Temujin Gill and Sunanda Biswas co-choreographed sequences for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, including a routine featuring 352 dancing hospital beds. Rick Smith was the music director for the entire ceremony. As the founder of electronic duo Underworld, he created a musical mashup for the soundtrack and got volunteers to drum in sync. One volunteer remarked that Smith attended every rehearsal and had no rock star ego.

1. evening standard Monday 30 July 2012
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Dream vision: a horde of Mary
Poppinses descends to defend
children from Voldemort and other
villains in one of the major sequences
of the opening ceremony
Temujin Gill
and Sunanda
Biswas (right)
Co-choreographers
On the night:
Choreographed NHS sequence Swing
Out Sisters, featuring 352 beds and
600 dancing staff.
Pedigree: Gill is an associate artist at
Greenwich Dance, a former Jiving
Lindy Hopper and founder of
Temujin Dance. He created the Lindy
Hop extravaganza for Ray Davies’s
Meltdown Festival 2011, and
performed as one of the horses on
stage in Equus with Daniel Radcliffe.
His long-term dance partner Biswas
(B-Girl) is founder of Flowzaic, the
UK’s first all-female breaking crew.
She choreographed the film Fishtank
and has worked with Take That.
Rick Smith for
Underworld
Music Director
On the night: In
charge of the
soundtrack for the whole show. Smith
offered a musical mash-up including
the Kinks, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
and Mud. The band also contributed
two original tracks, And I Will Kiss
(featuring Dame Evelyn Glennie and
The Pandemonium Drummers) and
Caliban’s Dream with the children’s
Dockhead Choir and Glennie. He won
volunteers over with his stamina.
“Rick Smith was amazing, getting
1,000 people to drum in synch. He
was there for every rehearsal in
monsoon rain in the parking lot in
Dagenham. There was no rock star
ego,” marvels one volunteer.
Pedigree: Along with Karl Hyde,
Smith formed electronic duo
Underworld.
The Boyle connection: Best known
for their track Born Slippy, which
featured in Trainspotting. They also
wrote music for A Life Less Ordinary,
The Beach and Sunshine, and
worked on Boyle’s Frankenstein.
Adam Gascoyne
Visual Effects
Supervisor
On the night: With
video editor Sascha
Dhillon, largely responsible for the
insert films (except for three sections
made by the BBC — the countdown,
Happy Glorious and Simon Rattle/
Rowan Atkinson), both working
The Boyle connection: Part of his Mark Tildesley spectacular mirrored ceiling made literature, genius engineers. Boyce under the direction of Danny Boyle.
creative team for seven years, she Designer up of 3,100 lightbulbs — also bought Boyle a copy of Pedigree: Gascoyne is co-founder of
made gold spacesuits for Boyle’s representing the forces of Humphrey Jennings’s book Soho creative house Union Visual
sci-fi epic Sunshine and created the On the night: electricity harnessed by Pandemonium for Christmas, which Effects and both his and Dhillon’s
canyon for 127 Hours on a sound Designed the Frankenstein. ended up inspiring the show’s careers span all aspects of film
stage. When she heard Boyle was pandemonium set; opening section. He also came up production and post-production.
heading to Thailand to make The came up with the bold concept of the Frank Cottrell with “Betty” as the codeword for The Boyle connection: Gascoyne
Beach, she made herself Queen skydiving with James Bond. Boyce designer Thomas Heatherwick’s worked on Slumdog Millionaire and
“indispensable”. Pedigree: Tildesley, 48, co-founded Writer Olympic cauldron (named after the 127 Hours, where he created the arm
In 2009 her costumes for Slumdog the Catch 22 Theatre Company. executive producer’s dog). amputation scene. He is also involved
Millionaire won her the Costume The Boyle connection: He On the night: His Pedigree: He scripted Oscar- in Boyle’s new thriller, Trance, about
Designers Guild award for excellence worked on 28 Days Later, Millions, brief was to inject nominated Hilary and Jackie, a botched art heist, starring James
in contemporary film. She persuaded and Sunshine (winning a British “humour, eccentricity and 24-Hour Party People and A Cock McAvoy.
the little boy playing the young Jamal Independent Film award) as well as anarchy”. For the opening and Bull Story. His most recent book
to dive into the disgusting lavatory in other British films such as 24 Hour ceremony, he and Boyle created a is the first official sequel to Ian
the film — the fecal matter was made Party People, The Constant noticeboard with everything they Fleming’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. For a gallery of spectacular pictures
of chocolate, peanut butter, Gardener and Happy-Go-Lucky. loved about Britain — the industrial The Boyle connection: His Carnegie visit standard.co.uk/ceremony
butterscotch and marshmallow Most recently, for Boyle’s revolution, the digital revolution, Medal-winning book, Millions, was
cream. Frankenstein, he co-designed the the NHS, pop music, children’s filmed by Boyle in 2004.
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