Fifa World Cup Brazil party starts with win: J.Lo, 'Iron Man' suit star in opening extravaganza
The scene inside Corinthians Arena was a world apart from the protests just up the road, as more than 600 dancers in colourful costumes joined pop superstars Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull to put on a lavish opening ceremony.
Samba dancers, capoeira performers and a drumming collective celebrated the vast South American country's rich cultural diversity as J.Lo and company sang the official World Cup song, "We Are One."
Pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, hundreds of dancers, drummers and gymnasts, and a paraplegic who will kick a football in a robotic suit will deliver a pre-match extravaganza Thursday to open the World Cup.
After the delays that have hampered Brazil's preparations, organizers had one overriding message for fans ahead of the 3:15 pm (1015 UAE Time) opening ceremony: Don't arrive late.
"Please, get there early," pleaded Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte. She will perform the official World Cup song, "We Are One," along with Lopez, rapper Pitbull and Brazilian drumming collective Olodum in the ceremony's grand finale.
There were last-minute doubts over whether Lopez, who media reports say recently broke up with backup dancer and boyfriend Casper Smart, would attend.
Fifa said Sunday the singer had pulled out of the ceremony over "production issues."
But with two days to go, the world football body said she would perform after all.
"We Are One" has been viewed more than 75 million times on YouTube, though some critics have panned it as a disappointing follow-up to World Cup classics like Ricky Martin's "Cup of Life" in 1998 and Shakira's "Waka Waka" in 2010.
More than 60,000 fans will be in Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, including 12 heads of state and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and around one billion people are expected to watch the opening ceremony and match on TV.
The 25-minute ceremony will feature more than 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, trampolinists, marshal arts-style capoeira performers and stilt walkers.
"The opening ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people football,"
Belgian artistic director Daphne Cornez said in a statement.
She said one of her goals was to showcase the diversity of the sprawling South American country of 200 million people.
But Cornez has kept most other details under wraps.
Performers have had to surrender their cell phones before rehearsals to prevent any surreptitious selfies.
In all, more than 1,200 people have worked on the ceremony.
Organisers said 20 hours of artistic work had gone into every minute of the performance.
The centre of the show will be a giant LED ball made up of more than 90,000 light clusters.
But that will be one of the few large-scale technical wonders, since Cornez and team were under orders to avoid placing too much strain on the pitch where Brazil and Croatia will face off at 5:00 pm.
There will be no political speeches this year, not even from Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, though messages of peace from Pope Francis and other religious leaders will be read out as doves are released.
The most powerful moment may come when a paraplegic, whose identity has been kept secret, gives the first kick to Brazuca, the official World Cup ball, by donning an Iron Man-like robotic suit controlled by brain signals.
The cutting-edge exoskeleton was designed by Brazilian neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis.
It will also be a special day for several youths from Itaquera, the lower-class neighborhood where the stadium was built in a process plagued by protests, delays, overspending and construction accidents that killed three workers.
"We reached a deal with Fifa for three young people from our neighborhood to participate in the ceremony," said local priest Rosalvino Moran, who runs the charity that chose the youths.
"It was the least they could do. If they hadn't agreed, the kids would have camped out in front of the stadium and protested the World Cup."
Five memorable World Cup opening ceremonies
Five memorable moments at World Cup opening ceremonies ahead of the 2014 edition in Sao Paulo on Thursday:
2010 - South Africa
Africa's first ever World Cup - which Sepp Blatter had promised he would deliver when he was first elected in 1998 - enjoyed a sumptuous musical display in Johannesburg with several top national stars performing.
However, the biggest star of all was unable to be there as former president Nelson Mandela had to pull out when his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash earlier that day.
He did make it to the final but only briefly as a frail figure he was driven round the stadium prior to the Spain and the Netherlands clash.
2006 - Germany
It all started with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer strolling onto the pitch with Brazilian legend, three-time World Cup winner Pele.
However, they looked on bemused as two figures dressed as fairytale characters Hansel and Gretel were assailed on the Munich pitch by polka dancers and their hornblower partners who had been part of the first half of the ceremony but clearly did not wish to leave the scene.
2002 - South Korea/Japan
South Korea and bitter historical rivals Japan co-hosted the finals with the Koreans laying on the opening ceremony and the Japanese given the final.
However, not even being made joint-hosts meant all was peace and harmony between the two countries and Japanese Emperor Akihito was not present at the opening ceremony while Fifa chief Sepp Blatter was roundly booed as he tried to make his first speech as president at a World Cup finals having been elected to succeed Brazilian strongman Joao Havelange.
1994 - United States
Diana Ross may be a soul singing legend but her skills with a football proved to be a talking point at the opening ceremony in Soldier Field Stadium, home to the NFL's Chicago Bears.
Asked simply to kick the football into an open goal she fluffed her lines completely as she sent it wide of the posts.
The ceremony was capped with chat show host Oprah Winfrey falling off the stage.
1978 - Argentina
Opening ceremony was overshadowed by all-round surprise that all 24 teams turned up as there was some reluctance on the part of several players to travel to a country which had been a military dictatorship since 1976.
Even more sinister was that the venue the River Plate Stadium was just a mile from the Naval Mechanics School (ESMA), a notorious prison camp where opponents of the junta were allegedly tortured.