Amateur titles: Seven national titles 1994-2000, Fourth place in European Championships, Seventh place in World Championships
Professional titles (after May 2000): Four national titles 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, First place in British Open Rising Stars, Tenth place in British Open main event, Tenth place in World Latin Championships, Seventh place in European Latin Championships Finalists in All England, Bangkok Open, Italian Open, Japan International, Imperial Championships, Universal Championships
Theatre and TV productions: Saturday Night Fever musical (UIT production) 2004 with Katja as Maria Huerta, Jussi as Cesar Rodriguez, Lisaa letkua revue (UIT production) 2006 both as dancers, ensemble singers and actors, MTV3 production Strictly Come Dancing 2006 as dance teachers. Katja with rocker Jone Nikula and Jussi with TV producer Katja Kannonlahti

How do you feel to be taking part in the first EDC?
It’s great to be involved in making history! We join with open and unprejudiced minds. It is bound to be a thrilling event.

How would you find a trip to the Contest Final in London?
It would be an honorary duty, of course, and a nice round-off of the national exercise.

What about your freestyle dance?
Our plans are not quite finalized yet. The dance is supposed to contain national elements, but we are not going to go for “jenkka” or “humppa”.

For Aleksi Seppanen and Elina Katainen, the European Dance Contest will be a debut as a dance couple. They have been training together for just four weeks. But both of them have a long dancing career behind them. Aleksi’s began in 1987 “by accident” as he says. He was actively involved in artistic gymnastics but one day, going to training, he found the class called off because of a dance contest. He stayed to watch the performances and was so excited that he joined a dance class the very next week.

During his career, Aleksi has won a total of ten national titles in all age categories. He has represented Finland in a number of European and World Championships and came third in the under 21 category in the British Open. For the last eight or nine years Aleksi has concentrated on ballroom dancing and for four years he and his partner performed as Finland’s number one couple in international competitions. This spring Aleksi and his partner Mariko Pajalahti won MTV3’s popular Strictly Come Dancing.

Elina’s interest in dancing was kindled in 1989 when her mother took her to watch a dance contest. Since then she has been involved in competitive dancing and won the national title in Ten Dances. She also holds medals from national Latin and Standard dance competitions.

How do you feel to be taking part in the first EDC and what do you expect of the national dance-off?
It’s just great to be there! We are eagerly looking forward to an opportunity to show our skills in this contest, though we have only been training together for four weeks by now.

How would you find a trip to the Contest Final in London?
Of course, it would be just great and a great honour to represent Finland in the first Eurovision Dance Contest.

Erik started his dancing career in 1979. He holds seven amateur titles in national competitions, has been semi-finalist (among 12 best) in European and World Championships and finalist in European Junior and British Open Championships. Having graduated from high school in 1986 he lived in London for four years concentrating full-time on dancing. He moved back to Finland as he turned professional in 1992.

Sanna began her competitive career in 1982. She has taken three medals in Finnish amateur championships and represented Finland in European and World Amateur Championships in 1994 and 1995. After her graduation from high school in 1993 she worked as a make-up artist for two years until she moved to Helsinki and turned a professional dancer.

Erik’s and Sanna’s joint professional career began in 1995, and they have since won four silver medals in national professional championships and represented Finland in European and World Championships over four years. In 1999 and 2000 they were the only Finnish couple participating in the Burn the Floor dance show on world tour, performing over a hundred times on three continents. The tour also included dozens of TV performances in various parts of the world. The venues of the tour included Radio City Music Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), Sydney Entertainment Center, Universal Amphitheatre (Los Angeles) and Hartwall Areena (Helsinki).

