Russia has been flying under the radar this Eurovision season, but we can come to expect a colourful show from the nation this year. Manizha offers up a similar performance to the national final, but on a larger scale. We see the song opening with Manizha in a huge traditional dress, and similar to the national final, she then reveals a jumpsuit but this time, the dress is in a structure so she walks out of it.
The performance is super colourful, and mixes the traditional with the modern. The backing graphics are eye-catching and switch between traditional style graphics and text either mirroring or interpreting the message of the song. Towards the end of the performance we see the group on stage turn to face the backing screens, which features many different faces as if it was a giant zoom call with a range of different people. Manizha is joined on stage with backing singers who form around her in a circle.
This is a relatively strong performance, although at times the camera shots make the stage feel a bit empty. Vocally, Manizha delivers the song confidently. I would still place this as a qualifier.
Follow our liveblog of today’s rehearsals here