Day two of rehearsals at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest is underway in Vienna. First rehearsals remain closed to press — only three approved images per country will be released, with official photos published approximately 24 hours after each performance. Meanwhile, the official Eurovision subreddit is providing live descriptions of each performance. Eurovision Universe tried to find more information through social media, national broadcaster coverage, and press reports. All countries below compete in Semi-Final 1 on Tuesday, 12 May.
🇲🇪 Montenegro – Tamara Živković, “Nova Zora”
Running order: 8 | Rehearsal: 10:30–11:00 CEST
Tamara Živković opened Sunday’s rehearsal block at the Wiener Stadthalle. According to the official Eurovision subreddit, she starts “Nova Zora” lying on the floor, surrounded by four shadowy figures who gradually reveal themselves as her dancers. As the song begins, she slowly rises, pulling dramatic poses along the way. The stage shifts between deep red and small flashes of blue as the choreography moves from sharp, uniform steps into something rawer and more primal.
Ahead of Vienna, Tamara told CdM that the staging carries over from Montesong in concept. Her goal is a performance combining emotion, energy, and visual impact — one that makes the audience truly feel the power of the “New Dawn.” She and broadcaster RTCG confirmed that the revamped version stays largely in Montenegrin but adds a short line in English. Tamara stated she carefully considered fan feedback on social media before finalising those adjustments. Montenegro performs 8th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. sources: Eurovision/RTCG
🇪🇪 Estonia – Vanilla Ninja, “Too Epic To Be True”
Running order: 9 | Rehearsal: 11:10–11:40 CEST
According to the official Eurovision subreddit, Vanilla Ninja’s staging stays largely in line with their Eesti Laul performance as the trio return to the Eurovision stage after 21 years. The team revamped the song slightly to give it a stronger rock feel, aiming to appeal to both the public and the juries. Their outfits are also upgraded from the Eesti Laul look, sharpening the rock identity they bring to Vienna. Audience participation plays a central role, with the track edited to build a clear “hype moment” in the middle-eight. The performance closes with a large blast of pyrotechnics in its final seconds.
Vanilla Ninja formed in Tallinn in 2002. Kerli Kivilaan, Lenna Kuurmaa, and Piret Järvis make up the current trio. They represented Switzerland at Eurovision 2005 with “Cool Vibes,” finishing 8th. The band disbanded in 2008 and reunited in 2020. Estonia performs 9th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. sources: Eurovision
🇮🇱 Israel – Noam Bettan, “Michelle”
Running order: 10 | Rehearsal: 11:50–12:20 CEST
Noam Bettan opens his performance inside a massive diamond-shaped prop. Broadcaster Kan describes it as the largest stage prop at this year’s contest. The diamond’s interior uses infinite mirrors to create the illusion of countless reflections — a direct visual reference to the music video for “Michelle.”
A solo dancer draws Bettan out of the diamond and leads him to the front of the stage, where four more dancers await. Kan reports that Bettan’s vocal performance drew enthusiastic reactions from those present in the arena. Director Yoav Tzafir called it a pleasure to work with Bettan.
Note that the official Eurovision reddit reports about the performance of this song, but doesn’t mention the country’s name a single time in their report.
Israel performs 10th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May.
sources: Eurovision/Times of Israel
🇧🇪 Belgium – Essyla, “Dancing on the Ice”
Running order: 11 | Rehearsal: 12:45–13:15 CEST
According to the official Eurovision subreddit, Essyla brings a sleek and dance-forward performance to the Wiener Stadthalle. RTBF, Belgium’s French-language national broadcaster, confirmed that Essyla performs with four male dancers: Max Lukaina, Axel Remezo, Julien Maniquet, and Tom Van de Weghe. Elena Gambardella and David Vandenplas choreograph the performance. Gambardella previously danced at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021.
RTBF shared rehearsal footage on Instagram in the weeks before Vienna, giving the first public glimpse of how the team plans to bring “Dancing on the Ice” to the stage. When RTBF announced her selection, Essyla said: “I don’t fully realize. A part of me is still elsewhere, as if I were hiding the fact that I am the one who represents Belgium.” Belgium arrives in Vienna after two consecutive non-qualifications.
Essyla also managed to speak with our reporter Kal in Vienna. “The stage is huge! It’s very spectacular. All the tech, all the lights! I’m lucky that i get to be doing this for the next two weeks. And just to think that my mother will be somewhere there in the big crowd in very surreal”, she told us. Belgium performs 11th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. sources: Eurovision/RTBF
🇱🇹 Lithuania – Lion Ceccah, “Sólo Quiero Más”
Running order: 12 | Rehearsal: 13:25–13:55 CEST
Lion Ceccah brings a technically complex staging to Vienna. A large metal sculpture built from tensioned steel cables and held together by electromagnets stands centre stage. At the emotional peak of the performance, the electricity cuts. The magnets release. The entire structure collapses, live, on stage, in front of the audience.
