Draft:Participation in the Eurovision Dance Contest

Across the two editions of the Eurovision Dance Contest, a total of seventeen countriess participated. In addition, Belarus intended to participate in the third edition, which was originally scheduled to be held in 2009 and later rescheduled for 2010, ultimately did not take place.

Background

Countries that participated in the contest:

  Entered at least once

  Never entered, although was eligible to do so

  Entry intended or initially expressed

When the competition was first planned, the aim was to begin with ten to twelve participating countries and expand in subsequent years. However, the response rate was greater than anticipated and it proved difficult to turn away the additional countries interested in participating in the event. For logistical reasons, a limitation on number of participants was established. In order to ensure the event was a success, the EBU invited participating broadcasters from member countries to take part. In several countries, where the EBU had more than one member, two broadcasters expressed interest. The final decision of which broadcaster would represent those countries was decided by either an internal accord by the two broadcasters, or by a draw, conducted by the EBU.

Sixteen countries; Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the host country the United Kingdom all débuted in the very first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The Croatian broadcaster HRT had expressed an interest in taking part, but did not appear on the final list of participants. In June 2008, Switzerland announced their withdrawal from the 2008 contest without specifying a reason, while Germany withdrew from the 2008 event the same month, due to comparatively low ratings for the 2007 contest in the country. Spain was originally due to take part in 2008, but withdrew in late August 2008 just days before the event, reportedly due to a scheduling clash with the country competing in a qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was taking place the same evening. In accordance with the rules, Spanish broadcaster TVE were obliged to broadcast the contest live due to their late withdrawal as an active participant. After Switzerland announced their non-participation, and with the format change meaning each couple would dance one one minute and forty five seconds dance each, new countries became eligible to join the event. Azerbaijan were the only country to join that year, but negotiations had taken place with broadcasters from Belarus and Cyprus.

Belarus intended on competing for the first time in 2009 but the contest was cancelled. Although the 2009 contest never happened, Austria, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and the Netherlands had confirmed they would not compete in the third contest, while it had been confirmed that Azerbaijan would have hosted, with Poland, Portugal, Russia and newcomer Belarus among those that would have taken part.

Austria

Austria
Participating broadcaster	ORF
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Austria took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Married couple Andy and Kelly Kainz, both professional dancers, were internally selected to represent Austria in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2007. The couple had previously appeared on ORF's Dancing Stars. The first routine they performed at the competition was a Jive to "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, originally by Andrews Sisters, but performed here by a choir and Stars Orchestra. Their second routine was a Paso Doble, to the tune "The Black Pearl" from the film series Pirates of the Caribbean, also performed by Stars Orchestra. Both routines were choreographed by Andy and Kelly, with British choreographer Richard Potter. Austria came sixth after receiving 74 points from all other countries.

Austria participated again in 2008. In 2008, ORF hosted a national final called "Dancing Stars for Europe" to select the Austrian entry. The competition featured several couples that had previously featured on Dancing Stars, each composed of one celebrity and one professional dancer. The competition was won by television presenter Dorian Steidl and professional dancer Nicole Kuntnerl Their routine was a fusion of Foxtrot, Jive and Hip Hop, and was performed to a medley of "The Pink Panther Theme" by Henry Mancini, "The Third Man/Harry Lime theme by Anton Karas, "Der Kommissar" by After The Fire/Falco and "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer, all of which were performed by the Dance For Europe Orchestra.

