Whether the Netherlands will reach the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday remains to be seen. But the cards are a lot more favorable for Jesse Wijnans from Breda. He dances in Finland’s act and is second among the bookies: “They all know us, nice for my ego.”
But Jesse admits it straight away: he was never a Eurovision fan. “It may sound strange, but for me it’s just work.” Very special work: “I compare it to this: I’m not a fan of Madonna either, but if she asked me for her tour, I would certainly go along.”
‘Cha Cha Cha’, that’s the name of the song with which the Finnish singer Käärijä, as the fifteenth participant, closes the first heat of the Eurovision song contest on Tuesday. It’s a happy mixture of rock and, indeed, the chachacha. And late latin and ballroom just being Jesse’s specialty.
“It was a surprise to me that I was allowed to come along.”
He ended up in Finland through his best friend Anna-Lisa: “I know her from the course, we were in the same class at the dance academy of Fontys in Tilburg. She is from Finland, I went to visit her in Helsinki once and there I met a few choreographers for whom I have been working for five years now.”
Jesse dances in our country in TV shows like Dancing with the Stars, Seeking and Make up your mind. In Finland, he has been dancing in the Finnish preliminary round of the Eurovision song contest for four years, so last year in Käärijä’s act: “It was a surprise to me that I was allowed to go to the Eurovision song contest, because of course I come from the Netherlands and I was only booked for that qualifying round. I didn’t even know that that was allowed, that as a foreigner you can join the Finnish delegation. So that was really nice.”
Now that he’s here and experiencing the Eurovision spectacle in Liverpool up close, Jesse is impressed: “I think it’s super, super cool to be here. It really is a highlight in my career. Surely this is the biggest TV show after the Superbowl in America?”
“I do notice that there is a buzz around it.”
And then he is also one of the favorites for the final win. At the top is the Swedish singer Loreen, immediately followed by Käärijä with a 25 percent chance of winning. “I really never expected that. But yes, super fat!” Jesse clearly notices that they are among the favorites: “We, the four dancers, are also recognized here and are addressed everywhere. So I do notice that there is a buzz around it.”
Finland therefore participates for the final victory. For the Dutch participants, Mia Nicolai and Dion Cooper, the question is whether they will make it to the final at all: “Yes, it is make or break, I heard. But I hope so, of course. I am Dutch and it would be a shame if they lose weight.”
In the clip below you can see Jesse in action for Finland during the national final:
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