page_title: Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016
section_title: Semi-final
hierarchical_section_title: Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 / At Eurovision / Semi-final
caption_attribution_description: English: Argo representing Greece with the song "Utopian Land" during a rehearsal before the first semi final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016&#160;in Stockholm. (Help translate this text)
context_page_description: Greece participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Utopian Land" written by Vladimiros Sofianidis. The song was performed by the band Argo, which was internally selected by the Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation to represent Greece at the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden. Argo were announced at the Greek representatives on 9 February 2016, while their song "Utopian Land" was presented on 10 March 2016.
  Greece was drawn to compete in the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 10 May 2016. Performing during the show in position 2, "Utopian Land" was not announced among the top 10 entries of the first semi-final and therefore did not qualify to compete in the final. This marked the first time that Greece failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. It was later revealed that Greece placed sixteenth out of the 18 participating countries in the semi-final with 44 points.
context_section_description: Argo took part in technical rehearsals on 2 and 6 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 9 and 10 May. This included the jury show on 9 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries.
  The Greek performance featured five of the members of Argo performing together on stage with a male dancer; the female members were dressed in white outfits, while the male members were dressed in white shirts and light brown baggy trousers. The stage presentation featured a lyre player and traditional Pontic dances with the LED screens projecting red flames and sun patterns. The performance was choreographed by Maria Lyraraki with lighting design by Konstantinos Garinis and costumes designed by Yiorgos Mesimeris. For the performance, Argo member Elias Kesides was replaced by dancer Vasilis Roxenos.
  At the end of the show, Greece was not announced among the top 10 entries in the first semi-final and therefore failed to qualify to compete in the final. This marked the first time that Greece failed to qualify to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004. The last time that Greece had been absent in the Eurovision Song Contest final was in 2000, which was coincidentally also held in Stockholm. It was later revealed that Greece placed sixteenth in the semi-final, receiving a total of 44 points: 22 points from the televoting and 22 points from the juries.
caption: Argo during a rehearsal before the first semi-final
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