Today rehearsals for Junior Eurovision 2024 kicked off in Madrid. Countries rehearsing on Day 1 include Georgia, Italy, Cyprus, Albania, Ukraine, Estonia, Armenia, North Macedonia and Spain. The third country to rehearse today is Cyrpus’ Maria Pissarides.
What did we learn about Maria Pissarides’ staging?
Disclaimer: Please note that the EBU has not released footage from the first rehearsals, and that the description detailed in this article is mainly based from the pictures and if available footage from the delegations themselves.
Maria Pissarides takes to the stage with 4 dancers, and the focus is on their choreography and the use of pyrotechnics. She is wearing a white dress and silver Hi Tops, with the screen behind her interacting with the movement showing a sun that is alternately surrounded by fire and water.
If you are interested in seeing more pictures from Maria Pissarides’ first rehearsal today, you can look through them right here.
Who is Maria Pissarides?
Maria Pissarides is a Cypriot-born dancer currently studying performing arts in the United Kingdom. Maria is eleven years old and enjoys playing with her dog when she’s not performing. Primarily a dancer, she also sings and writes music, and was recognized in the 2023 European Radio competition; she participated in lyrics writing for her Junior Eurovision entry “Crystal Waters”. She has lately delved into musical theatre as well, most recently performing in a production of Matilda.
Cyprus returns to Junior Eurovision after a six-year hiatus, last competing in 2017. Maria Pissarides was announced as their entrant on 21st August, the same day CyBC announced their return to Junior Eurovision. Her song “Crystal Waters”, written by former Junior Eurovision entrant Sophia Patsalides, was released to the public on September 30th.
Cyprus’ Junior Eurovision Journey
Cyprus first took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in its inaugural year of 2003. Theodora Rafti represented Cyprus at the first edition of the Contest, singing “Mia Efhi”, finishing in 14th place. The country’s best position came in both 2004 and 2006, when they finished in 8th place. Cyprus would go on to host the 2008 edition of the Contest in Limassol.
The island nation’s most recent participation came in 2017 when Nicole Nicolaou sang “I Wanna Be A Star”. Performing first in the final, Cyprus eventually finished 16th in a field of 16. At the close of voting, Cyprus received 45 points, 40 of which came from the online vote. The remaining 5 points were awarded by professional juries across Europe.
Are you looking forward to seeing Cyprus at Junior Eurovision in Madrid? As always, let us know what you think by commenting down below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Junior Eurovision 2024!
News Source: That Eurovision Site
Photo Credit:
That Eurovision Site 
Tim J