The choreography at the centre of the opening ceremony of the 5th Commonwealth Youth Games at Apia Park last night was inspired by the Samoan mythology of “Tagaloa the Creator.”Choreographer and mastermind, Tuilagi Seiuli Allan Alo, told the Sunday Samoan that the sequences of dances and singing depicts the myths of how Tagaloa created the nine heavens, according to Samoa’s history.The performance involved some 2,000 students from thirteen different schools.According to Tuilagi, the opening performance took people on a journey of the Samoan myths.“It was basically about how Tagaloa created the nine heavens and then there were people,” said Tuilagi. “Those mythologies in essence are our identity.”During the dance routine, Tagaloa was seen as a power ruler wearing his traditional wear with a headpiece or tuiga. Following him around was a lizard or pilimo’o. According to Tuilagi, the pilimo’o is the narrator.“Our mythologies are always about pilimo’o. He is not only the narrator of the story but is the mediator between heaven and earth.”In Samoan myths, Tagaloa who was also known as Tagaloa-lagi is generally accepted as the creator of the universe, the chief of all gods and the progenitor of other gods and humans.Myths and legends have it that he dwelt in space and made the heavens, the sky, the land, the seas, the fresh water, the trees and the people. There were drawings of the nine heavens waved on the field by the more than a thousand students to portray it.Myths tell of how Tagaloa made the islands, the humans developed from worms. Near the end of the choreography – there were angels.This part, Tuilagi added, tells of the coming of Christianity and peace.The arrival of missionaries and Christianity in Samoa from 1830 saw the gods like Tagaloa being replaced by a Christian divinity.Asked how he felt about the performance, Tuilagi said: “I’m relieved (the beginning part) its finished.”