Dancing Stars For Europe 2008

Draw	Couple	Dance	Songs	Place
1	Dorian Steidl and Nicole Kuntner	Slowfox/ Jive/ Quickstep	Third Man/Harry Lime theme by Anton Karas, Der Kommissar by After The Fire/Falco	1
2	Christine Reiler and Manfred Zehender	Polka/ Cha Cha	Zillertaler Hochzeitsmarsch, Vienna Calling by Falco	N/A
3	Peter L. Eppinger and Julia Polai	Paso Doble	Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Rock Me Amadeus by Falco	N/A
4	Zabine Kapfinger and Alexander Zaglmaier	Paso Doble/ Samba	Koa Hiatamadl	N/A
5	Michael Tschuggnall and Alice Guschelbauer	Viennese Waltz/ Jive	An der schonen blauen Donau	N/A
6	Simone Stelzer and Alexander Kreissl	Jive/ Viennese Waltz/ Rock'n'Roll	Greased Lightnin, Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee and You're the One That I Want from Grease	N/A
7	Nicole Beutler and Balazs Ekker	Tango	Edelweiss from The Sound of Music and El Tango de Roxanne	N/A
8	Gregor Bloeb and Michaela Heintzinger	N/A	Zauberflote by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart	N/A

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Kelly Kainz and Andy Kainz	Jive and Freestyle Paso Doble	6	74
2008	Dorian Steidl and Nicole Kuntner	Slowfox, Jive and Hip Hop	13	29

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Andi Knoll	Nicole Burns-Hansen	Peter L. Eppinger
2008			Marvin Wolf

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan
Participating broadcaster	ITV
Participation summary
Appearances	1
First appearance	2008

Azerbaijan debuted in the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2008, after debuting in the Eurovision Song Contest in the same year. They were represented by professional dancers Eldar Jafarov and Anna Sajina, who were selected internally. There was controversy due to Azerbaijan, as well as Greece, selecting professional dance couples as their representatives. According to the regulations of the contest, professional couples were not allowed to take part in the competition. The EBU specified that the couple had to be composed of one professional (defined as a dancer who earns his or her living through dance and dance-related activities), and one non-professional known in a field other than dance. The non-professional was not required to be a celebrity, as long as he or she was known in his field, and it was also not a requirement that the non-professional had no dance experience. Since the representatives for Azerbaijan and Greece both consisted of two professional dancers, however, it is not clear why their entries were considered valid. Eldar and Anna danced to a version of "Phantom of the Opera", from the musical of the same name, arranged by Yashar Bahysh. Their routine was a fusion of Paso Doble, Rumba, Tango, and Azeri Folk Dance. They finished 5th, receiving 106 points from all countries except Denmark, and the maximum 12 points from Lithuania and Poland).

The EBU announced that the Eurovision Dance Contest 2010 would be held in Baku, Azerbaijan at the Heydar Aliev Sports and Concert Complex in 2009. however, the event was postponed. The contest's coordinator on behalf of EBU, Tal Barnea, stated "concrete plans for a 2010 autumn event are now being developed, with considerable changes to introduce a new programme proposal". These plans were expected to be unveiled in the autumn of 2009. The EBU also praised "the commendable work on the next Eurovision Dance Contest already completed by our partners Ictimai Television and the Azerbaijani officials" stating that 2010 edition of the contest was planned to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan as well.

In January 2010, EBU Eurovision coordinator, Svante Stockselius, announced that contest has been postponed again, and was now unlikely to happen at all, at least within the next couple of years. He explained this decision with the fact that the boom of the TV dance shows had calmed down recently. Azerbaijan had not announced their planned 2009 entry at the time of the event's postponement.

Contestants

Table key

X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2008	Eldar Jafarov and Anna Sajina	Paso Doble/Rumba/Tango/Azeri Folk Dance	5	106
2009	Not Announced at time of postponement	N/A	Contest postponed X

Planned Hosting

Year	Location	Venue	Presenter
2009	Baku	Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex	Not Announced At Time of Postponement	Indefinitely Postponed

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2008	Leyla Aliyeva	Murad Ragimov	Husniye Maharramova

Belarus

Belarus
Participating broadcaster	BTRC (planned)
Participation summary
Appearances	0 (1 planned)

Belarus broadcaster BTRC has announced the countries participation in the 2009 edition of the contest prior to its postponement. They would have been represented by gymnast Yulia Raskina and professional dancer Denis Moryasin, who had won the National final 'Star Dances'. It was confirmed that Raskina and Moryasin would have taken part in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2010 if it had been organised.

