Noa Kirel's dress rehearsal
(Ran Boker)
Preparations for the first semi-final are in full swing: Hours before taking on the Eurovision stage at the grandiose Liverpool venue, Noa Kirel and her dance team rolled up on Monday for the dress rehearsal ahead of the semi-final on Tuesday.
This is the first of two rehearsals that will take place today - later this evening there will be a recorded rehearsal in front of an audience.
Though no one thought otherwise, Noa Kirel's dress rehearsal was excellent. The pop star gave an exuberant performance that was followed by fireworks and a standing ovation at the end.
Ynet was notified that a technical malfunction occurred right before Kirel's rehearsal, so the singer had to go on stage early to perform the song. Nonetheless, Kirel finished this go with a satisfied look on her face, as seen in the video showing her watching the playback after descending the stage.
Noa Kirel watching the playback of her rehearsal
During her rehearsals so far in Liverpool, Kirel's dance segment always sparks applause and great enthusiasm.
"Watching Noa Kirel on the big screen is a completely different experience than in the hall," wrote the official Eurovision website following the singer's second rehearsal, "the camera work is amazing, her facial expressions are completely wild. We can't wait to see her studio shots later."
Earlier today, the municipality of Ra'anana, the city where Noa Kirel lives, announced that it has temporarily changed the city's logo to a unicorn symbol. "I am honored to announce a unique tribute initiated by the municipality, changing the city's logo for the coming weeks to the unicorn symbol, in honor of the song," wrote the mayor, Chaim Broide, to his employees.
The first semi-final will take place on Tuesday, and Kirel will perform ninth in the running order.
As a reminder, there have been changes to the voting system this year, and the decision on which countries will advance from the semi-finals will be made solely by viewers at home, and not along with judges' votes. In the final, the voting will remain as it was up until today - with judges and the audience at home.