Lion Ceccah explained his vision to LRT directly: “This is not just a stage decoration, but a living stage sculpture, an installation that becomes the axis of the performance, transforms along with the music and ultimately collapses right on the stage. I wanted to create a spectacle that the audience has never seen before in any Lithuanian Eurovision performance.” Our reporter Kal also spoke to him. “It was great to be on stage. But for next time, I fix my nose”, Lion commented. It left us wondering what he meant, but probably he was talking about his make up.
Head of Delegation Audrius Giržadas confirmed the structure works as planned and was sent to Vienna ahead of rehearsals for testing. He called it an incomparably more complex stage solution than anything Lithuania has previously transported to Eurovision. Born in Vilnius in 1991, Tomas Alenčikas performs as Lion Ceccah. He is a stage artist, songwriter, drag culture advocate, and musical theatre specialist. Lithuania performs 12th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. sources: Eurovision/LRT
Second rehearsals for Montenegro, Estonia, and Israel take place on Wednesday, 6 May. Belgium and Lithuania follow on Thursday, 7 May. Official photos from today’s rehearsals will appear approximately 24 hours after each performance on the Eurovision Song Contest’s official Instagram and Facebook channels.
🇸🇲 San Marino – Senhit feat. Boy George, “Superstar”
Running order: 13 | Rehearsal: 14:35–15:05 CEST
Senhit brought “Superstar” to the Wiener Stadthalle stage for the first time on Sunday afternoon. According to the official Eurovision subreddit, the performance delivers on the big promises made ahead of Vienna. Staging company Black Skull Creative, speaking to The Euro Trip Podcast before rehearsals began, confirmed there would be a “big prop” and a “big reveal” for Boy George as part of the performance, adding that Senhit and Boy George had “not left anything to chance” and had gone into every detail.
The question surrounding Boy George’s participation now appears to have an answer on the Vienna stage. Senhit confirmed in an interview that Boy George would join her live, describing his involvement as settled: “He said absolutely I will be involved with you, and I will be on stage with you.” Senhit arrived in Vienna on Friday evening, though it remained unclear at the time whether Boy George had travelled with her.
The first time Senhit represented San Marino was at Düsseldorf 2011, then returned at Rotterdam 2021 with “Adrenalina” feat. Flo Rida, taking the microstate to the Grand Final and scoring a hit that has since been streamed over 20 million times on Spotify. San Marino performs 13th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. Sources: SMRTV / The Euro Trip Podcast / Washington Times
🇵🇱 Poland – Alicja, “Pray”
Running order: 14 | Rehearsal: 15:15–15:45 CEST
Alicja completed her first rehearsal on the Wiener Stadthalle stage Sunday afternoon. The performance is a complete overhaul of what audiences saw at the Polish national final. Speaking to TVP before flying to Vienna, Alicja confirmed the performance had been fully redesigned: “We have a completely new idea that I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by. I can’t wait to show you some of this work.”
According to the official Eurovision subreddit, the staging centres on a central prop, which the delegation has asked press not to describe in detail. What observers confirm is that Alicja opens alone on stage, and that the prop transforms the performance entirely once her four dancers join her. TVP confirmed ahead of Vienna that the dancers are Włodek Kołoby, Oskar Borkowski, Krystian Rzymkiewicz, and Stefano Silvino. Director Kamil Staszczyszyn stated: “I think this performance will be different and, to some extent, stand out.”
Alicja departed Warsaw Chopin Airport on Sunday morning. Before boarding her flight, she appeared live on TVP2’s Pytanie na śniadanie to say goodbye to viewers back home. She described “Pray” as a personal statement: “a prayer about fighting for your dreams and fighting for everything you want to achieve in life and getting your power and your strength back.” Poland performs 14th in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. Sources: TVP / Wikipedia / N1
🇷🇸 Serbia – Lavina, “Kraj mene”
Running order: 15 | Rehearsal: 15:55–16:25 CEST
Lavina closed Sunday’s rehearsal block, performing last in the first semi-final running order. The six-piece metal band from Niš took to the Wiener Stadthalle stage for the first time, bringing what is Serbia’s heaviest Eurovision entry to date. According to the official Eurovision subreddit, the performance hits hard and delivers the intensity the band built their reputation on.
Speaking to N1 ahead of Vienna, Lavina confirmed the performance stays close to what audiences saw at Pesma za Evroviziju: minor refinements have been made to sharpen certain elements, but the core concept stays intact. The goal, the band said, is to maintain the chemistry between the six members and convey the same emotional impact to an international audience.
Lavina confirmed the song remains in Serbian for Vienna. The band explained they want viewers to engage with the original lyrics and even take the time to understand the language. They were formed formed in Niš in 2020 and released their debut album Odyssey in 2022, touring extensively across Europe including Sziget and Eurosonic. Serbia performs 15th — last — in Semi-Final 1 on 12 May. Sources: RTS / N1 / Wikipedia
Second rehearsals for San Marino, Poland, and Serbia take place on Thursday, 7 May. Official photos from today’s rehearsals will appear approximately 24 hours after each performance on the Eurovision Song Contest’s official Instagram and Facebook channels.
