Today rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 kicked off. Countries rehearsing on Day 1 include Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, and Moldova. Next to rehearse today was Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra.
Kalush Orchestra’s first rehearsal
The next act to take to the Eurovision 2022 stage at the Pala Alpitour in Turin was Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra. Kalush Orchestra will sing the song “Stefania” at Eurovision 2022 after they were selected to represent Ukraine when Vidbir winner Alina Pash withdrew.
Following Kalush Orchestra’s first rehearsal a clip of their rehearsal was posted on TikTok. The clip showed the group before and after they took to the Eurovision stage for the first time. The clip also gave us some insight into how well their first rehearsal went.
What did we learn about Kalush Orchestra’s staging?
There’s no denying that Ukraine’s participation at Eurovision is poignant this year, and the story of “Stefania” is shown beautifully during the performance. All the members of Kalush Orchestra are dressed fantastically – with a specific shoutout to lead singer/rapper Oleh, who is sporting a gorgeous glitzy waistcoat with his iconic pink hat. Ukrainian imagery also permeates throughout the performance – it is true, Ukraine is coming to show itself off at Eurovision this year.
What we thought about Kalush Orchestra’s staging
After Kalush Orchestra rehearsed, Rory gave his initial reaction to the snippet the Eurovision account put out of the staging.
About Kalush Orchestra
Kalush Orchestra were formed in 2021, however Kalush were first established in 2019 solely as a rap group. The members of Kalush are Oleh Psiuk, Ihor Didenchuk, Vlad Kurochka and Oleksandr Slobodianyk. Tymofi Muzchuk and Vitalii Duzhyk join Kalush for Eurovision 2022. Kalush focuses solely on rap, while the orchestra mix it up with Ukranian folk elements.
Ukraine’s Eurovision Journey
Ukraine is one of the most successful countries to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. The country has scored seven top-five placements, with an extra three top-ten finishes. Ukraine won the Contest in 2004 with Ruslana’s “Wild Dances” and again in 2016 with Jamala’s “1944”. Jamala’s win made history for Ukraine, as it became the first ex-Soviet country to win the Contest more than once.
In 2021, Go_A represented Ukraine in the 65th edition of the Contest with their song “SHUM”. The band scored 364 points, finishing in fifth place.
What are your opinions on Kalush Orchestra’s first rehearsal? What changes would you make? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
News Source: EBU
Photo Source: Maxim Fesenko
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