Biography

Maria Lund (age 25) is a singer and an actress. She was born in Germany into a Finnish-Romanian artist family and grew up in an international environment. She graduated from the Lycée Français de Düsseldorf and speaks fluently six different languages: Finnish, Romanian, German, French, English and Spanish.

Music and theatre have always been an integral part of Maria’s life. Already as a child she attended tours together with her parents who were both singers. In addition to singing and dancing she plays two musical instruments: piano and harp.

Out of all styles of music jazz is closest to Maria’s heart. She has performed in numerous jazz events and collaborated with many known Finnish jazz musicians and city orchestras. In the past few years she has broaden her repertoire to classical music, musicals and also pop and rock.

Maria made her breakthrough as an actress in Tampere Theatre in season 2004-2005, when she played and sung the role of Maria in the musical "West Side Story". Later this year she will play the starring role in Seinäjoki City Theatre’s musical "Tivolilapset", which will have its’ world premiere in October. The musical is based on Katariina Leino’s book with the same name.

Maria is married to actor Mikko Rantaniva and in their family they have a papillon Chibo and a Great Dane called Nanna. Maria’s hobbies are exercising and jogging. The best way for her to relax is to have a cup of coffee in the morning in her own veranda. 

Mikko Ahti (age 33) is a professional dancer and dance teacher. Mikko has danced since the age of 6 and during his amateur career he won among others two Finnish Championships of Ten Dance in 1998-99 and achieved 9th position in IDSF World Ten Dance Championships in the year 2000. As a professional he won the Finnish Championships of Standard Dance in 2003.

Besides teaching dance Mikko is nowadays busy with performing in dance associations, business gatherings and various other events. He also authors choreographies: for example at the moment for figure skater Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari.

Mikko has participated in Strictly Come Dancing twice. In 2007 he was placed second and a year after he won the contest with Maria Lund. Last autumn Mikko danced in "Tanssi mun käsi täyteen" dance show in Alexander Theatre in Helsinki. This show was extraordinary because the whole performing group was gathered from the couples who had danced in Strictly Come Dancing.

Helsinki-born Mikko graduated in 1985 from Mäkelänrinne Senior High School, which is one of the 12 top sport schools in Finland, and got his dance teacher diploma in 2003.

Mikko is married to his regular dance partner Carina Ahti and the couple has got two children: three-year-old Linnéa and Benjamin who is only six months old. Family lives in Piikkiö. Mikko’s activities are sports, exercise, do-it-yourself woodwork and sudokus. 

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How do you feel about coming along to Eurovision Dance Contest?

Maria: The invitation to the contest came as total surprise. We heard about the possibility to get in on Eurovision Dance Contest only on the final day of Strictly Come Dancing, but in the middle of all that hassle it sounded entirely absurd. However, now we are very excited about this opportunity. We’re looking forward to the forthcoming contest and the performances of other contestants very much.

Mikko: It is great to get in to such a big event to represent one’s own country.

Did you watch the Eurovision Dance Contest on television last year? What kind of impression did you get about the contest?

Maria: Yes we did! In a way this contest is a continuum to the Eurovision Song Contest except for in the Dance Contest every contestant shares the same non-verbal language. I think the idea of the contest is ingenious!

Mikko: Last year the contest was also quite rich in nuances, because there was great deal of variety among the dancing couples.

Finnish won the Eurovision Dance Contest last year – does this create any pressure on you?

Maria: Since the rules changed they wiped the slate clean. We’ll naturally be in it 100% and put our all into a game. Most of all this will be a magnificent experience and great honour for us.

Mikko: We’re not going to have any strain on us about anything else than our own dance and that it goes well.

What is your “secret weapon” in the Eurovision Dance Contest?

Maria: To give ourselves completely to the dance…

Mikko: …is how we will pursue to disarm all the other contestants!