ROMANIA 2012 - Mandinga - Zaleilah

[Claudia]

btw,Elena will wear 2 different dresses

I am so anxious to see what dress will wear Elena in the Semi. I guess we'll find out at the rehearsal.
What about the boys outfits ?

 

[mona]

After hosting Europe's League on Bucharest I think our National Arena is ready to host an Eurovision contest this year
http://www.skycam.ro/wp-content/360/izvor.swf

 

[Stella]

Mandinga singing in VIP Lounge at UEFA

and Mandinga for Android http://www.tvr.ro/eurovisionromania/mobile/

 

[Stella]

the history of this thread in more than one minute

 

[Mike012]

Greaaaaat


Go Mandinga, Greets from Spain.

 

[rebus]

After hosting Europe's League on Bucharest I think our National Arena is ready to host an Eurovision contest this year

Get real, We don't have a winning song

 

[Terence]

Of course you have, why not?

 

[Sim]

Get real, We don't have a winning song

Why not? it's really a catchy tune, i can see this in a top 5

 

[Milos-BC]

This song is one of the biggest hits in (at least on the stations I am listening).

I wasn't too fond of it in the begining, but now I quite like it. It's really positive and a great party song.

Now, it may do really well or it may flop, but I think the first option is more realistic.

 

[Terence]

Solid rehearsal. Still a fixture in my top 10! Qualifying with ease.

 

[Stella]

about the rehearsal:


esctoday:

The Romanian group Mandinga is next on stage with the gorgeous Elena is singing very well throughout the performance. May be the secret is that the group kept a simple performance yet effective. The bagpipe player introduce the song just as in the national final. The main background are black hearts which in the chorus turn to orange. The group moves around the stage and it seems they are enjoying every minute on stage. The fans will go Zaleilah inside the arena with this catchy tune from Romania.

eurovision.tv

A hit before coming to Baku, Mandinga have a popular and catchy song that they hope will do very well on the 22nd of May and hopefully again on the 26th. The band are of mixed Romanian and Cuban backgrounds, which has created a very special sound and the first rehearsal in Baku was a chance to demonstrate this.


Calm and Collected Backstage
Backstage, Mandinga from Romania were very calm, busy with their in-ear microphone checks and talking quietly amongst themselves. Once all "rigged up" to the various equipment, we asked them what they thought people would take away from their stage performance of Zaleilah. They answered "we really hope that that people will remember the dance and that even after the competition is over, they will still sing and dance to our song"
Fiery performance with a heart
Love and party are two very dominant themes of Romania's performance. The huge LED screens that make the backdrop to the stage in Baku light up with images of drums moving along to the beat of Zahleilah, with its very pronounced Cuban influenced sounds.


Following on from this, the stage lights up with images of beating hearts in various colours including purples, yellows and oranges, representing the strong fiery nature of the latin beat. Towards the end of the song the purples return to give a slightly softer bridge, working up to a very festive ending with strobe lighting.
The choreography of the song is very interesting and resembles what can be seen in the offical preview video and the national final performance, with a few changes. The central focus of the choreography is of course the signature "heart" dance which has been designed so that fans and viewers at home can all dance along to the song, and as mentioned above hopefully will be able to remember it for a long time after the contest.


Vocally the group were very strong with lead singer Elena Ionescu giving a very convincing performance with her impressive voice and latin inspired charm.


During the final performance by the band, pyro effects were added to the performance as they will be on the night of the 22nd where they will perform in the first Semi-Final. To go with the previously mentioned fiery and hot performance, flames rise up from the stage in quick succession and then at the end of the performance, fireworks went off at the rear in front of the LED screens. Very impressive!

