PROFILE
DANCE: Professional Latin | PARTNERS SINCE: March 2012 | REPRESENT: England | PLACES OF BIRTH: Gunnar: Reykjavík, Iceland | Marika: Selestat, France | BASED: Cheam, Surrey, UK.
ACHIEVEMENTS: International Rising Star Champions, Blackpool Rising Star Finalists, International Championships Semi-Finalists.
CHOSEN SHOES: Gunnar: 'Rumba Duo' | Marika: 'Mia T-Bar' & 'LTB' (Click the shoe names to view)
DANCE TALK
FAVOURITE DANCE: Gunnar: Samba | Marika: Samba/Paso Doble.
FAVOURITE COMPETITION/VENUE: Gunnar: Blackpool | Marika: Blackpool.
BEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER: Reaching the Semi-Final at the International Championships at the Royal Albert Hall in 2015 :)
HOW TO PREPARE FOR A COMPETITION: Our preparation for big competitions is more or less the same as our everyday practice schedule except it's a little bit more intense. We tend to push harder at the gym and practice a few extra hours..
HOW TO RELAX AFTER A COMPETITION: Taking time to do things we don't normally have time to do. Go to the cinema, theatre, have a proper day off and a few days off dancing. Maybe travel and do more touristy things :)
MOST RESPECTED OPPONENT COUPLE: All the couples we compete against in the Quarter-Final deserve the same respect as they all work very hard to achieve their goal..
ADVICE FOR ANY YOUNG DANCER READING THIS: Work hard to achieve a sound base of technical knowledge, study hard to understand the characteristics of each dance and stay true to who you are on the floor. Don't try to be like everybody else!
DANCE WORLD ICON/INSPIRATION: Gunnar: Bryan Watson, Dimitri Timokhin, Slavik and Franco. | Marika: Carmen, Karina Smirnoff and Sara Baras.
SHOE TALK
WHY CHOOSE INTERNATIONAL DANCE SHOES?: The shoes are not only durable and great looking but also so comfortable and really support your feet through the intense hours of training.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURES OF A DANCE SHOE?: Visual appeal for the ones looking on and comfort for the ones on the inside :)
YOU'VE VISITED OUR FACTORY BEFORE, WHAT DID YOU THINK?: It was amazing to see all the detail and craftsmanship that goes into making a pair of shoes and just utterly fascinating to witness!
AWAY FROM DANCE
FAVOURITE SPORT AWAY FROM DANCE: Gunnar: Football | Marika: Rhythmic Gymnastics & Ice Skating
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Gunnar: L.A. baby! | Marika: Greece
FAVOURITE FILM: Gunnar: Shawshank Redemption, Braveheart, American History X, Scarface, Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, Forrest Gump, Ace Venture: Pet Detective, Terminator 2, The Rock... tooooo many! | Marika: Shawshank Redemption, The Notebook, Forrest Gump, Wolf of Wall Street, Lord of the Rings, The Pianist, La Vita e Bella and so many more!
FAVOURITE MUSIC ACT/ARTIST: Gunnar: Mozart, Drake, Elvis, Gavin DeGraw, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Queen, The Beatles... toooo many! | Marika: Don't even know where to start ;p
INTERESTING FACT: Gunnar: I have a middle name which translates into 'Raven'; Gunnar 'Raven' Gunnarsson :) | Marika: I'm half Greek and I speak 5 languages..
TEACHING, LESSONS & BOOKINGS
Gunnar & Marika teach at the world famous Dance Options in Cheam. You can contact either of them via phone; Gunnar - 07463 643000, Marika - 07463 624427, or email them; Gunnar - gunnargunnarsson7@gmail.com, Marika - marika_doshoris@msn.com.
GET FOLLOWING
Gunnar Gunnarsson & Marika Doshoris Official Facebook Page
Marika Doshoris on Twitter (@marikadoshoris)
Gunnar Gunnarsson on Instagram (@doublegunited)
Marika Doshoris on Instagram (@mayds)
Photography Credits:
Main Sponsors Page - Vincent Fotografie (Click here)
Header Image - Allan Taylor (Click here)