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Magical World of Barbie   |   Splashtacular Water Show   |   Surprise in the Skies   |   Tapestry of Nations / Tapestry of Dreams   |   World Showcase Parade
Tapestry of Nations / Tapestry of Dreams

Tapestry of Nations/Tapestry of Dreams


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Tapestry of Nations puppets

"The gateway of time has opened and the spirit of humanity has brought us together.  Let us reach out and touch.  Peace and goodwill to all who gather here for this earthly celebration.  May the spirit of humanity bring us together...may the promise of the new millennium light the child within your heart.  And now...as the millennium drums unite and become one heartbeat, let us fly together hand in hand on the wings of joy, kindness, compassion, and love."  
-From the Introduction to Tapestry of Nations

The Parade

 Tapestry of Nations was the first parade at Epcot since the short-lived World Showcase Parade.  Created especially for the 15-month Epcot Millennium Celebration, the procession celebrated the human spirit with 150 performers and giant puppets.  The parade was in development for three years-the longest development time ever for a Disney show.  At first, it was going to be known as Caravan of the Giants, Millennium 2000, and then Earth 2000 before the final name was decided.  Once the Millennium Celebration was over, the parade was changed into Tapestry of Dreams.  The Sage of Time was replaced at this time by The Dreamseekers, who carried butterfly-type nets and had a new float at the beginning and end of the parade.  Throughout the day at Epcot, children were supposed to write down their dreams and then drop them in the nets during the parade.  This parade ran until early March of 2003.  

The Floats

 Fifteen identical rolling percussion units called Millennium Clocks were in the parade, with a person on each side beating on rotating drums, which symbolized the human heartbeat.  The floats were 19 feet tall and 16 feet wide.  The hours on the clock moved forward on the left side and backward on the right.  


Tapestry of Nations float

The Performers and Puppets

 The stilt-walking Sage of Time lead the Tapestry of Nations version of the parade.  His cloak was covered with designs of timepieces used by different cultures and with Alchemy symbols.  He carried a staff and although promotional films and Disney commercials show the staff opening to reveal a live dove, this did not appear to have happened during regular performances.  
 The puppets in the parade were designed by Michael Curry.  There were 40 total with three made of each design.  They had such names as Aztec Man, Bird Man, Inverted Marionette, Angel Girl, Wiggle Girl, Disc Man (some promotional material spells it as Disk Man), Hammered Man, and The Sprite.  Each puppet weighed between eight and eighteen pounds and added anywhere from fifteen to eighteen feet in height to the person who controlled the puppet.  The puppets and performers were not supposed to represent any specific culture, but rather a unity among countries.  
 In order to make sure that the puppets would have the proper visual presence from around the World Showcase Lagoon, giant cardboard cutouts were tested all around the water when the show was still in production.  

Sage of Time Epcot Tapestry of Nations

This is not a publicity shot.  There really was a rainbow in the background when this picture was taken!

Tapestry of Nations parade Epcot with rainbow

The Music

 Music for the parade was composed by Gavin Greenaway, the same person who scored IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth.  Recorded at Abbey Road in London with members of the London Symphony Orchestra and a thirty-member chorus, the music included a chanted "language" that meant nothing but sounded like words.  The music for Tapestry of Nations included an instrumental part of the Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand song that was later dropped when the parade became Tapestry of Dreams.  The music from Tapestry of Nations was divided into five areas: The Sage of Time Prologue, Millennium Heartbeat, The Great Millennium Walk, Reach for the Stars, and The Human Spirit.  When the parade was altered into Tapestry of Dreams, new spoken introductions by the Dreamseekers were recorded and the voices of children could be heard during the music speaking their dreams in many different languages.  The music in this version of the parade is credited to Brunn/Barr, as well as Greenaway.     

Tapestry of Dreams Dialogue / Music

Boy:  I dream of flying in space!

Girl:  I dream of making beautiful music!

Girl:  I dream of being invisible!

Girl:  I dream of beautiful butterflies!  

Dream, Dream Dream.

Boy:  Dreamseekers!  Can you see my dreams?

Dream, Dream Dream.

Girl:  Dreamseekers!  Show me my dreams!

Woman Soloist:  Everyone's a dreamer.  Full of magic and wonder inside.

Boy: I dream of discovering new worlds!

Woman Soloist:  Imagine tomorrow.  Let your hope and your heart be your guide.

(A boy speaks in another language.)

Chorus:  So open up your fantasy.  Unwind your curiosity.  Now (Dreamseekers!), imagine what it means (Show me my dreams!), the world around you seems like a Tapestry of Dreams.  

