Today saw the beginning of the first rehearsals for the countries appearing in the second half of the first semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. You can follow our live review here.

The first four countries to perform are Greece, Poland, Moldova and Iceland.

Greece

First up today is Demy and the song This Is Love. Looking beautiful in a pink lace long dress, Demy is very stagnant on the stage, particularly at the beginning. The background wall is blue and there is a snow and water effect going on for quite a while. Orange lights turn on and illuminate the stage.

As the tempo builds, Demy is joined by two Greek god dancers, but in past Eurovisions this type of act has not scored well. Unfortunately on the first rehearsal Demy didn’t quite reach the high notes in the chorus. Since it is so early in the morning, let’s see how the second rehearsal goes.

The second rehearsal was much better vocal wise. A water effect is swirling everywhere and gold lights are flashing all over the stage. Demy is actually singing on an elevated stage. The colours totally overtake the stage.

The third rehearsal we didn’t see from the beginning but it looks as if Demy is improving with each performance. The stage is definitely alive, but some adjustments are still needed.

The Greek delegation say that the presentation is supposed to represent Demy experiencing love in several aspects. Demy is in a fairytale world at the start. She rises to the stars : true unconditional love. Demy encounters a swan as she continues her journey. Being in a fluid environment she experiences contrasting emotions of purity,tension and restlessness. The strength of pure love can turn everything upside down, it can even reverse the flow of a crashing waterfall. The stage production is created by Fokas Evangelinos.

Poland

The vocals were spot on for the Polish production. The background here was very similar to Greece, stage was totally blue. Kasia stood very still on the stage as she performed her song Flashlight in a long white dress. She was joined onstage by a violinist who was creeping up behind her at times, but it turns out this was her brother.

Smoke billowed up from the stage to the left and right of Kasia and then as the lights shone like stars behind her, they broke up to become shapes of birds and dolphins. This is to represent that animals should have the same rights as humans. The word Freedom is shown towards the end of the song.

By the third rehearsal you can really see how the stage is framed in a circle as the flashlights beam down on Kasia. Horses are also imposed on the back wall. A simple yet powerful performance.

Moldova

There was a lot going on in Moldova’s performance. The three piece band are joined by three female backing vocalists on a raised circular stage. Two of the girls are wearing white blouses and black skirts, while the third has what looks like a white wedding dress. The band are wearing suits, mister saxaphone guys is blue. The lead singers is grey.

There is a black and white tunnel effect behind the band. The screen has a lot of black and white images being projected, and every now and again the word MAMA appears in blue. The band have kept the foot stomping dance, where they are joined by the backing singers.

The bands images are projected multiple times on the video wall and the black and white colours are also shown on the circular floor. There seems to be a Moldovan Hora taking place towards the end of the song. On the third rehearsal all the girls have changed into the long white dresses.

Iceland

Standing still on the stage at the beginning dressed as an ice maiden, as only you’d expect from Iceland, Svala is next with Paper. Her hair is up in a couple of buns, her earrings are long and the vocals are on point. Something though just seems to be missing but it’s hard to figure out what it is. Perhaps there is more needed on the stage.

Mint green laser lights shine down from the ceiling as Svala performs in a skin tight white top and shorts, topped with a white lace like cape. She hogs center stage but with no backing singers on stage with her, she looks tiny on the massive platform. It is hard to tell if her legs are covered in tattoos or if she is wearing a fancy pair of leggings. The second rehearsal saw Svala put more energy into the movement, and again it was vocally perfect.

By the third rehearsal it is obvious Svala is wearing leggings. The run through was again sung perfectly, we will just have to wait and see if there is a connection with the public.

This afternoon we will see rehearsals from Czech Republic, Cyprus, Armenia, Slovenia and Latvia.

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