The first show featured nine-minutes of synchronised pyrotechnics by Prisme International, known for their Burj Khalifa fireworks, shooting off across the field as Tron-like dancers choreographed by the local Sharmila Dance school danced on both sides of the big screen. Only their glow-in-the-dark white suits were visible against the night sky as they moved in perfect rhythm, before an aerobatic plan from Skydive Dubai, similarly silhouetted in lights, swooped past the grandstand.
The inspiration for the dance was the story of a local boy and his Arabian white horse, and a film on the same theme played on the wide screen behind.
The full impact of the fireworks, dancers, film and airplane all at once, though dazzling, was almost too much to take in at the same time, with eyes darting all across the field. Those who were not on high may have missed the 40-person flash mob that popped up in the paddock at the same time — comprising dancers in typical race gear.
Another fireworks show lit up the sky for five minutes before Toni Braxton took the stage, taking the total of shots used during the event to 15,000 fireworks.
