London Olympics 2012: Behind the scenes with Olympic volunteers and a tantalising glimpse of what we can expect at Opening Ceremony

• Brief YouTube clip shows some of the ten thousand performers practicing
  
• Includes dancing, drumming and molten metal poured from kiln in one scene
  
• Canon seen being fired and part of a spectacular climactic firework display
  

By Sam Adams

PUBLISHED: 11:16 EST, 21 July 2012 | UPDATED: 13:32 EST, 21 July 2012

With just six days to go until the launch of the London Olympics most of us are still none the wiser about what the spectacular opening ceremony will consist of.

But a new 17 second-long video clip on You Tube has nevertheless given a tantalising glimpse of some of the ten thousand volunteers being put through their paces - from a group of dancers practicing their moves to an orchestra rehearsing.

The video, released by the organisers, shows a variety of intriguing scenes in quick succession, including what looks like molten metal being poured from a kiln, to a canon being fired and part of a spectacular fireworks display.

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A clip from the You Tube video shows dancers practising their routines for the Olympics opening ceremony

Volunteers practice with metal drums with just days to go until they perform in the Olympic Stadium

One clip shows what looks like part of a giant fireworks display

A canon is fired as part of preparations for the opening ceremony

In other scenes a woman is seen being lowered by a chord wearing a crash helmet, young ballet dancers practice their steps and BMX riders test their skills on a cycle ramp.

Preparations for the three-hour opening ceremony are in full swing, with the 10,000 volunteer performers now attending thrice-weekly rehearsals. If any of them miss a single rehearsal, they are told not to come back.

Danny Boyle, who directed Slumdog Millionaire, is in creative charge, and as recent  pictures of the scenes inside the stadium reveal, the show will essentially tell the story of the making of Britain — culturally, socially and politically.

Coordinating the thousands of volunteers taking part has been a mammoth task

Cheers! Volunteers, including Matt Clack, 30, from Hackney, east London, make some noise during a rehearsal

A violinist practices alongside other members of the orchestra that will play at the opening ceremony

A performer is descended from safety wires as she practices her moves

Organisers have flouted the usual 7.30pm start because they require dark for fireworks. The finish is expected to be after midnight.

The artistic part of the opening ceremony has had to be cut short by 30 minutes to ensure that spectators leave on time.

At least 100 Team GB competitors won’t march in the parade because they’ll be competing next morning.

And the 75-strong track and field team, including Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Dai Greene, will be in Portugal at a preparation camp, as their events start in the second week of the Games.

Olympic cheerleaders have also been practicing their dance routines - pictured here at the beach volleyball training courts at Horseguards Parade in central London

The main stadium will be transformed into a meadow, with real grass laid over the infield and a game of cricket unfolding in one corner.

At one end there will be a replica of Glastonbury Tor, the ancient site in Somerset which is linked to Arthurian legend.

In front of the Tor will be a mosh-pit, to replicate the dance area in front of the stage at the Glastonbury Festival. Here, up to 100 members of the public who have bought tickets will be allowed to stand.

Gents: Dressed in a way which has been deemed to represent Britain, performers prepare for the rehearsals at the Olympic stadium in Stratford

The Olympic Stadium is being prepared for the opening ceremony taking place in less than a week

A river runs through it: The Thames takes centre stage for the Olympic opening ceremony seen in this aerial shot of the ceremony preparations

At the other end of the stadium, beneath a giant bell, will be the ‘posh-pit’ — so named by Danny Boyle because the public there will be reflecting the spirit of promenaders at Last Night of the Proms.

There will also be four giant Maypoles representing England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The green will give way to an industrial landscape with models of The Gherkin, the Houses of Parliament and the Royal Albert Hall which have been built at a site in Dagenham.

Performers will recreate the Jarrow march of 1936, when 200 men walked to London to protest about unemployment and poverty in the North-East.

The NHS will be honoured by real nurses pushing hospital beds around the arena, and there will also be a tribute to the suffragette movement.

Performers will also pay homage to The Beatles.

VIDEO: Watch scenes from preparations for the Olympics opening ceremony

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