Tampere local Maria Tyyster has won this year’s Seinäjoki tango festival after impressing the judges in the grand finale on Saturday night.
The 25-year-old was crowned ‘Tango Queen’ after seeing off competition from Piritta Venho from Rauma. The two stars and special guest Teemu Roivainen, who was crowned ‘Tango King’ last week, performed the Tulisuudelma tango (El Choclo) much to the delight of the audience.
Tyyster, who shocked the nation last year when she enrolled in the Finnish army, was aiming to claim the crown for a third time, and the emotion was there for everyone to see when she was eventually announced as the winner.
Upon being presented with the crown, Tyyster said she would do everything she could to ensure the Finnish dance music tradition remains strong. She said that she wanted all the young people to take to the stage and start dancing, adding that she and Roivainen were great examples because they were both young and love tango.
It was the 30th edition of the Seinäjoki tango festival. The first ever male ‘Tango King’ was crowned in 1985, with the first female being crowned two years later.