Pas de Deux (band)
Encyclopedia
Pas de Deux were a Belgian
band
, best known for their participation in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest
, and the controversy surrounding their selection as that year's Belgian representatives. The band was formed by Verdin in Leuven
in 1982.
" was chosen from the nine entrants as Belgium's representative for the 28th Eurovision Song Contest
. "Rendez-vous" consisted of just one line of quasi-nonsensical lyric ("Rendez-vous, maar de maat is vol en m'n kop is toe") repeated over a quirky, rhythmic instrumental track while Peyskens and van Roy danced barefoot, and seemed to baffle the conservative audience, a large proportion of which was supporting more mainstream singers Bart Kaëll and Wim de Craene. When it became apparent during the voting that "Rendez-vous" would be the clear winner with the jury, audience bewilderment turned to anger. There were jeers, whistles and catcalls, and many walked out in disgust before "Rendez-vous" was reprised. Pas de Deux themselves appeared untroubled by the reaction, seeming to be quite amused by the furore.
The contest itself was held on 23 April in Munich
, and "Rendez-vous" proved unsuccessful, finishing in 18th place of the 20 entries, having received points from only the UK, Spain
and Portugal
. Despite the poor result however, "Rendez-vous" has come to be highly-regarded in Eurovision circles, being seen as a prime example of a song which in terms of style and performance was too contemporary and risky to succeed with the then somewhat conservative Eurovision juries.
Mini album
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, best known for their participation in the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, and the controversy surrounding their selection as that year's Belgian representatives. The band was formed by Verdin in Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
in 1982.
Eurovision Song Contest
Pas de Deux were one of nine acts chosen for the Belgian Eurovision selections in 1983. Initially, each act performed three songs and the best from each was chosen by a jury to go forward to the final. The final took place on 19 March, when Pas de Deux's song "Rendez-vousRendez-Vous (song)
"Rendez-vous" was the Belgian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1983, performed in Dutch by Pas de Deux.The song was performed nineteenth on the night...
" was chosen from the nine entrants as Belgium's representative for the 28th Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1983
The Eurovision Song Contest 1983, the 28th in the series, was held in Munich, then West Germany, on 23 April 1983. The presenter was Marlene Charell. Corinne Hermes was the winner of this Eurovision with the song, "Si la vie est cadeau". This was Luxembourg's fifth victory in the contest which...
. "Rendez-vous" consisted of just one line of quasi-nonsensical lyric ("Rendez-vous, maar de maat is vol en m'n kop is toe") repeated over a quirky, rhythmic instrumental track while Peyskens and van Roy danced barefoot, and seemed to baffle the conservative audience, a large proportion of which was supporting more mainstream singers Bart Kaëll and Wim de Craene. When it became apparent during the voting that "Rendez-vous" would be the clear winner with the jury, audience bewilderment turned to anger. There were jeers, whistles and catcalls, and many walked out in disgust before "Rendez-vous" was reprised. Pas de Deux themselves appeared untroubled by the reaction, seeming to be quite amused by the furore.
The contest itself was held on 23 April in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and "Rendez-vous" proved unsuccessful, finishing in 18th place of the 20 entries, having received points from only the UK, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. Despite the poor result however, "Rendez-vous" has come to be highly-regarded in Eurovision circles, being seen as a prime example of a song which in terms of style and performance was too contemporary and risky to succeed with the then somewhat conservative Eurovision juries.
After Eurovision
"Rendez-vous" reached the Belgian top 30, but a follow up single, "Manimeme", went unnoticed and the group soon disbanded. Verdin went on to become a video artist and van Roy a television journalist, while Peyskens continued singing and acting.Discography
Singles- 1982: "The Lonely Guys"
- 1983: "Rendez-vous"
- 1983: "Manimeme"
Mini album
- 1983: Des Tailles