In the lead up to London’s 2012 Olympics great store was put upon the Carnival community to provide ‘opening ceremony’ offerings, as had been previous efforts at the opening night of the Millennium Dome 1999-2000 and the Queens Golden Jubilee Parade 2002. In an attempt to represent a multi-cultural, ethnically and disability driven society, the then Culture Minister, Jeremy Hunt led a campaign to have a ‘Brazilian style float’ created for the Hackney One torch moment. In light of the fact that the opening event was to be a film/theatre moment, it was of some consolation that Shademakers were chosen to take the role of Artistic Directorship in this community placed project. Partners were drawn from the Arts Council listings of Notting Hill Carnival groups, local organisations of the 5 London boroughs. One aspect of the project involved producing a Carnival float for the Blue Touch Paper disability group in Horsham. Work began on a dragon structure with a twist in its coil, so that the rider sat atop would appear to be riding forward, when he was in fact pointing backwards toward the tail end. The confucian conundrum was further emphasised by the rider wearing Roman centurion armour and indicated the misunderstanding and appropriation of historical fact. St George was a Greek soldier in the Roman army, made a patron saint of England by the Crusaders. St George is also the patron saint of Samba in Brazil. He is not just that, he is the patron saint of Georgia, Portugal, Malta, Beirut, Preston, the Boy Scouts of America and people suffering from skin diseases and syphilis.