Day 2: Hovig completes first rehearsal for Cyprus – REVIEW

escXtra are live from Kyiv for day two of rehearsals ahead of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest! The countries rehearsing today, in chronological order, are Greece, Poland, Moldova, Iceland, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Armenia, Slovenia and Latvia. 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 International Exhibition Center by visiting our YouTube channel.

The latest artist to rehearse is Hovig from Cyprus. We have just watched his first run through of Gravity live on screen and here is our initial reaction.

Summary in a sentence

This performance is FULL of potential to be one of the best in the semi-final but it currently isn’t being executed well enough.

Staging

Hovig uses the LED floor at the beginning of the performance to follow as he enters the stage. He has 2 dancers who are all performing unusual dance moves in the style of Loïc Nottet. The Cypriot backdrop is very white which breaks up into blocks, also similar to the Belgian performance a couple of years ago. However it is not a rip-off, don’t worry! Unfortunately Hovig was struggling to stay upright when performing some of the dance moves, hopefully this will improve. There is a fantastic moment in the middle 8 where Hovig lays on the LED floor and he is falling through space.

Vocals

In the first run through here Hovig was struggling with the vocals. Considering he was struggling with some dance moves he may have been prioritising the choreography here.

Costumes

Hovig and his two dancers are all in black, similar to his music video.

UPDATE

Already massive improvements in the second rehearsal, this is the first song today which really has improved its chances if he pulls it off. Fantastic!

Watch the rehearsal!

Stay tuned for our reaction to Artsvik as she rehearses Fly With Me next for Armenia. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to our live stream from the press centre for instant reactions to each rehearsal.