ESCXTRA are live from Lisbon for day 6 of rehearsals ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Armenia, Switzerland, Ireland, Cyprus, Norway, Romania, Serbia, San Marino, Denmark, Portugal, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
We’re streaming live from the press centre
Furthermore, read our handy guide for a more detailed look at this contest’s rehearsal schedule.
In addition, for our immediate reactions to every single rehearsal, you can follow our live stream from the press centre at the Altice Arena by visiting our YouTube channel.
The latest artist to rehearse for the second time is Eleni Foureira for Cyprus. We have just watched their latest run through of Fuego live on screen and here is our initial reaction.
Staging
The performance begins with Eleni in front of a blue tunnel effect that is created by lasers. This effect changes to red for the first verse, in which she is joined by her four backing dancers. No other entry this year performs choreography to this advanced level, and the effect of Eleni and her backing dancers performing this in sync is mesmerising.
There are on-screen fire image effects during parts of the second half of the performance which have been tidied up since the first rehearsal on Monday. We expect her fire pyros to return for the final run through!
Camera shots in this performance: 100
Vocals
There’s is no other artist this year doing so much dancing and singing at the same time, but Eleni manages to keep the vocals solid for the majority of the performance while putting so much energy into her moves. It’s all very impressive. The backing vocalists give Eleni the support she needs and Fuego comes across competently as a vocal package.
Costume
Eleni’s costume is the same as in the first rehearsal. It’s a gold, glittery bodysuit with a transparent area around her stomach and leather sleeves. The backing dancers are wearing similar outfits but in black to ensure that Eleni is the focus of this performance!
To qualify or not to qualify?
We have taken a flash poll from around the ESCXTRA table here in the press centre and 6 out of 7 of us say…
YES!
Watch the rehearsal!
Stay tuned for our reaction to Alexander Rybak as they rehearse That’s How You Write A Song next for Norway. If you want to know what to expect for the rest of the day, check out our rehearsal schedule here. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our live stream from the press centre for instant reactions to each rehearsal.