AKOE

Ok this song is proving to be very popular already among the press.
Hardly anyone dislikes it, its fun, catchy and very danceable.
The vocals from Elena are really good live, cannot fault her at all.
The 5 members of the group Mandinga give off a very energetic performance
dancing around all the way through. This is going to do very well with the
voters I feel.

eurovisionary

Romania is rich in Eurovision talent and statistics prove it. They have qualified for every final since the semi-final system came into play in 2004 and Mandinga will try to keep the record. Will we listen to the fusion sound of Zaleilah in the final?
According to the rules, we are not going to see the whole Romanian-Cuban band on Baku Crystal Hall's stage but the six allowed members are Elena (lead vocals), Alex, Chupi, El Niño, Omar, Zach and Tony. At the beginning of the song the musicians are the main protagonists, especially the bagpipe player who introduces the song until Elena enters the picture, just as we remember from the national final.
The rehearsal was full of energy. The lead singer is good and her stage presence is fabulous. They were all dressed in casual clothes. Elena wore a pink dress and a black jacket.
The vocals are not really much to write home about, but it is an infectiously upbeat track with a good mix of styles and the opening bars with the marching band drums bring a smile to the face of the listener.
Stage lighting at first was dark with white flashes and the background turns more colorful as it advances the performance. For the chorus it goes pink or orange with black love hearts.
The dance is a bit confusing, but who cares... They have made up a catchy dance routine for this catchy song.
Good stage presence, decent voice and great potential for a top 10 spot. Surely they will bring us a spectacular show on 22 May.

photos:

 

[Matt]

Great vocal performance and this will go big in the hall. Now I didn't care for the choreography, seems kinda wooden to me. Hopefully it'll look better on TV.

 

[Stella]

I'm glad you liked the performance guys

from eurovision.tv

some other reviews:

Mandinga have their routine off pat and it already looks the business including a moon-walking bagpiper at the start. A little overkill, perhaps, but there is very little else not to like about this fun tune or the colourful staging. Romania supporters will be pleased to learn Elena, the lead vocalist, has a very good voice indeed. Like Iceland, this looks close to the finished product already. This performance has only confirmed the opinion Romania will be pushing hard for top 3 in semi 1.
Today’s biggest winners: Albania, Iceland and Romania

http://thebesteurovisionblog.blogspot.com

Romania - Rehearsal Video
Romania has impressed me today. I found this a bit boring up until now but the extra bass in the song is excellent. If it doesn't come across on TV this will flop. Up until now I have felt that it is just a bit soft. But no, instead it is more like something from a club which I would listen to. This is well listened to and liked by the press and people seem to have a soft spot for this. Vocal concerns were also knocked today with a strong showing from the lead singer. After the first five songs this really should stand out to the televoters.

http://www.escflashmalta.com

Most of the backdrops will most likely be changed but nevertheless, the next one is quite cool noting that Romania have decided to go for elements very much connected with their song which include drums, women and hearts. The group is clad in so many different colours, it all looks a little bit too happy but nevertheless, there is a huge positive element going round. The main singer is of course Elena Ionescu and she looks extremely beautiful in a red revealing outfit. What is even more enchanting though is the choreography of the group which is simple and does not require any more work honestly. The group is working well together and it shows that they have been rehearsing this quite a lot prior to their departure. The vocals in the beginning are slightly shaky but they are quickly adjusted and Romania is one of the songs which will surely stand out especially coming after Albania which is still a borderline qualifier.

 

[WhoKnows]

Those reviews must have watched a different performance because none of that came through on the video. The vocal was fine, but the rest is a total snooze fest. The choreography is lame. There's no energy. The backdrop is amateur.

 

[Stella]

Those reviews must have watched a different performance because none of that came through on the video. The vocal was fine, but the rest is a total snooze fest. The choreography is lame. There's no energy. The backdrop is amateur.

well,it looks different live
and the choreo and their moves will look so much different from tv!
and they said they're keeping their energy for the dress reherasal and now they're working on some other elements
I'm sure you'll like the final product

 

[StellaStai]

Well done Romania. The best performance today together with Iceland. Thumbs up and Good Luck!

 

[CypriotGirl]

No matter what it happens, this will be the hit of this summer!

I liked it overall on stage, but choreography needs more energy! Elena has to move more!

 

[Grinch]

I liked the whole performance! Well done Romania

 

[Stella]

well,Elena hasn't disappointed today (as expected-many might not recognize it) with her voice (so many people said she can't handle the song,because it's uptempo and she has to dance) but she did it
I'm sure she's saving for the dress rehearsal and semi final

 

[ethn]

one of my very favourite songs this year!really love it, and the reheasal was pretty good!

hope will see this one really high this year!!!leeeeeeeet s daaaaaaaaaaaance people!!