Few would have thought that Bulgaria would take home its first win in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Not even the team behind the entry "Banagaranga" - which includes Fredrik "Benke" Rydman and Keisha von Arnold - did.
It was actually quite unexpected, I must say. There has been so much talk about all the other songs, countries and artists, so we have been doing our thing a little in the background. Then we sailed up at the end as a "dark horse", says Benke Rydman.
Inspired by ritual
The setting for "Banagaranga" was more reminiscent of a music video and began in a closed "room" and then continued onto the regular stage.
The inspiration has been a ritual. It shows what is going on and what ultimately frees both her and the dancers, says Rydman.
He and Keisha von Arnold were allowed to handpick the four dancers themselves and chose Swedes Iker Cederblom Herrera, Ellinea Siambalis, Lisa Högström and Mateo Cordova Pomo, all of whom have danced in Melodifestivalen before.
We were going to produce the number in Sweden and we have great dancers so we suggested it. Not knowing each other at the beginning can be good, because then there is no drama between artist and dancer. It has been fantastic to see how they have grown and become friends.
"Banagaranga" was the choice of both the jury and the viewers, and the atmosphere in the green room when it went well for Bulgaria gave me goosebumps, says Keisha von Arnold.
Benke and I just looked at each other: "What the hell is going on?" The Bulgarians haven't competed since 2022, so this was their comeback and it feels great that it went so well. They've never hosted Eurovision either, she says.
Also made in Sweden
In this year's Eurovision, Benke Rydman, in addition to Bulgaria, also choreographed Finland's and Switzerland's entries, while Keisha von Arnold is behind Felicia's and Cyprus's.
But "Banagaranga" was definitely the number that relied most on the dancing itself. There were instrumental parts where you could really let loose. And Dara is a fantastic dancer, there's always a balance there, between dancing and singing, says Benke Rydman.
What are you most surprised about?
We thought this might work for the audience sitting at home. But the fact that the jury liked it so much really came as a shock.
Fredrik "Benke" Rydman is a director, dancer and choreographer. In addition to this year's winning entry, he was behind both Måns Zelmerlöw's winning number in 2015 and Swiss Nemo's in 2024. Apart from Eurovision, he created last year's Avicii performance "Lonely Together" as well as modern versions of "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker" and "Matilda the Musical".
Keisha von Arnold, also a dancer and choreographer, is no novice at Eurovision either. In 2021, she was one of the choreographers behind Sweden's Tusse and she was involved in Cyprus's entry last year.
