At Spartakiad, one can see the future, and it worksmostly
Exactly 363 days before the 1980 Moscow Olympics were due to begin, an Olympic dress rehearsal opened with a mighty spectacle. The event is Spartakiad,the quadrennial two-week games of the U.S.S.R., and its opening ceremony was the kind of show that the Soviet Union does so well, choreographed to a split second bursting with color and life. Before 103,000 people in Lenin Stadium, folk dancers, marching teams, gymnasts and 6,000 card flashers performed with astonishing precision. Ritual welcomes were delivered, the Olympic...