Girl:  Dreamseekers!  Can you hear my dream?  Tonight, we ask you to share your dreams with us, in honor of our very favorite dreamer, Walt Disney! (Children all repeat his name.)  

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Boy:  What do you dream!

Dreamseekers:  Welcome! Welkommen!  Hola! Bienvenue!  We are the Dreamseekers, here to conjure for you!  

Male Dreamseeker:  This earthly celebration is not what it seems.  

Male Dreamseeker:  The visions you'll see are the power of dreams!

Dreamseekers:  Come, drop in our nets all the dreams in your heart.  

Female Dreamseeker:  We'll weave them together, we're ready to start!

Dreamseekers:  And now, as the drumbeats inspire us to play, we'll show you the world that you dream of, today.  A world full of love, and compassion, rejoices!  A world you created, so lift up your voices to celebrate all of the reds, blues, and greens.  And welcome the future, the Tapestry of Dreams!  

TASCHEN

As the music plays, children express some of their dreams in many different languages:

Girl:  I dream of living on the moon.

Boy:  I dream of making people happy.

Boy: I dream of riding on a dinosaur.

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Boy: I dream of being just like my dad.  

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Boy:  I dream of spreading friendship everywhere.  

Girl: I dream of being a rock star.

Dreamseekers:  The rhythm of heartbeats inspires the drums.  Come help us to show, what this vision becomes.  A tapestry full of such sweet harmony, and dreams of the future.  What more can you see?

Woman Soloist:  Everyone is dreamer.  Full of magic and wonder inside.  Imagine tomorrow.  Let your hope and your heart be your guide.  

Chorus:  So open up your fantasy, unlock your curiosity.  Now, imagine what it means.  The world around you seems, like a tapestry, a tapestry, a Tapestry of Dreams.  

Boy:  I dream of learning to speak a different language.  

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Boy:  I dream of a world where everyone is happy.

Dreamseekers:  Our tapestry torches encircle the Earth.  As dreams of the future revealing the birth, of a happier, healthier, future appear.  A world with no borders.  A world with no fear.  

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Dreamseekers:  Your beautiful dreams have awakened such joy.  That no passing of ages can ever destroy.  Now, lend us your ears as we conjure and call on the greatest, most wonderful dreamer of all.  

Male Narrator:  Walt Disney once said "The age we're living in is the most extraordinary the world has ever seen.  The human species is still reaching for the stars.  Today, we are the shapers of the world of tomorrow.  Often we can't explain what we see.  But the era we are living in today is a dream coming true."

 Dream, Dream Dream.
 Dream, Dream Dream.

Dreamseekers: The gift of dreams has made us unite, and caused the sparkling stars to shine bright.  We'll journey together to bold new frontiers and conjure the magic of the next hundred years!

Dreamseekers:  Let us dance to sound of drums from all nations.  And light up the world with our great celebrations!  

Boy:  I dream of playing with a symphony orchestra.

Boy:  I dream of seeing into the future.  

Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.
Dream, Dream Dream.

Dreamseekers:  Come sing all together with every voice and dream of a world where we all can rejoice!

Chorus:  Imagine what it means.  The world around you seems like a Tapestry of Dreams.

Dreamseekers:  May your journeys forever be laden with peace and jubilant dreams may forever increase.  We look to the future for a beautiful dawn.  'Til then, we'll be with you.  Farewell, and dream on!  

Performances and Parade Route

 When Tapestry of Nations first premiered, three separate processions started from various points around World Showcase.  TDLFAN from LaughingPlace.com remembers it this way: "Tapestry of Nations started off simultaneously from the gate between the Millennium Village and the UK pavilion, the gate between Morocco and Japan, and the gate between Germany and the Refreshment Outpost. The portion from the UK ended at the gate after Morocco, the second portion ended at the gate by Germany, and the third portion played until the gate between Mexico and Norway. I also believe they used to do the route in the opposite direction, meaning, Mexico to Germany, Germany to Morocco, and Morocco to the UK gates."  The route was later reduced to only two processions and then just to one.  If you happened to be at the park on a windy day and hoped to see either of the parades, you would be out of luck because too much wind would cancel the performances.  

Parade Merchandise

 In addition to CD soundtracks of both versions of the parade, you could bang along to the beat of the parade on your very own Tapestry of Nations drum.  There were also the ever-present trading pins based on the puppets and a book that detailed the parade and the entire Millennium celebration.  


Epcot Tapestry of Nations and Dreams CDs





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See ya real soon!