Sirpa Suutari (Sirpa Suutari-Jääskö
["Sirpa Suutari-Jääskö ja Jukka Haapalainen: Kulkurielämää ja suuria tunteita"]
) is a Finnish professional ballroom dancer.
[Jukka and Sirpa profile]
and dancesport
Dancesport is competitive ballroom dance, ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair.
Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesp ...
.net
Sirpa started dancing ballet at the age of 5 at her native town of
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
. At 10 she switched to
Dancesport
Dancesport is competitive ballroom dance, ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair.
Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesp ...
. She won a number of Dancesport championships in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
in 10 Dances category with her partner Timo Pukkila, as well as several titles in junior category with Pekka Suutari-Jaasko. After that she was finalist in Junior
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
with Tony Wong. In 1989 she teamed up with
and turned to Professional category of ballroom championships. They retired from competitive dance in 2002 and have become the Latin cabaret dance artists.
[
At the peak of their success, during 1997–2001, they won a large number of 1st and 2nd places in various international championships. Their highest rating was 1887 (in 2001).Jukka and Sirpa dancesport rankings]
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For their performances in Professional Latin they have earned a number of (non-championship) awards, including the World Dance & Dance Sport Council
The World Dance Council Ltd (WDC), is a registered limited company, the legal successor to the ''International Council of Ballroom Dancing'', and was established at a meeting organized by Phillip J. S. Richardson on 22 September 1950 in Edinburgh, ...
”Isadora Duncan” Award (2002).[
As of 2010, her residence was in ]London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington Palace, are among the Royal Parks of London. The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde P ...
, and at Katajanokka
Katajanokka ( sv, Skatudden) is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th cent ...
, Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, so she and Jukka travel much between England and Finland, and to Japan.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suutari, Sirpa
Finnish ballroom dancers
People from Oulu
Living people
Finnish female dancers
Year of birth missing (living people)