Star Dances 2009

36 couples comprising of one celebrity and one professional dancer participated, with four participating in the final.

Draw ff	Couple	Place
1	Kirill Klishevich and Svetlana Pashekevich	N/A
2	Ruslan Chernetsky and Ekaterina Popova	N/A
3	Iskui Abalyan and Artem Gorbachev	N/A
4	Yulia Raskina and Denis Moryasin	1

Contestants

Table key

X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2009	Yulia Raskina and Denis Moryasin	N/A	Contest postponed X

Commentators

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator
2007	Dmitry Karas	Vladimir Parakhnevich
2008	Denis Kurian	Tatiana Bondarchuck

Denmark

Denmark
Participating broadcaster	DR
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Denmark took part in the Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007 and 2008. The couple representing the country in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007, Mette Skou Elkjær and David Kim Ehlers Jørgensen, were chosen on a live national selection event on 24 August 2007. The dances they performed at the contest were a Rumba to "Love Fool" by Olivia Ong, and a freestyle, to "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" by Justin Timberlake. Denmark came ninth after receiving 38 points from 10 countries.

In 2008, Denmark were represented by Patrick Spiegelberg and Katja Svensson, who were selected internally following the cancellation of a planned national final. Their routine was a lyrical jazz dance with elements of samba, tango and paso doble. They danced to the Twin Peaks theme by Angelo Badalamenti, which was performed by The Daniel Caine orchestra and "Igen & Igen" by Nephew. Denmark placed sixth overall; despite receiving no 12 points from televoting, Denmark received the full 48 points from the jury.

Dansk Danse Grand Prix 2007

8 couples participated, with three participating in the final. Ties were broken in favour of the couple with the higher televoting score.

Draw	Couple	Jury	Televoting	Total	Place
1	Mette Skou Elkjær and David Kim Ehlers Jørgensen	10	10	20	1
2	Maija Salminen and Martin Reichhardt	8	6	14	3
3	Lotte Rodenberg and Kristian Vellejus	6	8	14	2

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Mette Skou Elkjær and David Kim Ehlers Jørgensen	Rumba and Showdance	9	38
2008	Patrick Spiegelberg and Katja Svensson	Samba/Tango/Paso Doble/Jazz Dance	6	102

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Sisse Fisker	Claus Larsen	Louise Wolff
2008			Jens Blauenweldt

Finland

Finland
Participating broadcaster	Yle
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Finnish broadcaster Yle entered the first edition of the contest, professional couple Jussi Väänänen and Katja Koukkula were chosen to represent the country on the 25th of August 2007 in a national preselection.

Finland was the last country to decide whom to send to the contest, the contest taking place only a week after the selection process. The couple performed a Rumba for their first dance to the song All in Love Is Fair by Carmen McRae. Finland performed a Paso Doble for their second dance, to the song The Unforgiven, originally by Metallica, they danced to an alternate version of this song by Apocalyptica, who had previously performed as an interval act at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, which Finland hosted. Finland won the first edition of the contest after scoring 132 points. All other countries awarded Finland points, three of which gave 12 points.

In 2008, Finland were represented by singer and actress Maria Lund and dancer Mikko Ahti who danced a Finnish Tango routine, to the song Satumaa, performed by Tango For Four. They finished 10th, receiving 44 points from 7 countries, including the maximum 12 points from Sweden.

Yle announced they would not take part in the third edition of the contest in Baku in 2009, which ultimately did not take place.

