Reburiano, 33, is an Emilio Aguinaldo College graduate from Parañaque while Matias, 26, is from Cabanatuan. Sagun, 44, was in the West End cast of “Miss Saigon” as Thuy for five years and joined Jonathan Pryce and Joanna Ampil in celebrating the musical’s 2,282nd staging to eclipse the long-running record of “My Fair Lady” on Drury Lane.

Carandang, Soriano and Sagun were in the opening ceremony’s “Pandemonium” sequence which highlighted the Industrial Revolution. They portrayed miners of the 19th century, so-called “warriors” in the segment that brought in 3,000 performers. Carandang, Soriano and Sagun were among 200 miners who marched out of a tree in the middle of the set, simulating the plowing of soil and hammering metal. The act took about 15 to 17 minutes. The props included a series of 100-foot chimneys, made of fabric and inflated by banks of fans. 

Each volunteer spent an average of 150 hours of rehearsals in a car park of a former Ford plant in Dagenham. The rehearsals were conducted under a cloak of secrecy. Performers signed contracts promising not to divulge what would be staged in the opening ceremony. Two dress rehearsals were held on the Monday and Wednesday before the Friday performance. Performers were given two tickets apiece for friends and family to witness the second dress rehearsal.

“The first dress rehearsal had a few glitches, mainly technical, like the chimneys didn’t rise up fast enough but the second went off without a hitch,” said Carandang. “For the actual opening ceremony, our call time was 3:30 p.m. and the show started at 9 p.m. We were all nervous but nobody made a mistake. It was an unforgettable experience.”

The miners had charcoal on their face, using black soot for make-up. “Mr. Boyle called it the people’s Olympics,” said Carandang. “He wanted everyone to enjoy the opening ceremony. That’s why he gave us the chance to invite friends and relatives to the dress rehearsals because he knew how difficult it was to get tickets for the actual show. The program was called ‘Isles of Wonder’ and it was a celebration for everyone.”

Soriano said he was allowed by his superiors at the Royal Free Hospital to take off from work to participate in the program. “We showed up for two auditions and were lucky to be chosen,” said Soriano. “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because I don’t think the Philippines will ever host an Olympics.” The performers received a certificate of participation signed by Boyle, an opening ceremony book, Oyster travel cards and their costumes to take home.

Serrano and Reburiano performed in the ‘80s and ‘90s sequence, dancing to the music of the Prodigy and Eurythmics. Matias was in the “now generation” segment with Dizzee Rascal singing “Bonkers.” “I used to dance in school and perform in church so it wasn’t difficult to pass the auditions,” said Matias. 

In his opening ceremony remarks, London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games head Lord Sebastian Coe declared that “we will tell our children and our grandchildren that when the time came, we did it right.” For six Filipinos who performed in the historic show that night, they did it right, too.