#Throwback Thursday | Most memorable Eurovision stagings
In the Eurovision Song Contest, the performance of a song also plays a significant role in the final score a country gets, alongside the song. So today, we will be looking back at some of our most memorable stagings in the Eurovision Song Contest. Some are good, and others, not so good. But first, let's start of with some of the good ones!
Russia 2016: Sergey Lazarev - You Are The Only One
In 2016, Russia sent Sergey Lazarev to Stockholm. He performed his song in front of a big LED screen with several effects including wings, lighting and silhouettes. Then, he climbed the wall with all the effects in the background. The performance ended with Sergey standing on the screen, and a woman catching the sun in her hand. The whole performance was stunning and very visually eye catching, and it left many people wondering: how is he doing this? Sergey ended up in 3rd place in the final.
Ukraine 2009: Svetlana Loboda - Be My Valentine
Svetlana Loboda's elaborate Eurovision's performance consisted of three big spinning wheels, lots of fire and smoke. She was accompanied on stage by three gladiator-like dancers, two backing singers in big silver glittery dresses, one on each side of the stage. She even was spun upside down in one part of the performance, and was dragged over the stage on a platform playing the drums with a Ukrainian flag on either side of her. The whole performance was quite epic, and earned Ukraine 12th place in the final.
North Macedonia 2019: Tamara Todevska - Proud
2019's Jury winner Tamara Todevska's song Proud was staged in a very beautiful and elegant way. It involved Tamara in a stunning green dress in front of six mirrors, showing her reflection, which caught people's attention. During the song, several photos of mothers with their children were shown. The performance ended with a big picture of Tamara together with her daughter. This staging suited the song perfectly, and added a touch of class to the Eurovision 2019 final. Tamara scored North Macedonia's best Eurovision result with 7th place. Now that is definetley something to be "Proud" of!
Australia 2019: Kate Miller-Heidke - Zero Gravity
Australia's Kate Miller-Heidke's Eurovision 2019 performance is perhaps one of the most complicated and elaborate stagings Eurovision has ever seen! The performance included Kate in a big white dress, with two backing dancers and singers in black dresses. They were all on high sway poles, accompanied by an on screen effect of earth and an LED backdrop of outer space, creating the illusion Kate and her dancers were flying through space. Kate's staging is quite possibly the most visually stunning to have ever graced the Eurovision stage, and really gave everyone that WOW moment from start to finish. In the end, Kate came 9th in the Final.
Georgia 2016: Nika Kocharov & Young georgian Lolitaz - Midnight Gold
Georgia's performance in 2016 is just one of the brilliant examples of the use of on-screen effects. By using different effects, like black and white, mirror effects and kaleidoscope effects, they made a relatively stiff performance really interesting. The end result was a very trippy visual performance that you couldn't take your eyes off of. Overall they ended in 20th place in the final, giving Georgia their third highest score in Eurovision with 104 points.
Iceland 2016: Greta Salóme - Hear Them Calling
After Greta won The Icelandic national final in 2016, she represented Iceland for the second time. In her performance, Greta used a big blue coloured wall with shadow projections that she interacted with, such as hands, flying birds, several shadows of people and a projection of herself. The whole performance was very captivating couldn't have suited the song any better. Despite being one of the favourites, Greta unfortunatley failed to qualify to the final, finishing in 14th place in the semi final.
Moldova 2013: Aliona Moon - O Mie
In Aliona Moon's Eurovision 2013 performance, her big white and pink projection dress was the centrepiece, alongside her stunning vocals. She was accompanied by Moldova's Eurovision 2012 act, Pasha Parfeny, playing the piano and three dancers. During the performance, light dots were projected on the dress.
Near the end of the song, part of the stage where Aliona was situated was raised up, lifting her up and revealing a very long and colourful dress, with lighting being projected on to the dress, followed by fires. At the end of the performance the fires turned blue, which resembled ice. Aliona eventually finished in 11th place in the final.
Moldova 2018: DoReDos - My Lucky Day
This was a very innovative performance, including a white wall with three doors, and the three DoReDos members, each with their own doppelgänger dancing around the stage. With a creative and funny choreography, they really told a story to the song, and made their complex staging look effortless. And all of this worked in their favour as they got 10th place in the final.
Check out this behind the scenes video to see how their staging all came together:
Ukraine 2008: Ani Lorak - Shady Lady
In 2008, Ani Lorak performed her song Shady Lady on stage in Belgrade in a silver glittery dress in front of a big wall consisting of four separate lit up boxes. She was accompanied by four male dancers in black clothes, who showed up in the different boxes during various parts of the performance. Ani and her dancers made good use of the stage, as well as their light box wall prop, with Ani even climbing on top of it towards the end of the song. The song was catchy, and the whole performance was very high energy, but it wasn't quite enough to win, and she finished in 2nd place with 230 points.
United Kingdom 2017: Lucie Jones - Never Give Up On You
Lucie Jones' incredibly beautiful song also featured a stunning staging to match. During the performance, Lucie was in a gold dress and standing in front of a golden fan-shaped semi circle which had a mirror effect. During the performance, many golden lights filled the backdrop, providing an almost magical feeling to the performance. Towards the end of the performance, these golden lights intensified, and along with some fire-like effects, provided a stunningly golden visual. Lucie achieved one of the United Kingdom's best result the decade when finished in 15th place with 111 points.
Now here are some of the more quirky and different styles of staging that we have encountered over the years at Eurovision.
Iceland 2006: Silvia Night - Congratulations
In 2006, Silvia Night won the Icelandic pre-selection for Eurovision, and thus was sent to Athens that year.
Silvia Night's staging included a big pink slide, two candy canes, (one filled with gold decorations and the other with a telephone), that resembled some sort of fantasy candy land.
It also included some dancers, who jumped into the performance through a screen. The performance also included a costume reveal, dancers running around with flags and lifting Silvia Night up. The whole performance was very bright, colourful and over the top. Unfortunately for Silvia, her night ended in the semi final with 13th place.
Ireland 2008: Dustin The Turkey - Irelande Douze Points
When Ireland sent Dustin The Turkey in 2008, his staging started really dark, and then eventually evolved into a colourful party- like staging with bright flashing lights that could make you think you were in a night club. With Dustin on an elaborate dj-booth, being surrounded by four backing dancers, that also were the backing singers. Ireland's performance that year is definetley memorable, and it quite possibly as crazy as it gets! In the first semi-final, he ended up in 15th place.
The Netherlands 2000: Linda Wagemakers - No Goodbyes
In the beginning of Linda's performance, she was wearing a really big black and white striped dress. This dress was eventually pulled off by her two backing dancers, revealing two more dancers underneath the dress and a glittery silver costume, with hair to match! It was a dazzling spectacle that in the end, finished in 13th place.
Who do you think has had the most memorable staging in Eurovision?
Let us know in the comments down below!
