The Rio 2016 Olympics are finally underway, and with talk all week about the opening ceremony and how it would compare to those of the past - especially because Brazil's budget was significantly less - I wanted to walk through some of the highlights of the night so we can all see how it measures up.
Brazilians have been saying all week that this opening ceremony isn't about the flash, the glamor, or the mechanical antics that have made stand out opening ceremonies in both Beijing and London. Brazil planned to show the world the culture and attitude of Brazilians, their history, and what they stand for.
The show started with a bright light projection that took us to the beginning of time on Brazilian soil. From rock and water, the the bustling Amazon Rainforest grew to on their lands while a mixture of indigenous dancers created projections to depict the building of Brazil. According to NBC News, the Amazon Rainforest makes up close to 50% of the world's remaining rainforests and if it were to be separated from Brazil and become it's own country, it would be the 9th biggest in the world.
They showed the history of colonization, slavery, and then a mosaic of the different cultures that have touched the country - all underneath the light of a powerful projection screen that help the creative team in Brazil get around their lack of funds.
Brazil was also making big moves on the environmental science front. There was a brief video shown pointing out some glaring facts about climate change. It was an impressive move that took the audience to a more serious place, and gave global warming a true worldwide stage.
Of course people took to the internet filled with anger about the ceremonies putting any attention on global warming.
There were however some beautiful moments as well,. The world was watching as Gisele Bündchen took her final cat-walk across the biggest stage in Brazil.
There was a beautiful "home-made" plane representing Alberto Santos-Dumont who they believe was the true creator of the first airplane.
And the night was filled with music and dancing, like any Brazilian party would be, but it was criticized for being as over-the-top as past opening ceremonies.
Even though there was not really a "wow" mechanical moment like Queen Elizabeth parachuting in in London, of the masses of choreographed pieces in Beijing, but what Brazil did have was passion, heart and a conscience about our environment.
The big moments of the Parade of Nations were of course Greece leading the way as the people who started the games.
The United States led by Michael Phelps in his first walk in the Parade of Nations,
The Brazilian team coming in with as much energy and excitement as the performances that preceded,
And last but certainly not least, the oiled up Pita Nikolas Taufatofua, a Taekwondo fighter and Tonga's flag bearer during the Parade of Nations that had twitter blowing up with adoration and clever tweets.
Now that the torch has been lit, get ready for every social media platform to be flooded with visuals from Rio, and daily celebrations of countries across the world competing for those coveted medals.
Although....
My personal favorite moment of the night happened before the main ceremony even began. During an interview with Allyson Felix, her teammates performed shenanigans for a solid minute behind her, making it a re-watch worth interview.
