PARIS: Arthur Cadre is an extremely flexible man, both physically and in his range of talents – breakdancer, acrobat, architect and much more – and he will play a central role in the Paris Olympics closing ceremony Sunday.
The 32-year-old has sport in the blood, born to a mother who was part of the French volleyball team and a father who competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics in windsurfing.
Cadre fell into breakdancing at the age of nine after seeing a clip on TV, later adding contortion to his skill set, followed by acrobatics and circus arts.
Not forgetting “a bit of ballet, tap-dancing” and freerunning, which involves creatively throwing yourself around obstacles and urban environments, like parkour.
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His talents don’t end there: he is also a photographer, model, architecture graduate, and director.
All this has earned him a huge following online. One YouTube video showing off his contortion skills has more than a million views.
And it has taken him around the world from Montreal to Macau, via San Francisco and Dubai.
Recently, he put on a show in Saudi Arabia, “with the princess’s horses and 40 dancers”.
And he has designed a show based on Bob Marley, which will open in Las Vegas in December.
Cadre describes his style as “a mixture of movement art and visual art”, and emphasises the point by swinging his leg up behind his ear in a standing split, then perching on one hand.
He has been working with a team of dancers since early June on Sunday’s ceremony at the Stade de France, where the athletics events are held.
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While he is keeping details of the 30-minute show under wraps, he told AFP his character is “the common thread” recounting the story on a large stage featuring many performers and lots of visual effects.
“It will be something that people are not used to seeing in France,” he said.
“Here in the studio, I’ve been doing a whole physical preparation to develop and create this character,” he added.
Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the Games, gave him “a lot of freedom… I suggest a lot of things and we work together to select the moments and emotions that he likes. It’s great,” said Cadre, who comes from Brittany in western France.
Jolly has said the closing show will combine “wonder” and “dystopia”, suggesting some more darker elements than the joyful and impertinent tone of the opening ceremony on the River Seine.
Offering a sneak peak to journalists recently, Jolly said he saw the Games as a “fragile monument” and wanted to imagine what would happen if they “disappeared and someone was rebuilding them in a distant future”.
Hollywood star Tom Cruise is also expected to make an appearance, with US media reporting that he has prepared a daredevil stunt to pick up the Olympic flag and transfer it to Los Angeles, which is hosting the 2028 Games.