First dress rehearsal of the Grand Final

The final pieces in the jigsaw puzzle that is the Grand Final were put into place last night and now all 25 finalists from Finland to Georgia started their first dress rehearsal at 14:30. 

You should all know the presenters Anke Engelke, Stefan Raab and Judith Rakers by now who were in place to welcome the audience to the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest. 

The show opens with Stefan Raab and his band singing last year's winning song Satellite. Normally the previous year's winner performs at the opening but as Lena is competing again it was left up to Stefan... Well sort of... Lena made a brief appearance towards the end of the song!!

Keep reading below for a continuously updated report of each rehearsal as and when it happens. 

Finland to Hungary

The Finnish postcard, of Berlin marked the start of Paradise Oskar's performance of Da Da Dam. The 20 year old from Helsinki was smiling as he performed with the huge planet appearing in the background on the LED screen. 

Next up is Dino Merlin from Bosnia & Herzegovina with Love In Rewind. Fresh from qualifying in the second Semi-Final, this is his second time performing in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, last time in 1999 with Putnici. On stage, Dino is joined by a band and surrounded by warm red colours from the LED screen. 

Waving to the camera before going on stage, A Friend In London look excited to again have the chance to perform New Tomorrow for their native Denmark. This band of school friends performed surrounded by shades of white and a lot of spot lights in the same colour, giving a very rock feel to the arena. The boys also look relaxed and confident on stage. 

Evelina Sašenko is next up, singing C'est Ma Vie for Lithuania. After qualifying on Tuesday she looks happy. The stage transform into mellow shades of blue, somewhat reminiscent of an intimate Parisian theatre. The 23 year old enjoys every moment on stage and hopes for a good result tomorrow night. 

With a wink to the camera, Kati Wolf takes to the stage to perform What About My Dreams for Hungary. The 80s inspired number is upbeat ruled by the colours blue and purple throughout the performance, with fast-moving spotlights and some interesting gymnastics in the background. Kati is still wearing her skimpily blue dress and looks relaxed on stage. 

Ireland to Russia

Now it's the turn of the mischievous Irish twins, Jeward to take to the stage with Lipstick after qualifying from the second Semi-Final last night. The performance is as always lively, crazy and fast-paced. Red and white shades flash images from the boys' music video. They are still wearing the same glittery outfits with eccentric shoulder accessories. 

The viking inspired postcard for Sweden marks the start of Eric Saade's performance. The upbeat tempo continues in earnest with a lively performance of Popular. On stage the now infamous glass boxes act as a backdrop as Saade and his backing dancers perform an eccentric dance. Red and white are the colours that govern his performance here. 

Getter Jaani is next up with the young and somewhat shy Estonian phenomenon taking the stage with her New York and Lady Gaga inspired Rockefeller Street after qualifying last night from the second Semi-Final. The stage is colourful with model buildings and a lively dance supporting her performance. Getter is once again wearing her pink and black dress with the backing singers in yellow and blue. 

Greece is next to be performed with Loucas Yiorkas feat. Stereo Mike and their backing dancers taking to the stage with Watch My Dance after making it past the first Semi-Final on Tuesday. The song is heavily inspired by both hip pop and Greek mythology with greek pillars and dark blue shades displayed on the huge LED wall. Today no costumes are being worn and all on stage look relaxed. 

A whispering ballerina marks the start of Russia's entry Alexej Vorobjov singing Get You with his group of Swedish backing dancers and two smaller LED screens on stage with him. Although he isn't wearing his costume the performance is still lively and upbeat with the now mandatory backflip during the song. 

France to Moldova

The first of the Big 5 nations to perform is France. Amaury Vassili with Sognu provides a bit of change with a very operatic and confident performance. The stage is simple as he stands alone with a very evocative background of sky and clouds, which change as the song's power increase, starting with a sunset, before becoming darker and more thundery. Amaury reaches a dramatic finish to the delight of the press.

The shy yet incredibly talented Raphael Gualazzi is next up for Italy, returning to the contest for the first time in 14 years. With a fresh haircut and a jazz band, Madness Of Love is performed confidently with some impressive piano work by Rapahel. Colours of red, and green inspired by the Italian flag as well as an extract from his music video on the LED screen provide a powerful visual support for the song. 

