The Story of Michael Ball and Dafna Dekel: Eurovision 1992
Chapter 1: Meet Dafna Dekel
Jerusalem, Israel, 28th March 1992
It was soon time for her performance, the performance that would potentially decide her destiny forever. Excitement was running through her veins and her tiny heart was beating at the speed of a cheetah. Everyone who was close to her could see the fear and nervousness on her beautiful face. She sat down on a chair at a lavish table, she was understandably shaking. There were so many people around the room, mingling with one another and generally having a good time, but this woman? She was completely the opposite. She had been given so much praise that it was possibly too much for her. But she wanted to do this, this was her dream, to win the Eurovision Song Contest for her home country Israel. This woman is Dafna Dekel, and she is in Jerusalem for the Kdam Eurovision 1992, which is deciding the Israeli entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden this year. She is determined to win, why shouldn't she be? There were many other contestants around her that very same night, possibly experiencing the very same feelings she was. And plus, the contestant who wins the competition will have a lot to live up to. Since the Israeli entry in last year's Eurovision Song Contest in Rome, Italy, was sung by a lovely couple called Orna and Moshe, who dubbed themselves 'Duo Datz' and they came 3rd Place after singing the song 'Kan'. They were also here in the studios in Jerusalem tonight, they too were excited about which song would fly the Israeli flag in Sweden. But will she win? Only time will tell. The show was about to begin.
Twelve songs were announced to be performing on the night, and Dafna had been told that she was to be performing seventh in the running order. Dafna had thought that this was not a bad thing because at least she was not performing first or last, if you perform first or last, you have a big burden on your shoulders to carry and the song sets the tone for the rest of the evening, be it energetic or boring. Eurovision had been a very important part of Israelis' lives for so many years, and if she were to win, she wanted to do her country proud and show the entire world what she could do. Time passed as each song was performed, with Dafna and the other contestants looking on. She had warm opinions about the second song sung by a man called Uri Fineman, which was very energetic, and the third song by a nice man with a straight-to-the-point name, Avi Dor, very bouncy and fun. Soon afterwards, it was time for the sixth song, which was funnily enough entitled 'Hatikvah', the same name of the Israeli national anthem. It was also time for Dafna to get moving. She had been rehearsing very hard to get to this moment in the competition, and it was also time to show Israel what she was made of.
The song that had been chosen for her was called 'Ze Rak Sport', or 'Viva Sport', and was written by a very experienced songwriter named Ehud Manor, and was composed by a very certain Kobi Oshrat, who had become something of a legend throughout Israeli Eurovision history, as he had conducted and written several Israeli entries for Eurovision, and even conducted one of Israel's Eurovision winning songs! So, Dafna was glad she was in the hands of a Eurovision expert who could guide her to possible greatness. The actual song was about the fun aspects of singing, dancing, and having a good time, and how you should let yourself be free and fly your wings very high. She would be accompanied by two djembe players on stage, and she had got along very well with them during rehearsals. And now, it was time for them to prove themselves properly in front of the live studio audience. As the presenters announced them onto the stage, it was time for Dafna to turn to the audience and let the music take control. Viva Sport, indeed.
Dafna soon finished her song, and the audience erupted in applause as she took a bow and exited the stage for the next entrants to perform their song. As she passed them, she said, "זה קהל קשה שם בחוץ, אני מאחל לך בהצלחה!" (It's a tough crowd out there, I wish you good luck!) The other entrants laughed, shook her hand, and made their way to the stage. Dafna and her associates soon returned to the contestants' lounge room, where she sat down, and a drink and a bite to eat, and talked to her composer, Kobi Oshrat.
"What if we don't win?" Dafna anxiously asked.
"I don't think it will be a massive problem for you, Dafna. You have a very successful career behind you, I have seen it with many other artists who have taken part in the 'Kdam', they are disappointed of course, but they do go on to find happiness."
Dafna replied with, "Well I want to win this competition and make my way to Sweden, I have very high expectations in fact, so don't start all this soppiness and Disney-children's messages please!" As she finished, they both let out a small laugh which they could not resist.
About an hour later, all the songs had been completed and performed, and it was time for the interval acts to perform whilst the regional Israeli juries made their votes for who would represent Israel at Eurovision. There were 14 songs, and only twelve of them could be voted for using the traditional Eurovision 1-8, 10 and 12 Points system. Dafna had luckily cheered up a tiny bit thanks to Kobi Oshrat, and her hopes were high. Soon, the interval acts were finished, and the voting had begun.
The first jury to be called was the Ma'ale Adumim jury, where it was announced that Dafna had received the 10 Points. Dafna remarked to her team it was a respectable start, but the wise Kobi told her not to be cocky, it was still early days. Ma'ale Adumim's 12 Points went to 'Yerushalem' sung by Ronen Bahunker. The second jury was the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) jury, who were renowned throughout Israel for their Nachal singing band and dance troupe. Dafna was downgraded slightly to 8 Points. Although, good luck came her way when the third jury in Ramat Gan awarded her 12 Points, much to her delight. Unfortunately, Dafna was hit very badly when the fourth jury in Kiryat Malakhi only awarded her 5 Points, which affected her total. However, she soon achieved a double victory when the fifth jury in Jerusalem and the sixth jury in Kfar Ruppin both awarded her 8 Points. At this point, Dafna was neck and neck against the 'Hatikvah' song by Anat Atzmon with just 1 point between them, and it was all to play for. The final jury to be called was based in Tel Aviv, and tensions were very high in the contestants' room. Eventually, 'Hatikvah' was awarded 8 Points by Tel Aviv, making their final total 60. Would Dafna overtake the leading score, or would she be going home disappointed and upset?
"The 10 Points from the Tel Aviv jury are awarded to… Ze Rak Sport by Dafna Dekel!"
Dafna threw her hands into her face, she could not believe it. Like a wave at the beach, over a million emotions, feelings and facial expressions suddenly rushed through her body like a marathon. Even if she hadn't got the 12 Points, the results were clear. She had beaten 'Hatikvah' by one single point. The contestants' room suddenly erupted in an earthquake of cheers and applause, and everyone started to crowd Dafna and her team. They stood up on the spot and made their way to their final destination. Through the corridors, so many photographers and journalists asking questions as they quickly passed through. There were a million things going through her mind at that moment. Soon, they finally reached the stage to a wave of applause, and a huge smile spread across Dafna's face, with tears beginning to reach her eyes. She could see two people coming onto the stage, with a bouquet of flowers being cradled in their arms, it was none other than Duo Datz! Orna and Moshe handed a bouquet of flowers to Dafna, Kobi Oshrat and her two djembe players, who looked absolutely over the moon after finding out they were going to Sweden.
While the presenters were talking to the live viewers at home, Dafna took a precious moment to reflect on the evening. She had arrived at the competition really nervous, scared and with no idea about what could happen tonight. But she could at last see herself when she has encouragement and praise from herself and others around her. She was only 25 years old, yet she had somehow come this far. There was another thing she was looking to find though. Love. She hadn't found love yet, but she had a deeply held hope that she would find it. Little did she know she would very soon. Only time would tell. It's just sport, after all.
As Dafna and her djembe players took their place on the stage once again to perform their winning song, surrounded by journalists and photographers, almost 2,500 miles away in the City of London, another handsome and amazing singer was singing a very special song, but since he was rehearsing, it was one step out of time. But to know more, we'll first have to meet the amazing Michael Ball…