Thirteen-year-old Nikki Webster had kept her starring role in the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony a secret from her parents. Then they sat down to watch.

By Sarah Keoghan

Her name is now synonymous with the Sydney Olympics but a few hours before the opening ceremony of the 2000 Games, few had heard of Nikki Webster.

A few hours after it, the 13-year-old was everywhere. Wearing a pink dress with white flowers, such was Webster’s starring role as the Hero Girl of the Sydney opening ceremony, her fame exploded overnight.

It caught Webster by surprise, but for her parents Tina and Mark it was a shock.

Though aware their young dancer, through a long audition process and months of rehearsals, would have a role in the Sydney Olympics opening ceremony, they had been deliberately kept in the dark on the fact Nikki was playing a pivotal role.

Tina and Mark watched on in disbelief as Nikki, bathed in spotlight, skipped across the giant stage and soared through the air, but it was only on their very non-VIP trip home from ANZ Stadium – on the train – that it all hit home.

“On the way home, people were handing out free papers. Mum and Dad opened the paper and it was full of me,” she said.

Twenty years on, Webster can hardly believe the level of fame that settled on her so quickly.

But to land the part, she had to go up against thousands of hopefuls during an exhaustive audition process.

“I reckon if there was a reality show back then – it should have been about the Hero Girl auditions,” she said. “Every young girl that you could imagine was there, every girl you had auditioned against for musicals, for tv commercials, it was a massive casting call.”

Continue reading Nikki Webster 20 years on: How the opening ceremony changed everything

SHE is the face of the Opening Ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony and her flight through the air have made her famous, but Nikki Webster is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

Nikki, 13, relaxed yesterday at her home in Sydney’s inner west.

“It was amazing to be such a big part of the ceremony,” said Nikki. “And doing a press conference and live TV was just like being in the movies, but I’m still the same – I’m enjoying it all but it won’t change me.”

She captured our hearts on Friday night, sent our pulses racing as she swam through the air and shivers down our spines with her rendition of Under Southern Skies.

She was watched by a worldwide television audience of almost four billion people, but yesterday Nikki was just like any other 13-year-old as she took it easy with her proud parents, Tina and Mark, her 16-year-old brother Scott, and her dog, appropriately named Star.

Nikki beat off strong competition to win the role in the Opening Ceremony, but she has one special talent in her favour – she knew how to fly. She said: “I have flown before for a TV ad, but it wasn’t as high up as 25m. My gymnastics helped, too, so it came pretty easy to me.”

So easy, in fact, she wanted to fly even higher. “It was an amazing experience. I would have gone higher if I could. I felt safe and secure in the harness. I just told them when I was ready to be lifted. Singing live was amazing too.” There were no butterflies when she was suspended 25m in the air above the giant stadium.

Nikki, who sang a duet with Michael Jackson in 1996, said: “I met him during his HIStory tour with my dance company. We had a big M&M fight. He was great fun.”

Nikki has also starred as Brigitta in The Sound of Music beside Lisa McCune and John Waters and appeared as the young Cosette in Les Miserables.

But the Olympics has helped her fulfill her biggest ambition – to record a CD. Her song, Under Southern Skies, will feature on the Olympic album

– Vickie Maye

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Source: Sydney Morning Herald

By Deborah Hope and Sally Jackson

NIKKI Webster became one of the most watched faces in the world last night as Hero Girl, the biggest non-sporting star of the Olympic ceremony extravaganza.

The 13-year-old Sydney schoolgirl and aspiring actor had the most demanding role of any of the 12, 500 performers in the hour-long cultural segment, not only having to act, sing and dance, but also to fly 30m into the air in front of 118, 000 enthralled spectators as well as an estimated television audience of about 3.7 billion.

Like all the other performers, Nikki had to sign a confidentiality agreement that meant even her parents, Tina and Mark, did not know the full extent of her role until they were able to see it last night.

Opening ceremony artistic director David Atkins said the little girl’s journey, which was used to link all seven sequences of the creative segment, was what held the story together.

