Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Marlee Matlin Ready for `Dancing' Debut



Marlee Matlin had never danced before — well, other than at weddings and bar mitzvahs — but for the past two weeks, she's been cha-cha-ing and quickstepping for seven hours a day in preparation for her "Dancing With the Stars" debut.

Despite the unforgiving schedule and complaints of constant soreness from past contestants, Matlin, 42, says she's remained pain-free.

"Everyone asks if I'm sore," she said after a recent rehearsal at a nondescript dance studio northeast of Los Angeles. "Am I supposed to be sore?"

Perhaps not. She is, however, supposed to step, twirl, dip, smile, clap, spin, plant and jump — all imaginable types of body and facial movements, really — in time with the music. Never mind that the Academy Award-winning actress can't hear a single note, beat, or tempo change.

While none of this year's crop of "Dancing" hopefuls have ever danced professionally, Matlin has the additional challenge of being deaf. And that's not a problem, she said through her longtime interpreter, Jack Jason. Matlin relies on her professional partner, show newcomer Fabian Sanchez, to lead the way.

"He's my music," she said.

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow is the opening of Ilya Ifraimov's and Nadia Goulina's Fred Astaire Studio in Montvale, NJ! There will be a student showcase as well as dinner and dancing! We wish the two of them the best of luck!!!