Do You Remember Tapestry of Nations?
“Behold! The great Millennium walk.” Who remembers those wonderful words from the Sage of time!? More than 20 years ago “Tapestry of Nations” wowed the crowds at EPCOT.
This entertaining offering was actually created for Disney World’s Millennium Celebration. The parade took place nightly around the World Showcase Lagoon.
As we learned from a recent piece on Disney Parks Blog, the Tapestry of Nations Parade took three years to develop. The original incarnation was called “Carnival of Giants” it then became “Millennium 2000,” then “Earth 2000” then Tapestry of Dreams before changing to the final “Tapestry of Nations.”
As you can see from the picture above, a highlight was the millennium drums which were meant to symbolize the human heartbeat while guests to EPCOT went on a “spiritual journey” through stories that unfolded with the help of puppets and a moving score!
The concept clicked for me, as there were many times I found myself lost in the moment, drumming along to the music while performers danced on the World Showcase promenade with 20-foot-tall aerial rod puppets. I think my favorite puppets were the futuristic Hammered Man or the gangly Disc Man.
According to the Disney piece, a crew worked for over a year to create 120 puppets for the show. There were 20 different styles incorporated into the designs. Best of all, the puppets had names like Bird Man, Wiggle Girl, Aztec Man, Sprite and Angel Girl.
Thirty drummers were involved in the performance and they pounded drums made to look like giant rolling clocks. The soundtrack was written by Gavin Greenway and was created to evoke feelings of oneness, belonging and bringing cultures together. The music was even recorded at the famous Abbey Road in London.
As we continue to celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, it is always nice to look back on all of the great offerings found at the theme parks over the last five decades. Readers are encouraged to keep following along with us here at MickeyBlog for more stories of Disney from days gone by!
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