Contestants

Table key

1

Winner

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Jussi Väänänen and Katja Koukkula	Rumba and Paso Doble	1	132
2008	Mikko Ahti and Maria Lund	Tango	10	44

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Sirpa Suutari-Jääskö	Jaana Pelkonen	Johanna Pirttilahti
2008		Johanna Pirttilahti	Jaana Pelkonen

Germany

Germany
Participating broadcaster	WDR (ARD)
Participation summary
Appearances	1
First appearance	2007

Germany took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The country decided to send Wolke Hegenbarth and Allan Frank to the contest on 30 June 2007 in a national selection event; though Allan Frank later withdrew because of difficulties with his schedule. He was replaced by Oliver Seefeldt. The dances that were performed at the contest were Samba and Freestyle. Germany came eighth after receiving 59 points from 10 countries.

Germany withdrew from the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 in Glasgow.

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Wolke Hegenbarth and Oliver Seefeldt	Samba and Freestyle	8	59

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Peter Urban	Markus Sonyi	Alice Kessler and Ellen Kessler

Greece

Greece
Participating broadcaster	ERT
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Greece took take part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple representing the country were Ourania Kolliou and Spiros Pavlidis who were chosen internally. They performed Jive and Showdance dances at the contest. Because of the Greek forest fires, the event was not screened live in Greece and the back-up jury was used to award points rather than televoting. Greece came thirteenth after receiving 31 points from 11 countries.

Greece was once again present at the contest in 2008. Professional dancers Jason Roditis & Tonja Kosovich performed Latin dances and came in 7th with 72 points. Greece, alongside Azerbaijan, There was controversy due to Azerbaijan, as well as Greece, selecting professional dance couples as their representatives. According to the regulations of the contest,[3] professional couples were not allowed to take part in the competition. The EBU specified that the couple had to be composed of one professional (defined as a dancer who earns his or her living through dance and dance-related activities), and one non-professional known in a field other than dance. The non-professional was not required to be a celebrity, as long as he or she was known in his field, and it was also not a requirement that the non-professional had no dance experience. Since the representatives for Azerbaijan and Greece both consisted of two professional dancers, however, it is not clear why their entries were considered valid.

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Ourania Kolliou and Spiros Pavlidis	Jive and Showdance	13	31
2008	Jason Roditis and Tonja Kosovich	Latin dances	7	72

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Maria Kozakou	Iordanis Pavlidis	George Amyras
2008		Voula Santorineou	Rika Vagianni

Ireland

Ireland
Participating broadcaster	RTÉ
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Ireland participated in both editions of the Eurovision Dance Contests. Ireland decided upon their entry through a public vote on a special edition of The Late Late Show.

Ireland made its debut at the 2007 contest. The couple representing the country was Nicola Byrne and Mick Donegan, performing Jive and Fandango dances. They were given the chance to represent their country after winning Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels. Byrne and Donegan came third after receiving 95 points from all the other countries.

The 2008 Irish representatives were Gavin Ó Fearraigh and Dearbhla Lennon, also from Celebrity Jigs 'n' Reels. The couple were chosen on The Late Late Show in May 2008. They finished in eleventh position at the contest in Glasgow, Scotland, on 6 September 2008.

Contestants

Table key

3	Third place

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Nicola Byrne and Mick Donegan	Jive and Fandango	3	95
2008	Gavin Ó Fearraigh and Dearbhla Lennon	Paso Doble/Rumba	11	40

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Marty Whelan	Michelle Alonzi	Pamela Flood
2008		Brian Redmond	Brian Osmond

Lithuania

Lithuania
Participating broadcaster	LRT
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Lithuania took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple representing the country was chosen by national selection, which started on 4 July and ended on 22 August. The couple chosen were Gabrielė Valiukaitė and Gintaras Svistunavičius winning the jury votes and the televoting. The dances they performed at the contest were Paso Doble and Traditional Lithuanian Folk Dance. Lithuania came eleventh after receiving 35 points from 9 countries.

In 2008, Lithuania received their highest placing ever in any Eurovision contest, coming fourth. Besides this, the highest place they had ever achieved was in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006. This was beaten by the third place they got in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2008.

