Lady Gaga’s stunning performance of Gigi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc en Plumes” (The One with Feathers) set the irreverent tone of the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday night, but rain nearly caused the event to be canceled, said Maud Le Pradec, choreographer of all Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies, who has worked with Gaga for months.
Le Pradec, who worked closely with Olympic ceremonies artistic director Thomas Joly to direct and choreograph the four-hour show, revealed that for safety reasons, Gaga’s performance had to be filmed just hours before the ceremony began, but she still sang live.
For the first time in modern history, the ceremony took place outside a stadium, unfolding alongside the city’s river Seine and showcasing Paris’ iconic landmarks. Gaga’s performance was one of 12 songs written for the occasion and although it was “just four minutes long,” Le Pradeck said it was the “most artistically challenging” of them all.
“Unfortunately, for safety reasons, this was the only performance that we had to pre-record in the late afternoon when we knew for sure it was going to rain. We were updating the weather by the minute and I have never watched the forecast more carefully in my life…We decided that even a few drops of rain would be too dangerous for the performers.[Gaga]was determined to perform and chose to pre-record rather than cancel,” she said.
There were many reasons why it didn’t work in bad weather.
“The soil would have been slippery, she was wearing high heels, she was very close to the water and there were stairs… we had to be very cautious,” Le Pradec said.
A representative for Gaga declined to comment.
Though she wasn’t able to perform during the ceremony, Gaga was there during the show, watching her musical numbers on a screen in her dressing room before returning to her hotel, Le Pradeck said. Shortly after, Gaga wrote to X, “I wanted to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and remind everyone that Paris is one of the most magical cities on earth on such a monumental occasion.”
While Jolie came up with the idea for the Zizi Jeanmaire song, Gaga said in X that she knew the 1920s singer from the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes” because that show’s theme song was Gaga’s first jazz composition.
Le Pradec, who tapped Nicolas Huchard as her choreographic collaborator, said Gaga was keen to present a show that was authentic and paid tribute to the Revue Française; that meant singing and dancing, but with a touch of humour and glamour in the cabaret numbers. Gaga “wanted to use costumes from the archives,” so organisers got in touch with the Moulin Rouge and worked with their team, Le Pradec said. Gaga’s black bustier outfit was made by Dior, which allowed the now-closed Lido Cabaret to borrow the pom-poms.
According to the choreographer, Gaga is a hard worker and a perfectionist, working on her singing and footwork until the very last moment, and spent weeks training in Los Angeles with several dancers who flew in from Paris. “She wanted to create a show with a French feel. She puts a lot of effort and thought into everything she does and has a very developed creative process.”
Like the original Gigi Jeanmaire show, Le Pradec described Gaga’s performance as inherently feminist, noting in particular that “feathers have been a symbol of female empowerment throughout history.”
Le Pradec won’t be resting anytime soon: She’s already back at work, organising three more Olympic-related ceremonies, including the indoor closing party at the Stade de France.
