Today, second rehearsals for the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 kicked off. Countries rehearsing on Day 5 include Albania, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Slovenia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, The Netherlands Moldova, Portugal, Croatia, Denmark, Austria and Greece. Next to rehearse today was Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra.
Kalush Orchestra’s second rehearsal
Today we got to watch Kalush Orchestra’s second rehearsal from the online Press Centre. We got an in-depth look at how their performance will look on TV on Tuesday 10th May when they performs in the first Eurovision semi-final. You see a small clip of their second rehearsal here!
What can we see from Ukraine’s second rehearsal
The performance starts from the waterfall where we see all six members of Kalush Orchestra in a silhouette behind orange and yellow lights. The first verse shows a steadicam of the group showing off attitude, cutting back and forth between Oleh and the backing singers. Silhouettes are a common theme throughout the performance, and in the lullaby section, the band sway with their shadows on the ground. In the choruses, we see eyes in the background that get progressively older and more wrinkly.
In the second verse, Ukrainian patterns in white and red start spinning on the LED behind the sun, while Oleh starts running around the stage, before returning to the eyes in the second chorus. In the bridge/ outro, all members step forward to form a semi-circle and jam out to the beat, whilst a backing dancer does a few moves and Jamala-like tree branches eminate from the other band members. Whilst the breakdancer dances, he is placed in two hands displayed on the LED screens on the stage. The final shot is a massive light show that lights up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
What happened in Kalush Orchestra’s first rehearsal
After Kalush Orchestra’s first rehearsal, Rory gave his initial impressions of the snippet that we saw. You can see what he had to say about their first rehearsal by checking our TikTok here:
About Kalush Orchestra
Kalush Orchestra were formed in 2021, however Kalush were first established in 2019 solely as a rap group. The members of the group 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 second 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: EBU/Andres Putting