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Gabrielė Valiukaitė and Gintaras Svistunavičius	Paso Doble and Traditional Lithuanian Folk Dance	11	35
2008	Karina Krysko and Saulius Skambinas	Rumba/Cha-Cha	4	110

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Beata Nicholson	Virginijus Visockas	Lavija Šurnaitė-Kairienė
2008	Asta Einikytė		Audrius Giržadas

Poland

Poland
Participating broadcaster	TVP
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Poland took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Katarzyna Cichopek and Marcin Hakiel, who won the series Taniec z gwiazdami (local version of Strictly Come Dancing) represented the country. The dances that were performed at the contest were Cha-Cha-Cha and Showdance. Poland came fourth after receiving 84 points from 12 countries.

Poland took their first Eurovision title in any form in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008, coming first with 154 points from all countries (maximum 12 points from Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and hosts the United Kingdom). The Polish team of Edyta Herbuś and Marcin Mroczek have won the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008, which was held at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The pair performed a version of the Rumba, Cha-Cha and Jazz Dance. The pair were given 20 points by the jury and 134 points from the voting public with a total of 154. They were given the maximum 12 points by Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Russia came second with 121 points and Ukraine with 119 points. Poland is the most successful country in the Eurovision Dance Contest.

Polish broaddcaster TVP announced that they would participate in the third edition of the contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, however this edition ultimately did not take place.

Contestants

Table key

1	Winner
X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Dancers	Styles	Place	Points
2007	Katarzyna Cichopek and Marcin Hakiel	Cha-Cha-Cha and Showdance	4	84
2008	Marcin Mroczek and Edyta Herbuś	Rumba and Cha-Cha	1	154
2009	Not announced at time of postponement	N/A	Contest postponed X

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Artur Orzech	Zbigniew Zasada	Ewelina Kopic
2008			Anna Popek

Portugal

Portugal
Participating broadcaster	RTP
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Portugal took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Representing the country were Sónia Araújo, a TV host, and Ricardo Silva, a ballroom dancer. Sónia is a co-hoster of the Portuguese talk-show "Praça da Alegria", by RTP, RTP África and RTP Internacional, along with Jorge Gabriel and Hélder Reis. The couple were chosen after winning the second Portuguese version of Strictly Come Dancing ("Dança Comigo", in Portuguese). The dances they performed at the contest were Jive and Tango. Portugal came joint fifth after receiving 74 points from 12 countries. It was their first top five finish in any Eurovision contest.

In 2008, Portugal were represented by singer Raquel Tavares and dancer João Tiago, who danced a fusion of Rumba and Tango.

Portugal's RTP were due to take part in the 2009 Eurovision Dance Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, and would have internally selected a couple being selected from the series Dança Comigo., however the event was postponed prior to a couple being selected.

Contestants

Table key

X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Sónia Araújo and Ricardo Silva	Jive and Tango	5	74
2008	Raquel Tavares and João Tiago	Rumba/Tango	8	61
2009	Not announced at time of postponement	N/A	Contest postponed X

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Commentator(s)	Spokesperson
2007	Isabel Angelino, Alberto Rodrigues and Marco de Camillis	Marta Leite de Castro
2008	Isabel Angelino and Alberto Rodrigues	Helena Coelho

Russia

Russia
Participating broadcaster	RTR (2007), C1R (2008)
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Russia took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple chosen to represent the country were Vladislav Borodinov and Maria Sittel. The dances they performed at the contest were Rumba and Paso Doble. Russia came seventh after receiving 72 points from 11 countries. In 2008 they were represented by Tatiana Navka and Alexander Litvinenko who danced a fusion of Cha-Cha, Samba, Rumba, Paso Doble and Russian Folk Dance. They placed 2nd, receiving 121 points from all other countries (including maximum 12 points from Finland, Greece and Ukraine) except hosts the United Kingdom. Russia would have taken part in 2009, and would have been represented by professional couple Sergey Konovaltsev and Olga Konovaltseva.