“Whether it’s the Hero Girl materialising out of a waratah, feeding the Kelly Horse or interfacing with Djakapurra, she and Djakapurra are the links,” he said. “All the pieces form a story about who we are and what we feel.”
Continue reading Hero Girl harnesses world’s delight

SYDNEY, Australia – Sydney schoolgirl Nikki Webster became one of the most-watched faces in the world Friday when she appeared as Hero Girl, the biggest nonsporting star of the Olympics opening ceremony.

The 13-year-old aspiring actor had the most demanding role of any of the 12, 600 performers in the hour-long cultural segment: Not only did she act, sing and dance, she also “flew” in a harness about 100 feet into the air in front of 110, 000 spectators and millions of TV viewers.

Like all the performers, Nikki had to sign a confidentiality agreement that meant even her parents didn’t know the full extent of her role until they saw it Friday night.

She was chosen from about 500 hopefuls, a field that was eventually cut to three finalists after the contenders were put through their paces in the dafety harness.

“Flying at the stadium for the first time was amazing,” she said in an interview in The Australian newspaper. “The flying is a bit demanding. There’s lots of practice, especially to stay stright.”

“They took us up very high and we did some swimming strokes. Then I had to sing.”

Her voice and stage presence made her a natual, organizers said.

Opening ceremony artistic director David Atkins said the little girl’s journey, which was used to link all seven sequences of the creative segment, was what held the story together.

She had previous “flying” experience from television commercials.

Despite her youth, the girl is also a showbiz veteran who, according to her agent, started in the entertainment business when she was 5.

Source: Detroit Free Press

By Nikki Webster

When I flew last night, I wasn’t scared – just thrilled to be a part of the opening ceremony seen by billions of people around the world.

I couldn’t see anyone in the crowd while I was swimming, and just concentrated on pretending I was at the beach and in the ocean to make people believe the story. The Deep Sea section of the ceremony was my favourite because I love going to the beach. It was amazing to be up there, 25m off the ground, and so much fun. Even in my first audition I wasn’t scared when they lifted us up to test our nerves, then took us up a bit higher into the stadium.

When I won the part I was so excited, and since then the training has not taken that long. I had to spend the most time learning the flying sequence, and that is a great new skill to have.

It was a great honour to be part of the ceremony and perform in the stadium, and also to meet some of my idols like John Farnham and Olivia Newton-John. I look up to Olivia because I love her voice and she’s gone so far with her career, which I hope will happen to me too.

I hope my performance last night helps me with further opportunities and pushes along my dream of being a pop star and an actor. Olivia has given me some encouraging words which I will always remember, saying I have an amazing voice. I just love her, she has been my idol since I first saw Grease when I was about five years old. That was when I first started performing and I have been dancing, singing, and acting ever since.

I sang at the Royal Easter Show, and I’ve been in the Sound of Music, but last night’s performance was the most thrilling.

But even though I know my life will change today because of the publicity, it won’t change me.

Source: The Herald Sun
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The Australians staged a strange and wonderful Opening Ceremony for the 2000 Olympic Games yesterday that took us to the Thunderdome and beyond. Now we know why they call this place Oz.

When cute 13- year-old Nikki Webster started the show by stepping to the middle of Olympic Stadium, flashing an ethereal smile, and suddenly shooting 100 feet into the air and began doing back flips, it was clear we were heading into something completely different. We’re not in Atlanta any more, Toto.

“I wasn’t scared at all,” said Nikki, who spent much of the program suspended high above the crowd hooked to a harness and a wire. “I was just having heaps and heaps of fun.”

So was everyone else, with the possible exception of Nikki’s parents, who had been kept in the dark about her high-flying stunts. She told them it “wouldn’t be a surprise” if she told them what she would be doing. Asked how they reacted after watching her sail clear up above the cheap seats with only a harness to hold her, Nikki said they were “both in tears.” So we can assume they were surprised.
Continue reading Sydney’s Spectacular Show