The 2010 Olympic Games are showcasing more than just world class athletes - they're putting a spotlight on high caliber local performers too.
Squamish performers are thrilled to have an audience from around the world at their feet as they entertain the masses during the Olympic experiences.
VANOC's entertainment directors held auditions for thousands of performers in the months leading up to the Games, and among the hundreds who made the cut, chose local acoustic rocker Jeff Fry to hammer out tunes while the world's visitors wander through Whistler Olympic Park, and Courtney Driver to spin fire while they wait at the Sliding Centre.
Driver, a resident since 1999, initially applied to be part of the opening ceremonies, but was passed over. However she was top of list for other entertainment opportunities.
She's performing with a group called SWARM in Vancouver on Feb. 19, 21, 24 and 26.
"It's super exciting to be a part of something I always wanted to be involved with since I was a kid, by watching the Olympics in '88 and watching all the kids in their little outfits I wanted to be a part of that energy and now I get the opportunity to do that," said Driver.
SWARM presents musical and theatrical shows of invented instruments, experimental world music and intense physical choreography. Driver will fit right in as performers jump and spin about the stage twirling large-scale industrial drum sculptures. They evoke primal rhythms from the drums and ethereal soundscapes from a wide range of musical sculptures.
Her expertise in Poi, which originated in New Zealand, involves juggling a ball at the end of a rope, dipped in fuel and lit on fire.
Driver said she is naturally nervous about performing, but has it all in hand.
"With all my performing I kind of have a little bit of a freak out before hand but it always comes together and I always do a fantastic show and I come away learning different things from each event."
Fry, a vocalist and guitarist - moved to British Columbia this past summer to pursue a career in music. He said he can barely believe he scored a gig at such a prestigious event, and is excited about playing at the Whistler Olympic Park.
"This is a excellent opportunity for me. It's a once in a lifetime event and it's unbelievable for a musician who just moved out here to get something so great," he said.
"It's a gig I may never get again. It's the performance of performances. I'm literally playing in front of the world."
Fry will perform his own songs, and couldn't turn down the opportunity to throw some true Canadiana in the play list as well - songs like The Good Old Hockey Game by Stompin' Tom Connors and Rocking in the Free World by Neil Young.