Contestants

Table key

2	Second place
X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Vladislav Borodinov and Maria Sittel	Rumba and Paso Doble	7	72
2008	Tatiana Navka and Alexander Litvinenko	Cha-Cha/Samba/Rumba/Paso Doble/Russian Folk Dance	2	121
2009	Sergey Konovaltsev and Olga Konovaltseva	N/A	Contest postponed X

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Anastasia Zavorotnyuk	Stanislav Popov	Like Kremer
2008	Yana Churikova		Larisa Verbitskaya

Spain

Spain
Participating broadcaster	TVE
Participation summary
Appearances	1
First appearance	2007

Spain took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Amagoya Benlloch and Abraham Martinez were chosen to represent the country in the program ¡Mira Quién Baila a Eurovisión! (a special edition of the Spanish version of Dancing with the Stars). The dances they performed at the contest were Cha-Cha-Cha and Paso Doble. Spain came tenth after receiving 38 points from 7 countries.

Spanish broadcaster TVE announced its withdrawal from Eurovision Dance Contest 2008 on August 28, just days before the contest took place. In July TVE had conducted national selection show ¡Quiero Bailar! and named singer Rosa López and dancer Nieto, who won the series, as their representatives in the contest. According to the draw they were supposed to be 15th couple to perform.

Contestants

Table key

X	Entry selected but did not compete

Year	Dancers	Styles	Place	Points
2007	Abraham Martínez and Amagoya Benlloch	Cha-Cha-Cha, Paso Doble and Freestyle	10	38
2008	Rosa Lopez and Nieto	Not announced at time of withdrawal	Withdrawn X

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Beatriz Pécker	Joana Subirana	Jesús Álvarez
2008	Sandra Daviú	—N/a	Spain did not participate

Sweden

Sweden
Participating broadcaster	TV4
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Sweden took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Representing the country were Martin Lidberg, a professional wrestler and Cecilia Ehrling, a ballroom dancer. The couple were chosen after winning the Swedish version of Strictly Come Dancing. The dances they performed at the contest were Paso Doble and Disco Fusion. Sweden came fourteenth after receiving 23 points from 6 countries.

Sweden took part in 2008, represented by singer Danny Saucedo, and professional dancer Jeanette Carlsson. Sweden is one of only two countries that did not place in the top 10 of either edition of the contest, the other being the Netherlands. Sweden's TV4 confirmed they would not have participated in the 2009 contest.

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Martin Lidberg and Cecilia Ehrling	Paso Doble and Disco Fusion	14	23
2008	Danny Saucedo and Jeanette Carlsson	Cha-Cha	12	38

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	David Hellenius	Tony Irving	Ulrica Bengtsson
2008			Carin Da Silva

Switzerland

Switzerland
Participating broadcaster	SRG SSR
Participation summary
Appearances	1
First appearance	2007

Switzerland took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Professional figure skater Denise Biellmann and professional dancer Sven Ninnemann were chosen as the first Swiss entrants. The dances they performed at the contest were Paso Doble and Swing. They were the only couple who scored zero points in either edition of the contest. Switzerland did not take part in 2008.

Contestants

Table key

◁	Last place

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Denise Biellmann and Sven Ninnemann	Paso Doble and Swing	16	0

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Commentator	Spokesperson
2007	German: Sascha Ruefer and Daniela Berger (SF) Italian: Sandy Altermatt and Ruggero Sindico (RTSI)	Cécile Bähler

The Netherlands

Netherlands
Participating broadcaster	TROS
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

The Netherlands took part in the first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. The couple representing the country was chosen on 4 August 2007. Alexandra Matteman & Redmond Valk won the televoting and the jury's votes and performed the Cha-Cha-Cha and Rumba in London. The Netherlands came twelfth after receiving 34 points from 7 countries. The Netherlands is one of only two countries never to finish in the top 10, the other being Sweden.

