Categories: EventsPhilly

‘Under da Sea’ views with Message for Blue Planet Live at Mann Center

Whales, sharks, seals, schools of fishes, killer whales, penguins.

The Mann Center certainly delivered incredible visuals of all of these aquatic creatures (plus many more!) combined with amazing sounds from the Russian National Orchestra during last night’s Blue Planet Live.

Starting off Blue Planet Live with a video of the biggest creature to ever roam the earth (including dinosaurs), the Blue Whale is fascinating at the least, as you can see from this video:

Narrator Jane Pauley took us through each scene, from dolphins flipping and playing in the wild to killer whales stalking seals as prey.  We watched as thousands of fish created a cyclone in the ocean.  A funny little ‘martial arts’ crab moving in the sea with birds floating nearby. The empire penguins shielding their young like we met during “Happy Feet“.  The Russian Orchestra’s sounds went perfectly with the frames – whether peaceful or building suspense during the hunting scenes.  The HD screens, both for the lawn and stage captured the audience.

After watching a few hours of breathtaking ocean scenes, Blue Planet Live reminded us of the dire condition of the sea.  1/4 of a million Blue Whales roaming Antarctica have dwindled to under 1000. 73 million sharks are killed yearly purely for their fins.  In 40 years, all of our predatory fish stocks (aka meals) may be GONE if we don’t change.  Plastics in the ocean make up a Great Pacific Garbage Patch – the size of Texas OR bigger.

Overall, Blue Planet Live was an awesome show combining nature with classical sounds.  As expected, it did NOT disappoint… and there’s still time to catch the Russian National Orchestra tonight with Cirque or tomorrow evening with fireworks.

The biggest takeaway from last night? If we don’t take steps to help our ocean, we can damage them forever. And the Blue Whale WILL be a dinosaur.

Posted by Julie

Julie Hancher

Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia.

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