Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony started on 12 June in the Olympic Stadium[12] and was directed by artistic choreographer Dimitris Papaioannou who was praised for his work during 2004 Summer Olympics.[13][14][15][16] Singer Lady Gaga performed "Imagine", a cover from John Lennon at the event.[17] The shapeshifting scene featured the representations of Yanar Dag and the Gobustan rock carvings, in particular.[18] The woman on the stage (Nargiz Nasirzade) and the man (Aydemir Aydemirov) embodied the arrival of spring. Two thousand artists gathered at the scene to perform the yalli dance at the end.[18] The opening ceremony was broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of the Games. The ceremony was attended by several heads of states and other officials.