Christine and The Queens set the Concorde on fire with their wild rendition of “Born to be Alive”

A revisited disco finale. After more than three hours of show, the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games ended with the legendary song by French singer Patrick Hernandez, Born to be aliveperformed by Christine and The Queens, also known by the stage name Chris or Redcar. The singer, who announced in 2022 that he would now be gender-neutral, exploded into fame in 2014, when his album Human warmth.

The song performed by Christine and The Queens, Born to be alivewritten by singer Patrick Hernandez, was a worldwide success when it was released in 1978. It was to this global hit that dancers and performers lit up the Concorde in a ballet of wheelchairs, leaving a trail of color and transforming the stage into a giant canvas. A performance inspired by Traces from a Wheelchairone of British disabled artist Sue Austin’s iconic series, according to organisers.

During this sequence, breakdancer Nathan Waye appeared on stage. Born with a malformation of the lower limbs, he notably participated in the show “France has incredible talent”. Dancer Kaylee Bays was also in attendance. The young woman is known for being the first person with a disability to perform in shows such as Rogers: The Musical or the show “So You Think You Can Dance”.