The opening ceremony focused heavily on classical music and large scale productions.
 Performances journeyed through Russian history through the eyes of a little girl called Lyubov ("Love"), played by Liza Temnikova, touching on Russia's art, music, and ballet.
 The Russian history presentation was ushered in by a brightly-lit troika of three horses followed by a red sun.
 Performances included the building of St Basil's Cathedral, represented by colourful inflatable sculptures, and 17th century czar Peter the Great building an army as Russia transitioned from Mediaeval times to the 20th century.
 Czar Peter's marching cadets (160 male dancers) moved from a map of the St Petersburg projected on the stadium floor to an imperial ball inspired by Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," and featuring ballet dancers including Danila Korsuntsev, Ivan Vasiliev, and Svetlana Zakharova.
The ball included music by Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin and ended with the fifth movement (Rondo) of Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto Grosso No.
1."

Fourteen columns rose from the floor, then disappeared, replaced first by scenes of the Russian Revolution and Soviet industrialization, followed by a giant moving reproduction of the famous statue "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" made by Vera Mukhina in 1937, with hammer and sickle flying over the arena, symbolising the period of great industrialisation following the Bolshevik Revolution.

Dozens of men carried rockets and the name of Yuri Gagarin appeared on the floor, followed up skyscrapers emerging against a background of modern typography.

Putin declared the games open, followed by a performance of Swan Lake in which the Swans, holding strands of blue LED lights, transformed into the Dove of Peace, a traditional Olympic symbol.
 Prima ballerina Diana Vishneva was among those who performed.

Many performers wore white to symbolise peace.
 More than 3,000 performers and 2,000 volunteers took part in the show.
10,000 people in all helped organise and execute the ceremonies.
 120 projectors and 2.6 million lumens turned the stadium floor into a 3D, moving landscape.
The opening ceremony focused heavily on classical music and large scale productions.  Performances journeyed through Russian history through the eyes of a little girl called Lyubov ("Love"), played by Liza Temnikova, touching on Russia's art, music, and ballet.  The Russian history presentation was ushered in by a brightly-lit troika of three horses followed by a red sun.  Performances included the building of St Basil's Cathedral, represented by colourful inflatable sculptures, and 17th century czar Peter the Great building an army as Russia transitioned from Mediaeval times to the 20th century.  Czar Peter's marching cadets (160 male dancers) moved from a map of the St Petersburg projected on the stadium floor to an imperial ball inspired by Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace," and featuring ballet dancers including Danila Korsuntsev, Ivan Vasiliev, and Svetlana Zakharova. The ball included music by Aleksander Sergeyevich Zatsepin and ended with the fifth movement (Rondo) of Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto Grosso No. 1."
Fourteen columns rose from the floor, then disappeared, replaced first by scenes of the Russian Revolution and Soviet industrialization, followed by a giant moving reproduction of the famous statue "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" made by Vera Mukhina in 1937, with hammer and sickle flying over the arena, symbolising the period of great industrialisation following the Bolshevik Revolution.
Dozens of men carried rockets and the name of Yuri Gagarin appeared on the floor, followed up skyscrapers emerging against a background of modern typography.
Putin declared the games open, followed by a performance of Swan Lake in which the Swans, holding strands of blue LED lights, transformed into the Dove of Peace, a traditional Olympic symbol.  Prima ballerina Diana Vishneva was among those who performed.
Many performers wore white to symbolise peace.  More than 3,000 performers and 2,000 volunteers took part in the show. 10,000 people in all helped organise and execute the ceremonies.  120 projectors and 2.6 million lumens turned the stadium floor into a 3D, moving landscape.
2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony