SAULT. STE-MARIE -- David Dellaire would love a second chance at his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Sault Ste. Marie native, who now lives in England, was part of the opening ceremonies at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London on Friday.

The St. Mary's College graduate was part of an Industrial Revolution segment, Pandemonium, that opened the event.

"(Friday) was one of the happiest days of my life," he said. "I've never been so excited about a performance, ever."

Plenty of folks back home took in his performance. Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium trumpets the ceremonies as the most watched Summer Olympic Games broadcast on record in the country. On average, 6.4 million Canadians watched the three-and-a-half-hour ceremony.

"It was one of the greatest moments of my life," said Dellaire, 35. "Being on that stage was unbelievable.

The segment we were in was so dramatic and moving. We were almost moved to tears ourselves just to be out there in front of 80,000 people."

The University of Toronto graduate acknowledged he was "a little nervous" leading up to a performance he rehearsed since early May.

"Once I got out there I was just feeling the energy and vibe of everything going on, which made it an incredible thrill to be out there. I'm not sure I could replicate that feeling anywhere else to be honest."

The teacher, singer, music and stage director watched Pandemonium four times on Saturday night. He spotted his "incredibly tiny" self based on where he was when the music was playing. It also helped that Dellaire was one of the few of the 1,000 performers in Pandemonium decked out in a white shirt.

The cast represented workers who transformed the set from a traditional English garden to a factory and then forged Olympic rings out of metal.

Dellaire's mother, Maureen Mousseau, was "overwhelmed" with what she saw. She watched the opening ceremonies and taped the broadcast for a later viewing.

"I wasn't able to pick David out, but just knowing he was there made me so proud," said Mousseau in an email. "We are getting lots of calls in support of David. I think he feels like his community has supported him as well as his family."