Their last competition was the Finnish Professional Championship in 2000, and they have since concentrated on performing and teaching. To maintain their professional skills, they travel to Britain about three times a year to witness major contests. They also attend to classes with professionals of various dances and keep active track of dance, music and theatre productions. Besides teaching and performing, they have served as judges in national and international top competitions for a number of years, such as World Amateur Ten Dance Championships in Italy in 2001, World Junior Standard Championships 2006, Finland Open (IDSF International Open), Finnish Ten Dance Championships, National Latin Championships, National Professional Championships and a number of championships in different countries including France, Sweden, Norway, Latvia and Estonia. In spring 2006 they performed in Strictly Come Dancing on MTV3 with Leena Harkimo and Markus Poyhonen as their respective partners.

How did you end up as dancers?
E: My mother took me to a dance class when I was a small boy and I found out I did quite well. That’s how it began.
S: My allergies prevented me from taking up riding, so my mother took me to dance classes. Gradually I abandoned all other hobbies and at the age of 14 I knew I wanted to become a professional dancer.

What does dancing mean to you?
It’s a way of life, a means of expressing yourself and your feelings. We have always danced; we just cannot think of life without dancing.

How does it feel to participate in the first EDC and what do you expect of the national dance-off?
It’s an honour to take part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest! Rather than competition, we think of it as a fine opportunity to perform to a large audience.

How would you find a trip to the Contest Final in London?
It would be a huge experience, of course, but there are so many fine couples and the audience will decide who will go.

What about your freestyle dance?
Our freestyle number has been choreographed to a Finnish piece of music that we have kept in our repertoire throughout our common career. We have danced to it in our first as well as our last joint competition. The choreography has changed as our skills have improved, but the story is the same. When we had performed it in our farewell competition, the audience cried and we cried.

Sami Vainionpaa, 25, and Merje Styf, 23, live in Jyvaskyla and represent the local Tepika Dance Club. Both of them have been dancing since their elementary school years. Their joint career started in Helsinki six years ago. Sami and Merje have represented Finland in European and World Standard Championships and in the last two years they have pocketed silver and bronze from national championships. The career of the tall and elegant couple has been rising and the outlook is most favourable. They are studying to be dance teachers but are currently having a few gap years.

- We want to become international-level dancers and have decided to live a few years completely on the terms of competitive sport, Sami says.

What does dancing mean to you?
- The life of a dancer is the fulfilment of my dreams, says Merja, who began her career in a ballet class.

How do you feel to be taking part in the first EDC and what do you expect of the national dance-off?
- It’s a great honour and an exciting challenge to be accepted into the national dance-off. It gives you an opportunity to try and exceed the limits of an ordinary contest performance, say Sami and Merje.  

Sami Helenius and Jutta Markkanen are a cheerful and elegant couple, which turned professional in autumn 2006. For them, dance means above all freedom, joy and expression of life. Sami and Jutta, who live in Helsinki, specialize in standard dances, competing actively across the world. They are also experts in Latin rhythms, being Finland’s representatives in professional ten dances.

Sami’s road to professional dancing began in his domestic city Turku when he was 12. He got the spark after his sister took him to a class in the local dance club. Jutta, who has been a physically active performer from a young child, took up dancing in Salo when she was nine. The hobby took her to national championships and successes at the junior level.

Sami, 29, and Jutta, 23, have been dancing together from 2002. Their amateur career has brought them three national bronze medals in ten dances, a number of ranking final placements and many opportunities to represent Finland in European and World Championships.

Sami and Jutta train daily, but so far they have their regular jobs alongside dance teaching. Over the years it has become clear, however, that rather than them choosing dance, dance chose them. They believe that dancing requires humble work and total engrossing.

How does it feel to take part in the first EDC?
It’s absolutely great and an honour to take part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest and to extend another invitation to dance to the whole nation but in a new form. The national dance-off is bound to be an exciting and rewarding event. Our goal is to give the best we can in an atmosphere that will come across to home audiences. A trip to London as the first couple to represent Finland in the final event would be a great joy and honour.

