The FIFA World Cup 2014 has officially started with a colorful presentation featuring the best treasures of Brazil. The opening ceremony featured a special performance of J.Lo, Pitbull and Cláudia Leitte singing the official theme song of the games, "We Are One." Their bit was heavily criticized on social media as they were forced to mime the song due to the logistics in production. Dancers, capoeira fighters illuminated with their energy São Paulo and the 68,000-seat New Corinthians Stadium. More than 600 dancers, gymnasts and stilt walkers will perform alongside a huge LED ball that that transformed the arena into a huge carnival. The ball opened up at the end transforming itself into a flower that served as the stage for the singers. Scroll-through the photo gallery above and tell us what you thought about the ceremony!

“The Opening Ceremony is a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people soccer,” Daphne Cornez, Belgian artistic director said. “The sense of excitement here is amazing and everyone is very motivated. It doesn’t matter whether they’re feeling tired or hot sometimes or if they have to go through routines again and again: they just keep on smiling. It’s amazing.” Organizers estimate that 20 hours of preparation have gone into each of the 25 minutes that the show will last. “I went, did the test and got selected. I was very happy and excited. I could hardly contain myself,” said 60-year-old Edna Sasson, one of the dancers who will be representing a river at the ceremony. “It’s a unique event. It’s not like dancing at the local theatre or any other theatre for that matter. You’re dancing at the start of the World Cup, with millions and millions of people watching. I’m loving it.”

The ceremony took place during the day and not many fireworks were used to illuminate the sky. “The ceremony is taking place during the day, which means we won’t be using a lot of lighting or fireworks,” explained Joana Havelange, the executive director of operational planning and support. “There will be no pointed, sharp objects on the pitch or anything that’s very heavy. As a result, the show will focus heavily on the dancers, the sets, the dance routines, fantasy sequences and the soundtrack, which is really lovely and took two and a half months to write.” The opening ceremony will be followed up with the first match of the tournament as host country Brazil faces Croatia.