All eyes were on the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics yesterday as Celine Dion wowed the crowd and Lady Gaga performed on the River Seine – except not everything went to plan for the latter.
The Bad Romance hitmaker, 38, performed a spirited rendition of Mon Truc En Plumes’ on a flight of stairs wearing a wide feather pom pom behind a black leotard.
He and 10 dancers, dressed in custom Dior costumes, kicked, spun and jumped to the fast-paced French classic, in a thrilling performance to open the ceremony.
However, after a rainy day in Paris, one of the dancers drowned and collapsed on the stage mid-kick, because the pink pom poms that were seen dropped out of sight.
Fortunately, her recovery was quite impressive, as the dancer got back up – looking a little dazed when she fell – and continued with a performance where Gaga spun on top of her friends’ heads.
The House of Gucci star made no mention of the incident in a post-show message shared on social media, saying she felt grateful to be asked to do it.
Taking to X, he wrote: “I feel so grateful to have been asked to open Paris @Olympics 2024 this year.
‘I am also humbled to have been asked by the Olympic organizing committee to sing a special French song – a song to honor the French people and their incredible history of art, music and theatre.’
The Born This Way hitmaker explained how Zizi Jeanmarie, who was born in Paris as a French ballerina, famously sang the song – which translates to My Thing with Feathers – in 1961.
The pair crossed paths when Zizi starred in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, which was Gaga’s first jazz release.
He continued: ‘Even though I’m not a French artist, I always feel a special connection with the French people and singing French music – I didn’t want to create a show that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music. , and on this important occasion reminds everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth – Paris.’
For the performance, Gaga and the dancers hired pom poms from the French cabaret archive Le Lido, made from ‘naturally formed’ fur.
‘I studied French choreography that put a modern twist on French classics,’ she explains.
‘I trained tirelessly to learn a fun French dance, practicing some old skills – I bet you didn’t know I danced at a 60’s French party in the lower east when I started!
‘I hope you enjoy this performance as much as I do. And to everyone in France, thank you so much for welcoming me to your country to sing in your honor – a gift I will never forget!
‘Congratulations to all the athletes participating in this year’s Olympics! It is my highest honor to sing for you and cheer you on!! Watching the Olympics always makes me cry! Your talent is unimaginable. Let the games begin!’
Elsewhere, Celine Dion, 56, took to the stage in the evening with an emotional performance – she first announced her diagnosis of neurological condition stiffness syndrome (SPS) almost two years ago.
Dion has canceled a Las Vegas residency due to health issues in 2021, before announcing her SPS diagnosis in December 2022 and canceling her Courage World Tour.
He has not appeared in public since.
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