Silver balls and bubble wrap for Serbia

The young Serbian star Milan Stanković performed his entry Ovo je Balkan, which translates as This Is The Balkans, for the first time in Oslo today. The stage was decorated with big shining silver bubbles hanging from the ceiling, and the main colour of the lights in the background was red. In the beginning of the performance, Milan and his four backing dancers were hiding behind half transparent screens on round podiums and only their shadows were visible. Milan then appeared in front, with the two male and two female dancers taking turns in joining him and energetically dancing around him. In the Semi-Final, the Serbian performers will wear very unusual dresses: Milan will wear a light blue jeweled coat, while the dresses of the backing dancers are made out of bubble wrap! Will Milan be able to convince the European TV viewers with his intoxicating performance of an folksy song with erotic lyrics? If we look at the reaction of the audience in the hall, he surely will.

When Milan, during the press conference, was asked about his feelings on stage, he explained that he was very excited when he first saw the stage, and that his goal was to put a smile on the faces of the viewers. He also told the press that, for him, it was important to be different on stage. As regards the podiums on which he and his dancers performed, he explained: "We want to look like candies from a candy shop, just sweet." He said that it was a great honour for him to cooperate with Goran Bregović, and that he would be very happy if he would write another hit for him. To entertain the journalists that were present, Milan also showed dance performance together with his backing artists.

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Milan Stanković shot to fame through a Pop Idol-like contest in Serbia. The 22-year-old star won almost every round of the contest back in 2007. Since that year he's become very successful, known for his eccentric dressing style and distinctive looks. His debut album, Solo, quickly sold 50,000 copies and brought him a lot of fans. He leaves no one indifferent - some love him, others challenge his fame, with the media and the fans following closely his every step. His song was written by the renowned composer Goran Bregović. He's been called the founding father of the Yugoslav rock scene. Besides being very successful in music, he's also a famous film director, having received many prestigious awards. He's also composed music for theatre and has even written an opera, called Karmen with a Happy Ending. Until now it has been performed more than 150 times in theatres all over the world.

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