Dancing on the Ice

Not to be confused with Dancing on Ice.
"Dancing on the Ice"
Single by Essyla
Released19 February 2026 (2026-02-19)
Lyricists
  • Alice Van Eesbeeck
  • Barbara Petitjean
  • Emil Stengele
  • Nicolas d'Avell
Music videos
"Dancing on the Ice" on YouTube
"Dancing on the Ice" (piano version) on YouTube
Eurovision Song Contest 2026 entry
Country
Artist
Essyla
Languages
English
Lyricists
  • Alice Van Eesbeeck
  • Barbara Petitjean
  • Emil Stengele
  • Nicolas d'Avell
Finals performance
Semi-final result
10th
Semi-final points
91
Final result
21st
Final points
36
Entry chronology
◄ "Strobe Lights" (2025)
Official performance video
"Dancing on the Ice" (first semi-final) on YouTube
"Dancing on the Ice" (grand final) on YouTube

"Dancing on the Ice" (French: Danser Sur La Glace) is a song by Belgian singer Essyla. It represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, and finished in twenty-first place in the final. It reached number 39 in Flanders and 28 in Wallonia.

Background and composition

"Dancing on the Ice" was composed by Emil Stengele, Nicolas d'Avell, and Alice Van Eesbeeck or Essyla and was written by Barbara Petitjean and Eesbeeck.[1] In an interview with Neil Farren of Eurovoix, Essyla said participating in Eurovision was a dream since childhood.[2] The song was written in a SABAM writing camp before Eurovision at the DAFT Studios in Malmedy, where Essyla, one of the 25 authors, composers, performers, and producers at the camp, attempted to find a more metallic and mature sound following her disco single "I'll Be Okay". The structure of the camp presented four teams per day, with at least one composer, one lyricist, one performer, and one producer. The song had to be composed in four hours; she was working with d'Avell in the camp, and he composed the song.[3][4][5] In another interview with NRJ Belgique, she described the day she found out about her participation in Eurovision. She was working at a dental practice when somebody called her and said it was possible for Essyla to go to Eurovision, leading her to celebrate.[3] To prepare for the contest, she focused on breathing, running on a high-speed treadmill while trying to sing.[6]

According to Essyla, the song talks about moving forward, adding that there are "difficult moments in life" that we have to go through,[2] and that we should "keep dancing on the ice, even if your knees are shaking, get up again if you fall and keep believing."[7] Alyssia Delré of RTBF said of the meaning, "The track fits perfectly into Essyla's sophisticated electro-pop universe. Its message is intentionally universal: to keep moving forward and dancing, even when everything seems to be wavering. Here, dancing becomes a symbol of resilience and inner strength."[5] Gianni Paelinck of VRT described it as a message of hope and determination of the youth.[8] "When your legs are shaking, when you have a lot of problems, it's being able to continue dancing on the ice," Essyla said in VivaCité,[9] adding that the song reflects on many things.[10]

Promotion

To promote "Dancing on the Ice", Essyla performed the song at the Eurovision in Concert 2026 on 11 April in Amsterdam.[11]

Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Internal Selection

On 4 December 2025, RTBF confirmed its participation for Eurovision 2026. RTBF later announced that it would announce the act representing Belgium on 19 February 2026.[12] On 19 February 2026, it was announced that Essyla would be the act representing Belgium with the song "Dancing on the Ice."[13]

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 took place at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, and consisted of two semi-finals to be held on the respective dates of 12 and 14 May and the final on 16 May 2026.[14] During the allocation draw held on 12 January 2026, Belgium was drawn to compete in the first-semi final, performing in the second half of the show.[15]

In the first semi final, she performed eleventh and qualified for the final. In the final, she performed fourth, right after Israel's Noam Bettan and before Albania's Alis.[16] Earning 36 points, the song finished on 21st place.[17]

Charts

Chart performance for "Dancing on the Ice"
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[19] 28
Greece International (IFPI)[20] 97
Lithuania (AGATA)[21] 84
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[22] 72

References

  1. ^ "Eurovision 2026 Belgium: Essyla - "Dancing on the Ice"". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b Farren, Neil (4 May 2026). Let's Talk With Essyla | Belgium Eurovision 2026 (Video). Eurovoix – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b Eurovision 2026: Essyla opens up about her selection and her biggest fears (Video). NRJ Belgique. 27 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Bertinchamps, Pierre (12 May 2026). "Essyla : «J'ai écrit ma chanson en 4 h»" [Essyla: "I wrote my song in 4 hours"]. Télépro. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  5. ^ a b Delré, Alyssia (15 May 2026). "Eurovision 2026: dans les coulisses de la création du titre à succès d'Essyla" [Eurovision 2026: Behind the scenes of the creation of Essyla's hit track] (in French). RTBF. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  6. ^ "Essyla, la candidate belge de l'Eurovision, n'en est pas à sa première expérience du concours" [Essyla, the Belgian Eurovision contestant, is not new to the competition] (in French). RTL Info. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  7. ^ "Zangeres Essyla vertegenwoordigt België op Eurovisie Songfestival" [Singer Essyla represents Belgium at Eurovision Song Contest]. Ditjesendatjes. 19 February 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  8. ^ Paelinck, Gianni (19 February 2026). "België stuurt Essyla met 'Dancing on the ice' naar Songfestival | VRT NWS Nieuws". VRT News (in Dutch). VRT. Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  9. ^ Uytterhaeghe, Marc (30 May 2026). "C'est bien Essyla qui représentera la Belgique à l'Eurovision avec "Dancing on the ice"". Lavenir.net (in French). Retrieved 30 May 2026.
  10. ^ Uytterhaeghe, Marc (19 February 2026). "Découvrez la chanteuse Essyla qui représentera la Belgique à l'Eurovision avec "Dancing on the Ice"" [Discover the singer Essyla who will represent Belgium at the Eurovision with 'Dancing on the Ice']. Moustique (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  11. ^ Granger, Anthony (23 February 2026). "🇧🇪 Belgium: Essyla Announced for Eurovision in Concert 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  12. ^ Conte, Davide (12 February 2026). "🇧🇪 Belgium: Artist and Song Reveal on February 19". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  13. ^ Farren, Neil (19 February 2026). "🇧🇪 Belgium: Essyla to Eurovision 2026". Eurovoix. Retrieved 1 March 2026.
  14. ^ "Vienna announced as host city for Eurovision Song Contest 2026". The Guardian. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Vienna 2026: Semi-Final Draw results". Eurovision.com (Press release). European Broadcasting Union. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  16. ^ "The Running Order of the Eurovision 2026 Grand Final". Eurovision Song Contest. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  17. ^ "DARA wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 for Bulgaria". Eurovision Song Contest. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  18. ^ "Essyla – Dancing on the Ice" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  19. ^ "Essyla – Dancing on the Ice" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  20. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 20/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  21. ^ "2026 21-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  22. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart on 22/5/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
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