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‘Make sure you come in time!’ Bumper Confed Cup closing ceremony planned in St. Petersburg

26 Jun, 2017 14:01
‘Make sure you come in time!’ Bumper Confed Cup closing ceremony planned in St. Petersburg
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Opening ceremony of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in St. Petersburg. © Alexey Kudenko / Sputnik

The acts performing at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup closing ceremony at St. Petersburg Stadium on July 2 have been announced.

READ MORE: Ballet, pop stars & folk dances as Russia welcomes FIFA Confederations Cup (PHOTOS)

Pop star and current 'The Voice' judge Polina Gagarina, rapper Egor Kreed, and DJ Smash have been confirmed as the acts to perform the prelude to the final match and farewell to the ‘Tournament of Champions,’ which was the first to be held in Russia.  

Публикация от Smash (@djsmash)

The teams contesting the Confed Cup final are as yet unknown, with the semifinals stage of the tournament to take place this week.  

Portugal will take on Chile in Kazan on June 28 before Germany faces Mexico a day later in Sochi, with the winners of both games meeting at St. Petersburg Stadium, also the venue for the tournament’s opening game, the following Sunday.

“The spectacle will combine elements from the history, culture and art of St. Petersburg, the competition’s main city, as well as motifs from the Confederations Cup, its former winners and current participants,” FIFA said in a press release.  

The ceremony, scheduled to start at 7:15 local time and last for approximately 20 minutes, will also feature Stanislav Litvinov from the Leningrad Centre theatre, who orchestrated the first performance of the Opening Ceremony, and Russian ballerina and choreographer Vera Arbuzova.  

During the tournament’s Opening Ceremony before the game between Russia and New Zealand on June 17, Arbuzova, who performed the solo dance from ‘The Firebird,’ says her performance will be “dedicated to ballet” on Sunday.

“Ballet is one of Russia’s calling cards and we have tried to make it interesting for the audience, combining classical ballet with modern dances,” she said.

“We’re not going to reveal all the dances; instead we look forward to seeing spectators and football fans at the Closing Ceremony. Make sure you come to the stadium in time!”

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The opening ceremony was a coruscating festival of color with more than 2,000 actors involved in the performance and featured a magic forest set and characters from Russian folklore, and the mascot for the cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, ‘Zabivaka’ the Wolf.

The four host cities of the tournament – Sochi, Moscow, Kazan, and St. Petersburg will also be represented at the event.