The sophisticated, jazz inspired sounds of Anna Rossinelli from Switzerland are next to be heard on the stage as she sings In Love For A While together with Georg and Manuel on the double base and guitar respectively. A background of clouds and stars moving to the rhythm of the song help to accentuate the atmosphere of this mid tempo song. She qualified from the first semi-final and once again is wearing her red and glittery dress. 

The third Big 5 nation to take to the Düsseldorf stage is the million selling band from the United Kingdom, Blue with I Can. Once again four LED screes are placed on the stage, all of which display images of the band members. The boys are wearing their smart yet stylish blue outfits with green being the main colour coming from the LED screen in the background and the spotlights lighting up the arena. 

Moldova's eccentric performance of So Lucky by Zdob si Zdub is up next. Wearing large coned hats and some interesting moves by a unicycle on stage, the band qualified from last night's Semi-Final. Flying images of coned dolls in reds and oranges dominate the huge LED screen in the background.

Germany to Slovenia

Host nation Germany is the next to perform with a postcard depicting the arena marking the start of Lena's performance of Taken By A Stranger. This mid-tempo number provides and alternative sound to the competition along with some different choreography. Lena is wearing a black number with dancers in silver hooded costumes in the background with their images also appearing not he huge LED screen in the background. Lena looked confident whilst performing. 

Hotel FM from Romania are on after Germany with Change, fresh from qualifying last night. This very up-tempo and feel good song with a moral message, accompanied by a colourful performance with lots of warm flashing colours in the background. There is a lot of smiling by the group members who also seem to be very relaxed. 

Nadine Beiler and her powerful voice sing next with a confident rendition of The Secret Is Love after wowing the juries and viewing public in the second Semi-Final last night. Standing on a large diamond shaped podium in a glistening dress with falling diamonds on the LED screen, she smiles for the camera looking very happy after her performance. 

Ell/Nikki are next up to perform their song Running Scared, inspired by Nordic pop and rock sounds. With twinkling golden lights in the background and white colours surrounding the stage, coupled with elegant dance moves the couple want to make an impact at the final after qualifying on Tuesday from the first Semi-Final. Their outfits remain smart and white with confident vocals. We'll soon see how they perform tomorrow in the final. 

No One sung by Maja Keuc performs at number 20. She qualified from the second Semi-Final with her mid-tempo number with uncomplicated dance moves and powerful vocals. This theme continues with the hall being filled with purple and pink shades to give accentuate the feminism of her song. She look quite serious on stage, obviously intent on doing well at the final tomorrow night. 

Iceland to Georgia

Now for something a little different. Sjonni's Friends are next the act to perform on stage in Düsseldorf with Coming Home. It's three days since they qualified from the first Semi-Final and they continue to smile during their performance and create a feel-good vibe. Orange colours and rotating cogs appear on the LED screens giving a warm feeling to the performance. 

Lucia Perez from Spain in her pink dress is next up with Que Me Quiten Lo Bailao. As a member of the Big 5, Spain qualifies directly to the final. Red fiery colours accompany this up-beat and very Spanish sounding song. On the LED screen images of flowers and fireworks mark the end of her performance, Lucia looks confident and smiles. 

The Ukrainan entry by Mika Newton is very unusual in that it combines a midtempo song with live visual art occurring in the background. Angel qualified from the second Semi-Final and alongside the talented Mika appears a talented sand artist who visualises the lyrics of the song. Mika wears her feathery dress and seems to be revelling in the opportunity to perform on stage once again. 

Now we take a trip back to the 1960s with Nina performing Čaroban. With her retro hairstyle, dress, backing singers and the image of pink, white and orange tunnel on the large LED screen in the background, she provides a blast from the past. 

At number 25 Eldrine are the last to perform, this time for Georgia with One More Day. This rock number with eccentric costumes, white lights and the use of a wind machine and some unexpected vocals helps the show to go out with a huge bang. 

This concludes our live coverage of the first dress rehearsal of the Grand Final. Stay tuned for more exciting features right here from the Düsseldorf Arena as the Eurovision.tv team work tirelessly to give you the best and fastest coverage as it happens. 

Have a good evening!!

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