Markus, 19, and Mariia, 18, Hirvonen are brother and sister from Lappeenranta. They are currently living in Helsinki – Markus is about to finish his military service at the National Defence University and Mariia is completing her last year in Makelanrinne senior high school/sports school. Their common interest was found, encouraged by the family, when Markus was 7 and Mariia 6. Dancing seemed to be their natural way of expression from their early years. The couple’s strengths are similar motor tracts and similar interpretation. The brother and sister left their domestic dance floor in 2004 and moved to capital Helsinki. This provided them with an opportunity to combine high school studies and sports and to focus on serious dancing with professional coaches. Systematic cooperation with coaches, sports-oriented school and family support helped the young brother and sister adjust themselves to their new environment. From the beginning, Markus and Mariia’s principal coaches have been Harri and Niina Antikainen in standards and Jukka Haapalainen and Sirpa Suutari-Jaasko in Latin dances. They also employ coaches in Britain and Italy.

The couple’s best achievements are the US Open title in junior standards in 2003, nine gold medals in national standard, Latin and ten-dance contests, and eighth place in World Junior Ten-Dance Championships in 2005. Their top achievement so far is third place in under 21 standards at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival. They are holding the national titles in the Champion class of standard and Latin dances. Their goal is to be on the top of the international dance world.

Mikko Kaasalainen & Adrienn Fitori are a Latin dance couple from Tampere. A native of Hungary, Adrienn has been living in Finland and representing Finland for the last four years.

Mikko and Adrienn, both 29, have been dancing as professionals since April this year. Before turning professional, they won the Finnish title three times and were the invincibles of all national competitions from 2004 through 2007.

On international arenas, Mikko and Adrienn scooped a silver medal in the European Union Latin Dance Championships in Riga in 2005 and won the North European title in the same city in 2006. As amateurs they won a number of medals and final placements in World Ranking competitions.

How did you end up as dancers?
Mikko: When I was younger I used to go in for many sports, but I chose dance, because it was the most fascinating and most challenging. I went into ecstasies when I saw the top dancers of the time in competition and I knew “this is the thing”.
Adrienn: As a child I was practising artistic gymnastics for seven years. At the time my big sister was dancing and I went to watch her training. I was interested and inspired by the fascinating and rhythmical movements that can express so much. Finally I became a dancer and my sister became a lawyer.

What does dancing mean to you?
M: It’s my whole life. It means training, work, competing and an overall passion.
A: Dancing is a way of life and an endless source of motivation.

How do you feel to be taking part in the first EDC and what do you expect of the national dance-off?
M: I’m extremely excited and I look forward to a thrilling and intensive event.
A: I’m extremely eager to take part in this competition, which is totally different from any of my previous competing experiences.

How would you find a trip to the Contest Final in London?
M: We are training in London monthly and it would be great to represent Finland in this familiar city.
A: It would be an honour to represent Finland in the London final and I really appreciate this opportunity.

Masi Sauren and Bettina Karppinen have been dancing together since autumn 2006. In a few months they have made a huge rise to the national top of rock’n’swing. Representing the Comets Dance Club in Helsinki, Masi and Bettina won bronze in national boogie woogie Champion A class in April.

Masi, born and bred in Helsinki, started his dancing career in 1998 when his sister encouraged him to join show dance classes. Over the years he has tried out several dances – in street and show dances he has won a number of national medals, three of them golden. Boogie woogie has been in his repertoire since 2001.

Bettina, born in Lahti, took up dancing in 1990. Her mother saw her dancing all the time at home and so she took her to a dance class. The girl was dreaming of a dancing career from the very beginning and her dream has come true. She was involved in competitive dancing up to Champion A class, until she discovered boogie woogie in 2006.

Dancing is a way of life to both Masi and Bettina. It is a part of their everyday life.

How do you feel to be taking part in the first EDC and what do you expect of the national dance-off?
It’s a great honour to be accepted into such a major event. We will stake everything and look forward to a good result.

How would you find a trip to the Contest Final in London?
If the audience elects us, we’ll be happy to go to London and put everything at stake. As Lordi puts it: DANCE HALLELUJAH!!