Norway has emerged as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Russian capital, Moscow.  Singer and violinist Alexander Rybak, 23, smashed the record for the most points awarded during the competition.  Iceland came second in the vote, followed by Azerbaijan which took the third place.  The UK’s Jade Ewen, singing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song, ended in fifth position – a marked improvement on last year’s finish at the foot of the table.  For the first time, voting in the final was split between televoting and panels of musical experts, which was supposed to reduce the incidence of predictable and neighbourly votes.

Alexander Rybak, winning the songfestival with his Fairytale, is a true wonderkid. He’s written his own song, will be starring in a movie this summer and got the record amount of votes in the national selection!  Alexander Rybak Alexander Rybak was born in Minsk (Belarus) on the 13th of May, 1986. He grew up at Nesodden just outside the Norwegian capital Oslo.  Alexander has played violin and piano since he was five years old, he also composes his own music and sings. Alexander has performed with artists like Arve Tellefsen, Morten Harket, Hanne Krogh and Knutsen & Ludvigsen. In 2006 he won the Norwegian talentshow Kjempesjansen with his own song Foolin. Alexander has performed with one of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Pinchas Zukerman, he has won Anders Jahres Culture Price and he’s been the concertmaster for Norway’s largest symphony orchestra for youths, Ung Symfoni, in Bergen. He also played the role of the fiddler in Fiddler On The Roof at Oslo Nye Theatre (2007) and has a role in the forthcoming movie Yohan – Child Wanderer (August 2009). Alexander Rybak is an artist you will be hearing more from in 2009!  FRIKAR dance company aims to refine the roughness of the Norwegian dance called “halling”. The company from the mountain valleys of Norway has performed with the Norwegian National Ballet as well as Oslo Philhamonic Orchestra, and has on three years become Norways most sold out vitamin injection through TV successes as So You Think You Can Dance Scandinavia.  Norways got talents and the Eurovision song contest winning the Norwegian finals with Alexander Rybak. FRIKAR dance company has performed in China, Egypt, Algerie, Zimbabwe, Brazil, USA and all over Europe, touring with 4 full night productions in traditional and contemporary dance, break dance, capoeira and aerial dance. The vikings brought the 2000 years old halling dance to Russia, and 100 years ago the hallingdancers brought head spin to USA too. Through Eurovision FRIKAR dance company wants to spread joy with its playful dance allover Europe exposing the familiarity across the borders between Norway and the cossack traditions of Russia.