Hiya my Shamwaris, Friends, Fans and Stars,
 

I have just returned from The London 2012 Olympic Stadium and letting it all soak and sink in as it all felt soooooo surreal at the time!

What a once-in-a-life-time opportunity and experience and I feel very proud and honoured to have been a participant / performer in the London Olympics 2012 and apart of British history! I would also like to state that it was on a voluntary basis and it just goes to show that to be motivated and to feel apart of The LONDON 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is something money just cannot buy or give!!

All those miles covered driving to and fro from Norwich to the London 2012 Olympic Stadium (Queen Elizabeth Stadium), all the rehearsals & public dress rehearsals, the extreme weather conditions, tired aching legs and swollen feet, endless sandwiches, lonely hotel rooms, all the miles clocked up walking to Eton Manor & back down to the stadium, all feel very worth it and I certainly would do it all again in a heart beat!

My specific role that I played in the London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was aptly entitled, Mechanicals (as in Shakespeare's play "Midsummer Night's dream") Audience Leader on a Voluntary basis. My essential Role was welcoming & greeting my Audience members / guests in my section and aisle in Block 131, keeping my audience morale, spirits and energy levels high, acquainting myself with my audience / guests members, instructing, commanding & demonstrating to my audience with torches in hand the signals gesturing, stanby, get ready and go-go signals, to encourage and egg-on my audience to participate in the sing-a-longs, the dance moves that I performed and demonstrated - Buckingham Palace, Big Ben,The Union Jack & Rocking the Thames and head banging fun ,in the pixel hand pads movements (first ever creating in all the Olympic Games Ceremonies), indicating & pointing with my torches the whereabouts of the Zorbs (which had a camera inside) & encouraging my audience to pass it on & around the stalls and aisles and to take part in deploying the blue silks to create the British Isle. My Audience where fantastic fun participants and I high fived my audience members who participated, all the way up from the bottom steps by the stage, right up to the top of the stairs to the stadium!

Highlights for me - receiving my "Thank you Certificate" for my participation in the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony signed by the one and only Creative Director - The Honourable & Humble Danny Boyle! Secondly, been given my complimentary copy of the Golden hard covered London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony Programme and discovering unknowingly that my name - Donna Africa Thompson - was printed and published in this Collector's Programme under The Volunteers Section - What an unexpected surprise and gesture - OMG Moment!!!

"WELCOME TO THE ISLES OF WONDER"

I was totally in awe, bewitched & enchanted by the entire, very much British Opening Ceremony Show and the British Story & History that unravelled and showcased before me on the stage arena. Starting with the "Countdown" & the ringing of the enormous Olympic Bell onto the "Green and Pleasant Land" scene depicting the Britain of yesteryear with horse and sheep, heralding the four nations that unite the British Isle in songs. Onto "Pandemonium" celebrating Britain's role as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, political upheavals & cultural changes. Then onto "Happy & Glorious" we stand up, herald & respect,Her Majesty the Queen, proudly in song "God save our gracious Queen."

"Second to the right and straight on till morning" Honours two of Britain's greatest achievements: Its amazing body of children's literature and the National Health Services (NHS) All of who were Volunteers. Onto "Frankie and June say.. Thanks Tim" A typical saturday night scene bursts forth from an ordinary house, sound tracked to British pop through the decades. "Abide by me" beautiful Hymn sang by Emeli Sande. "Welcome" The Athletes parade sits at the heart of the Olympics and Greece comes first followed by all the teams in alphabetical order except the Host Nation Team GB. "Bike a.m" celebration of the bicycle and the flying of luminous doves to signal peace."Let the Games Begin" The Official opening of the Games is declared by Her Majesty the Queen. "There is a light that never goes out" The Lighting of the Olympic Cauldron. "And in the end" The Musical Legend Sir Paul McCartney sings the show out with his sing-a-long song, "Hey Jude"

Personally, this Extraordinary Extravaganza Dazzling Worldwide Show was "Out of this World" and it blew me way and I was totally immersed and mesmerised by the magic and energy of it all! One word WOW!

I do believe Artistic Director, Danny Boyle definitely achieved his vision and dream, that of which EVERYONE felt apart of the London 2012 Olympic Games and united as one.

And yes I do believe we can build a Jerusalem together - A better world of real freedom and true Equality for EVERYONE.

With Luv, Light and Liberty,
Donna Africa (Thompson)