Dimitris Papaioannou (born Athens, 1964) is a Greek avant-garde choreographer, director, dancer and artist who conceived and directed the critically lauded 2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony and its closing counterpart, in addition to directing the ceremonies for the beginning and end of the 2004 Paralympics. The opening ceremony drew considerable acclaim in the international media. [1] 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ... Generally a director is a person or one of a body of persons appointed to manage the affairs of a government agency, company, corporation, group or project. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Look up Artist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The olympic flame at the Opening Ceremony. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Silver 2004 The Paralympic Games are an official equivalent of the Olympics for athletes with physical disabilities. ...

Papaioannou studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts , where he was trained by the Greek artist Giannis Tsarouchis. He later studied dance and trained with the La Mamma Experimental Theater Company in New York and the choreographer Erick Hawkins. His explorations of dance, theatre and improvisation have also led him to an interest in Japanese modern dance disciplines. Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína (IPA: )) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world, named after goddess Athena. ... Fine art is a term used to refer to fields traditionally considered to be artistic. ... For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Drama (art form) be merged into this article or section. ... Improvisation is the act of making something up as it is performed. ...

In 1986 he founded his experimental Omada Edafous Dance Theatre troupe, with his duets with the dancer Angeliki Stellatou becoming a trademark and securing performances at Biennales in Spain and Italy. The more classical and minimalist setting of 1993's well-received Medea foreshadowed Papaioannou's conception of the Olympic ceremony. Medea by Evelyn De Morgan. ...

He has also worked with the iconic Greek actress and star of Zorba the Greek, Irene Papas and more recently directed the staging of Bellini's opera La Sonnambula. Zorba the Greek is a 1964 movie by Michael Cacoyannis, originally titled Alexis Zorbas, based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. ... Irene Papas (Greek Ειρήνη Παππά, born September 3, 1926 in Corinth) is a Greek-born actress who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years. ... La Sonnambula is an opera by Vincenzo Bellini. ...