Today the first rehearsals of ten countries took place in Minsk, Belarus.
Preparation for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 is continuing with the first rehearsals of Italy, Kazakhstan, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Wales. Here’s a recap of what happened.
Italy
Kicking off today’s rehearsals were Melissa and Marco from Italy. Marco begins the song by himself on a swing. The stage then lights up to reveal Melissa. Melissa then goes to the swing later on in the performance. Melissa and Marco will be singing “What Is Love”, which will be sung in Italian and English.
Kazakhstan
Danielya Tuleshova was second to rehearse, marking the first ever rehearsal of a Kazakh participant in a Eurovision contest. Unlike her national final performance, Danielya was alone on stage. The graphics of the performance feature the Golden Eagle, one of the symbols of Kazakhstan and Central Asia as a whole and which also features on the flag of Kazakhstan. Danielya will be singing “Ózińe Sen”, which will be sung in Kazakh and English.
Malta
The third performer to rehearse was Ela from Malta. Ela began her performance on the smaller stage with two of her dancers before making her way back to the main stage. There, Ela was joined by two more dancers as she began playing the piano. The background graphics feature shots from the music video. Ela will be singing “Marchin’ On”, which will be sung in English.
Poland
Fourth on stage today was Roksana Węgiel from Poland. Roksana is joined on stage by three dancers and is the first of this year’s contestants to have backing singers on stage. Roksana wears sunglasses at the beginning of her performance but soon takes it off. Towards the end of the song, the dancers pull out ribbons from Roksana’s dress. Roksana will be singing “Anyone I Want To Be”, which will be sung in Polish and English.
Portugal
Rita Laranjeira from Portugal was next to take to the stage. Rita moved around the stage during her performance. Rita also had an armchair on stage with her. The LED screens behind Rita showed bright geometric patterns. Rita will be singing “Gosto de Tudo (Já Não Gosto de Nada)”, which will be sung in Portuguese.
Russia
The next performer to rehearse was Anna Filipchuk from Russia, the defending champions of Junior Eurovision. Anna was joined on stage by a drummer, a keyboardist, a guitarist and two backing singers. During the last chorus, videos of children singing the song appeared on the LED screens. Anna will be singing “Unbreakable”, which will be sung in Russian and English.
Serbia
Bojana Radovanović from Serbia was the seventh performer to rehearse today. Bojana performed alone on stage. Bojana’s performance began on the main stage before moving to the smaller stage. Bojana ends her song kneeling down. Bojana will be singing “Svet”, which will be sung in Serbian.
The Netherlands
The eighth rehearsal today was that of Max and Anne from the Netherlands. Max and Anne stayed on the main stage for the entire song. Two dancers performed with ribbons on the smaller stage. Images of Max and Anne were shown on the LED screens. Max and Anne will be singing “Samen”, which will be sung in Dutch and English.
Ukraine
The second last rehearsal of the day was Darina Krasnovetska from Ukraine. Darina performed alone on stage. Darina also performed part of the song through a red megaphone. Along with red and white shapes, the lyrics to the chorus appeared on the LED in Ukrainian and English. Darina will be singing “Say Love”, which will be sung in Ukrainian and English.
Wales
Bringing the second day of rehearsals to a close was Manw from Wales, the second of this year’s debuting countries. Manw was joined on stage by four dancers. Manw does the dancers’ choreography during the chorus. An image of a sun shining over a valley is shown on the LED screens. Manw will sing “Perta”, which will be sung in Welsh.
Tomorrow ten countries will have their second rehearsals. These countries are:
- Israel
- Ireland
- Georgia
- FYR Macedonia
- France
- Belarus
- Azerbaijan
- Australia
- Armenia
- Albania
Eurovoix will bring you the latest news from the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 throughout this week.
