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Dubovie has rehearsed at the Telenor Arena in FornebuSeveral countries pulled out of this year's Eurovision Song Contest because they could not afford to take part, organisers have confirmed.</p>Hungary, Andorra, the Czech Republic and Montenegro, all of whom took part last year, withdrew from the 2010 contest in the Norwegian capital Oslo."All said it was an economic decision," Eurovision producer Svante Stockselius told a press conference on Wednesday.
Israel, Azerbaijan and Ireland will perform in the second semi-final later.
Seven countries will be eliminated after the show, while 10 will go through to Saturday night's final.
Financial considerations have also affected the staging of this year's contest.
Norway's main broadcaster NRK has spent 200 million Kroner (Â?21m) on the show - but it cannot compete with the lavish spectacle of Russia's Â?28m production last year.
Moscow used 30% of the world's entire stock of LED screens on its stage, and provided memorable interval acts including the Red Army Ensemble, a Cirque De Soleil-style acrobatic troupe and a gigantic pink tank.
This year, however, the show is more modest, according to Eurovision expert Karen Fricker.
"What NRK are trying to do is be innovative and creative, and a bit more minimalistic," she told the BBC.
"I think it's working, in that what they're doing with limited lighting effects and drapes is making each act look distinctive and giving each an individual presence on stage.
"It isn't quite as much about throwing money at it."
Host nationNonetheless, hosting Eurovision is an expensive business and, last week, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that NRK would refuse to produce next year's show if their entrant, Didrik Solli-Tangen, won on Saturday night.
It is 30 years since the winning nation has declined to host the following year's contest - although the practice was more common in the 1960s and 1970s, when the BBC took over the reins on no less than four occasions.
NRK director general, Hans-Tore Bjerkaas has acknowledged it would "extremely difficult" for Norway to organise the event two years running.
However, he said, if the situation came to a head, NRK would "negotiate a solution" with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Mr Stockselius also played down concerns over the funding of the 2011 contest.
"It's in the rules that if you participate, you must be able to host the contest," he said.
He added that Greek broadcaster ERT attracted sponsorship when it ran the competition in 2006 and "earned money".
"So it could be a benefit to host the Eurovision Song Contest if the time is right."
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