The second rehearsal took place for the Hungarian delegation, Nox who will perform Forogj vilag (Spin the world). The first run through was mainly for sound checks, and the performers just walked through a few moves, with choreographer, and lead dancer, Nagy Tamas taking a keen eye on proceedings. There were no problems in the rehearsal, although the final run through had to recommence, due to a camera error.
Press conference
The conference started with a few remarks from the head of delegation, stating that all the team were now here in Kyiv, all the dancers, producer and composers…although they don't all speak English he added.
The first question was one of the more unusual asked at a press conference, about how important musical education is in schools in Hungary? They answered that it unfortunately not as important as it should be, and should be of more importance, and that the basics start in primary school. However the composer Szabolcs Harmath interjected by adding that he “never learned music”, much to the astonishment of the audience.
A more familar question was, that as Hungary was considered to be one of the favourites, could they stage the contest next year? “Yes” was the immediate answer. “We want to host this fantastic event, at least to the same level as here. the only problem is that we have national elections next year, that need to be covered by Hungarian television. But the song contest is more important than national elections, they could always be postponedI” which drew a huge applause from the audience.
About the group Nox, which roughly translates as goddess of darkness, this name was chosen because it is short, easy to say internationally, and sums up the atmosphere , the music and performance on stage. The dancers have been dancing since almost the time they could walk, and have had years of professonal training.
Inevitably comparisons were drawn with Riverdance, and the questioner wondered if this style of dancing was popular in Hungary. Although the question wasn't fully answered, they said that they regard the dancing as being of just as much importance as the song itself to the performance.
As one of the favourites, would they record an English version of the song? “Of course! There is great demand for the English version, and if we win or come near the top, we will record it”. Lead singer Peter Szabo Szilvia then started to sing the English version, but this turned out to be the “nah, nah, nah” from the chorus, much to the amusement of the crowd.
The conference concluded with the photo session. Hungary next appear on stage on Wednesday 18th May at the dress rehearsal from 15.00 local time.