Due to poor results, the Netherlands withdrew from the planned Eurovision Dance Contest 2009 in Baku.

Contestants

Table key

◁	Last place

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Alexandra Matteman and Redmond Valk	Cha-Cha-Cha and Rumba	12	34
2008	Thomas Berge and Roemjana De Haan	Rumba/Show Dance	14	1

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Lucille Werner	Cor van de Stroet	Marcus van Teijlingen
2008

Ukraine

Ukraine
Participating broadcaster	NTU
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

Ukraine took part in their first Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007. Representing the country were Yulia Okropiridze, a student of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts, and Illya Sydorenko, a professional in ballroom choreography. The dances they performed on the night were Quickstep and Showdance. Ukraine came second after receiving 121 points from all other countries. Ukraine is arguably the most successful country to date, with two top 3 positions, despite not winning yet. Lilia Podkopayeva and Sergey Kostetskiy represented the country in the 2008 contest, Kostetskiy replaced Kirilo Hitrov as Podkopayeva's dance partner, after he withdrew from the competition due to injury. They finished 3rd, receiving 119 points from all other countries (maximum 12 points from Azerbaijan, Portugal and Russia).

Contestants

Table key

2	Second place
3	Third place

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Yulia Okropiridze and Illya Sydorenko	Quickstep and Showdance	2	121
2008	Lilia Podkopayeva and Sergey Kostetskiy	Jive/Ukrainian Folk Dance/Rock'n'Roll	3	119

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Timur Miroshnychenko	Oleksandra Myshko	Svetoslav Vlokh
2008		Miroslav Keba	Yuliya Okropiridze

United Kingdom

United Kingdom
Participating broadcaster	BBC
Participation summary
Appearances	2
First appearance	2007

The United Kingdom was the host country for the inaugural Eurovision Dance Contest in 2007 in London, and also hosted the 2008 competition in Glasgow, both editions were hosted by the BBC.

The participants chosen to represent the country for the first contest were Strictly Come Dancing professional dancers Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup, who were chosen internally by the BBC. The dances they performed at the contest were Rumba and Freestyle. The UK's Dallerup and Cole's performance would be their last. After nine years as partners on and off the dance floor, they had split up amid tensions during 2004's first series of Strictly Come Dancing. They were reforming their dancing partnership for one last turn round the floor at the contest, the BBC's press office said on 4 July. BBC - Press Office - The last dance for Camilla and Brendan 'Invited to represent the nation in the new Eurovision Dance Contest, Brendan and Camilla will have to sweep aside their angst and hot-step around a ballroom for their last dance,' the corporation's press office added. It expected 'a sensational performance with passion, zeal and real life tension as the couple let the sequins fly'. United Kingdom earned 18 points in 2007 and finished last but one to Switzerland, who ended up with no points. They received points from four countries, Denmark awarded 3 points, Greece 3, Ireland 7 and Lithuania 5.

After successful participation in the fourth series of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and The Live Tour! 2008, couple Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone competed for the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Dance Contest 2008,which took place on 6 September 2008 in Glasgow. Louisa and Vincent placed ninth, receiving 47 points.

Contestants

Year	Couple	Dances	Place	Points
2007	Brendan Cole and Camilla Dallerup	Rumba and Freestyle	15	18
2008	Vincent Simone and Louisa Lytton	Paso Doble/Jive/Tango	9	47

Hostings

Year	Location	Venue	Presenter
2007	London	BBC Television Centre	Claudia Winkleman and Graham Norton
2008	Glasgow	Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre

Commentators and spokespersons

Year(s)	Television commentator	Dual television commentator	Spokesperson
2007	Len Goodman	Bruno Tonioli	Kirsty Gallacher
2008		Craig Revel Horwood	Carol Smillie

References

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Categories:

• Eurovision Dance Contest