Ukraine’s representative at Eurovision 2026, singer LELÉKA, had her first rehearsal on the main stage of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. Photographs of the representative were published on the official website of the contest and on Suspilne Ukraine social media pages.
Just like last year, the rehearsal was kept as closed as possible to the media. However, fans of the contest were able to follow the rehearsals via a written description of the performance on Reddit.
LELÉKA appeared on the stage of Wiener Stadthalle alongside bandura player Yaroslav Dzhus. The Ukrainian folk instrument will be one of the highlights of the performance.
The singer will perform in an outfit designed by Lilia Litkovska (LITKOVSKA brand). Stylist Margarita Shekel’s team also contributed to the design. It is completely different from what viewers saw at Vidbir.
LITKOVSKA, together with a team of stylists, created the outfit drawing inspiration from the artist’s identity and music. The centrepiece of the look was a woven corset made from eight types of fabric, mostly natural: silk, viscose and silk organza. It took around 20 metres of fabric to create it, as well as hours of handwork by the seamstresses.
The connection to the pseudonym LELÉKA is felt in the silhouette and movement, without a literal depiction of a bird. The elongated lines and flowing elements create a sense of flight, leaving a trail in the space — like a bird’s trajectory through the air.
“This costume is a story. I wanted the audience to see the dress blossoming through the song, where every element is a personal symbol woven into the fabric of the performance. The stork’s wing is no coincidence here: it is a visualisation of the artist’s inner freedom and a reminder of just how powerful our natural energy is when we allow ourselves to stand tall,” says Lilia Litkovska.
Stylist Margarita Shekel says that, for her, working on this look began with the artist herself:
“LELÉKA is not just a performer: behind her stage persona lies a very private world, and my task was to balance this authenticity with the power of visual expression on the big stage. I viewed the weaving of the corset as an architecture — as precise and organic as a stork’s nest or the intertwining of vines in a wattle fence. It is a craft that has existed outside the catwalks for centuries, and it is here that it rises to the level of couture. We also built the look around the vocals and the staging — the costume had to come alive in motion, opening up differently with and without wind. It was a challenge and, at the same time, a sacred task,” noted Margarita Shekel.
Meanwhile, the costume worn by bandura player Yaroslav Dzhus pays reference to the Cossack era, when musicians served as the guardians of memory and the voice of the community. The costume is based on a hand-embroidered beaded wrap-around skirt and a woven fabric.
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Photo by Corinne Cumming, Alma-Bengtsson/EBU, Marta Larionova
