Eurovision is here! Delegations have been arriving in Basel in the last few days and rehearsals started on May 3. After closing the first rehearsals to the press in 2022, the EBU has now done away with TikTok videoclips. They will instead release sets of three photographs a day after each rehearsal, as well as description of the proceedings on their official channels. As such, today, we cover yesterday’s rehearsals, from the second half of the second semi-finalists, and continue with Georgia, the second rehearsal of the day, with “Freedom”.
🇬🇪 Georgia – Mariam Shengelia – First rehearsal
The following pictures have been published by the official Eurovision accounts. (Source: Alma Bengtsson, Corinne Cumming / EBU)
What happened on stage?
This description is sourced from indications given by the official Eurovision Reddit account.
- Following the example of the Greek delegation, this performance features a large, triangular rock on the stage, bathed in thick fog at the beginning of the performance. The rock does not look as natural as Klavdia’s, though. As we can see in the third picture, it has a very smooth, flat surface.
- Mariam begins on top of it, with a silver gown that looks like it’s part of the rock.
- She is accompanied by four male dancers wearing traditional chokha coats, with “close fitting headdresses and black boots”
- The dancers dance around the rock and, during the second chorus, perform a choreography with blue and white flags
- During the middle eight, Mariam steps out of her dress and walks down from the rock. Her outfit under the dress is a red jumpsuit
- The LED screens show a rising moon at the beginning, which transforms into a red sun with storm clouds and “neon rings”, with the graphics moving faster as the song draws to its conclusion. At the end, they show a mountain while Miriam occupies the frame stage
Stay tuned for further coverage today, with the rehearsals of yesterday, and for our live coverage on the ground starting on May 10, which will include (among other things) the full dress rehearsals and the live shows, live from Basel!
