This Saturday, the first edition of the Eurovision Dance Contest will take place in London. As a warm-up, here is an overview on the dances and songs the couples have chosen for Saturday's performances.
The first dance of each couple is one of the five international standard dances (Slow Foxtrot, Slow Waltz, Vienesse Waltz, Quickstep and Tango) or one of the five international Latin dances (Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble, Jive and Cha-cha-cha). The second performance can be based on any dance but has to contain some elements typical for the country the couple represents.
The first couple on stage comes from Switzerland: Ice dancer Denise Biellmann and her professional dance partner Sven Ninnemann have chosen the Paso Doble for their first dance, the song is the famous piece Malagueña. The second dance is a swing performance based on Feeling good by Michael Bublé.
Maria Sitteland Vladislav Borodinovfrom Russia will start with the only slow Latin dance, namely Rumba. The song is the theme of the movie Romeo & Juliet with Claire Danes and Leonardo de Caprio. The second performance will be based on a Paso Doble but – as required – with Russian elements. The song is Andrey Petrov's Tzygansky Tanetz.
Cha-cha-cha is the first choice of the dancing couple from the Netherlands. Alexandra Mattemanand Redmond Valkwill probably deliver a hot stage show: their song is Sexbomb by Tom Jones. The second performance will be more dramatic since it is a visual interpretation of Will you still love me tomorrow by British soul diva Amy Winehouse.
Camilla Dallerup and Brendan from this year's host country, the United Kingdom, have also chosen the Rumba for the first performance. The song was made famous by Barbara Streisand and is called The way we were. There can't be any doubt about the national elements of the freestyle dance: dedicated to Great Britain's most famous secret agent, the music is a medley of James Bond theme songs.
The marrried couple Kelly and Andy Kainz from Austria have chosen the jive, which is probably the most lively international Latin dance for the first performance. The song is the iconic World War II tune Boogie woogie bugle boy, which was made famous by the Andrews Sisters in 1941. The freestyle dance is based on the Paso Doble but contains some typical moves of the native Vienesse Waltz. The song is the instrumental tune The black pearl which appeared on the soundtrack of the film Pirates of the Carribean.
The first and only couple that chose the fifth Latin dance, Samba, for the first performance, are Germany's Wolke Hegenbarth and Oliver Seefeldt. The song is another classic, namely Patti LaBelle's Lady marmelade. Their freestyle dance is a mix of Samba, Cha-cha-cha and exhibition dancing, which also contains some acrobatic highlights.
The second couple with the Jive for the first performance are Ourania Kolliou and Spiros Pavlidis from Greece. The song is another famous piece of music: Everybody needs somebody to love, which appeared on the Blues Brothers soundtrack. The second dance will be a Sirtaki, which most people think of that it's an old Greek folk dance – which ist not true: actually the dance style, based on the folk dance Sirtos, was invented in 1964 for the film Alexis Sorba, since the original dances were too hard to learn for actor Anthony Quinn. The song is taken from the soundtrack of another film, Zorbas the Greek.
Lithuanian's Gabrielë Valiukaitëand Gintaras Svistunaviciusgo classic with Georges Bizet's Carmen they chose for their Paso Doble. The second dance style is a native version of the Polka and will be performed tothe song Cuban Pete which is taken from the Soundtrak of Jim Carrie's The Mask.
We are half way through an Spain will be the ninth country to perform. The first dance by Amagoya Benllochand Abraham M. Fernandezwill be a Cha-cha-cha performed to the song Baila Morena by Zucchero. The freestyle will be, which is no surprise, based on the native Paso doble. The song is called El gato montes.
Nicola Byrne and Mick Donegan from Ireland are the third couple to perform the Jive as the first dance. The song is the 1956 hit Why do fools fall in love by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. Their second dance is the so-called Fandango which was made famousby famous stage shows like Riverdance.
Sway by Michael Bublé is the song Poland has chosen for the Cha-cha-cha, the first performance. The second dance by actress Katarzyna Cichopekand dancer Marcin Hakiel is a mix of the only slow and a fast Latin dance: Rumba and Samba. According to the dances, the music will be a mix of the ballad Private emotion and the up-tempo song She bangs, both by Ricky Martin.
Another Rumba will be danced by the couple from Denmark. The song they have chosen is Love fool by Olivia. With 19 years each, Mette Elkjærand David Jørgensenare the youngest couple; probably that is why they have chosen the most modern song of the compeition for their second performance, which will be a show dance: Lovestoned/I think she knows by Justin Timberlake.
The fourth Jive of the evenining will come from Portugal. The song Sónia Araújoand Ricardo Silva have chosen is Madonna's Hanky Panky. The second song is by Astor Piazzolla and called Libertango, which leaves no big question mark after the guess which dance the second performance will be based upon.
Yulia Okropiridzeand Illya Sydorenkofrom Ukraine are the only couple that has chosen a standard dance for the first performance: the Quickstep, which is said to be the "champagne" among the ballroom dances. The song is another one taken from a film soundtrack, namely Istanbul (not Constantinople) of Mona Lisa smile. Number two will be a showdance to the song Gop-tsya by Vopli Vidoplyasova.
Europe's Final countdown is the song Cecilia Ehrling and Martin Lidberg from Sweden have chosen for their Paso Doble performance. The second dance style is called Disco Fusion and combines no less than nine different dance styles: Cha-cha-cha,Samba, Jive and Rumba as well asStreet Dance, Hip Hop, Break Dance, Disco and the Swedish Bugg. The song is called Disco Inferno and was originally performed by The Trammps.
Finland was the last country to choose its performers and will bethe last country on stage.Katja Koukkulaand Jussi Väänänenstick to the Rumba of the national selection with Carmen McRae's song All in love is fair. The second dance is another Paso Doble and the song is The unforgiven by Apocalyptica, who performed the interval act of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest in Helsinki.
All in all, the Latin dances are by far more popular for the first performances than the standard dances: only Ukraine has chosen the Quickstep. Among the Latin dances, Rumba and Jive are the most popular dances with four performances each followed by Paso Doble and Cha-cha-cha with three performances each and the only Samba.
