Dancing Tips...How To Practice Cuban Motion!

By Stanley McCalla

One of the students who I started to coach on a regular basis is showing considerable progress. He now looks like a different dancer: his posture has improved, his legs and feet are looking decent, and his Cuban motion is on the way to being authentic.

Last time I coached him, I said: “J, you are improving very nicely! What are you doing differently?”

“Thank you,” he said, “I have been practicing the exercises that you’ve talked about and I’m starting to feel it.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I said.

For those of you out there who are wondering about the exercises that J is talking about, I’m going to let you in on it (although the information isn’t any different from what your teacher is telling you). But, to satisfy your curiosity, I will list them here for you. It’s about Cuban motion and how you can practice it.

Cuban motion is described as the lateral motion of the hips, which occurs as a result of the flexing and straightening of the knees, never a conscious swing of the hips. You can use this technique in the Rumba, Bolero, Mambo, Cha Cha, Merengue, and Salsa, to name a few.

Stand with your back straight. Your shoulders should be lined up over your hips. Your center should be pulled toward your spine. Your feet should be together with toes turned out. You should feel that your weight is poised towards the balls of your feet. Imagine, for a moment, that your hips start at your rib cage and that you have extremely long legs.Start by bending one knee at a time, and then straightening it. You should allow your rib cage to move from side to side over the bent knee. While doing this, you should control the movement through the center of your body. In order to feel your center, tighten your stomach muscles as well as your plexus muscle. You should then feel the natural and lateral motion of your hips. If you don’t, then your posture is incorrect.

Once you feel the correct motion, try to use the same principle by taking a small step to the side with your left foot, then slowly closing your right foot to your left foot. All the while, remember your posture, your center, and the bending and straightening of the knees one at a time.
That’s it… now all you have to do is practice, practice, practice. Make sure that you confirm what you’re doing with your teacher.

Until next time, happy dancing!

Stanley McCalla
Fred Astaire National Champion
FADS National Dance board member examiner, coach and adjudicator
Available for coaching and examinations.

Derek Hough - Out With The Flu

From the examiner.com:

Derek Hough is reportedly off of Dancing with the Stars, at least temporarily, as he recovers from flu-like symptoms. Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who was previously eliminated with celebrity partner Debi Mazar, will temporarily take over for him as Joanna Krupa's partner.

Fred Astaire Professional Dancer On SYTYCD!

Kimalee Piedad, a professional dancer with the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Ft. Walton Beach, has made it to the Las Vegas audition round on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance!

“I thought that was just fabulous,” said Mary Murphy after her audition. Lil C thought Kimalee's dancing was “graceful and visually informative.”

Kimalee, a 25-year-old native of Fort Walton Beach, is classically trained as a ballerina. She danced professionally with the Louisville Ballet (2002-2003), Ballet Met (2003-2004), and as a Principal Dancer for the Northwest Florida Ballet in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida.

In 2005, she joined Fred Astaire’s Dance Studio in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida and immediately began her competitive ballroom dancing career. Kimalee and her partner, Jesse Benedetti, are currently ranked second in the nation and the world in the Cabaret Divisions. Together, they hold many dance titles for their unique performances. This dynamic duo most recently placed 2nd at the prestigious United States Championships in the Theatrical division, and were invited as one of the world representatives in 2009 to Blackpool, England.

Watch “So You Think You Can Dance at 8 p.m. Tuesdays and at 7 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox.

Dancing With The Tampa Bay Stars!

By Elizabeth Joy, Fred Astaire Dance Studio Developer

The Tampa Bay Fred Astaire Dance Studios were very proud to sponsor the
Second Annual Dancing With the Tampa Bay Stars on Saturday, September 26.

12 Fred Astaire professionals were paired with 12 "brave souls" back on
August 1 and were given 25 lessons to perform a choreographed routine to
an audience of 850 people - all to benefit Heartbeat International, providing heart transplants and pacemakers to under-privileged people throughout the world.

Our stars included Melissa McGhee (former American Idol finalist), Miss Tampa, Lynne Austin (the original Hooters girl), Tom Dupont (of Dupont Registeries), a stand-up comedian, the World Champion LPGA pro, and a host of other local "celebs." Fred Astaire Dance Studios also provided the production numbers for the opening ceremonies and the "half-time" activities.

My special thanks to Jim Carter and Stefan Dobrev for judging the event and the staff of all four studios (St. Petersburg Central, St. Petersburg North, Safety Harbor and Palm Harbor) for their time and effort in producing an event that raised over $150,000 in one evening!

Dancing In D.C.

News from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Washington, D.C.:

Let the Showcase Begin!
This Sunday, 4 October, is our Disney themed showcase! We have a great event planned!

3:00 to 3:30 pm: Registration
3:30 to 4:00 pm: Act 1
4:00 to 4:15 pm: General Dancing
4:15 to 4:45 pm: Act II
4:45 to 5:00 pm: General Dance
5:00 to 5:10 pm: Group Dance
5:10 to 7:00 pm: Appetizers and General Dancing
7:00 to 7:15 pm: Professional Shows
Good Night Waltz

Our staff is excited and our students are even more excited! Everyone has been practicing hard, please come out watch, dance, and enjoy! Tickets are $15 and sold at the door.

The National Dance Championships!
We have a large group going to Orlando for NDC! Our presence will be so large, all our instructors are going...so that's the good news. The bad news is that there will be no one left to teach lessons! So the studio will be closed on 21 October and classes will resume on Monday, 26 October. Please wish our students and staff luck and maybe they will bring back some awards! No pressure!

Are You Ready to Take Your Dancing to the Next Level?
We have a nationally recognized coach, Marylynn Benitez coming to the studio for coaching lessons November 5th and 6th. Please ask your private instructor for more information.

3rd Annual Halloween Party!
Our annual Halloween celebration will be on Friday, 30 October. We have our normal Newcomers and Advanced Bronze classes at 7:15, then the characters, most with costumes, will come out! It is always one of our favorite events; please join us for a great time! Our instructors love to dress up (for some reason we think they love the added attention and we all know they hate having fun!) and some of our students put some spectacular costumes together. Prizes will be given for best costumes and if you want to win, you have to bring it!

Bachata is Back!
We've got some more great group classes this month. Wednesday's at 8:00 p.m. is Bachata, so get those Latin hips moving! There are also plenty of other classes so we are sure that there is something for you.

Who Is The Guest Judge On DWS This Week?

Baz Luhrmann is the Guest Host this week on Dancing With The Stars! He is a Golden Globe and Academy Award nominated Austrialian film directory, screenwriter, and producer. Luhrmann has directed the following four films:

Strictly Ballroom (1992), starring Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice
Romeo + Juliet (1996), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
Moulin Rouge! (2001), starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
Australia (2008), starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman

Tampa Bay Star Kicks Up Her Heels!

From tampabay.com:

By Susan Thurston, Times Staff Writer

Published Thursday, September 24, 2009

Ann Poonkasem has sung the national anthem in front of thousands of Tampa Bay Lightning fans and strutted across a beauty pageant stage in sky-high heels. She's appeared on national TV trying to be a Hilton and has a few movie credits to her name.

But dance in a super skimpy outfit before a live audience?

"Never!'' she said.

Poonkasem, a.k.a. Ann P., takes to the parquet Saturday in Tampa Bay's version of Dancing with the Stars. Fresh off the heels of the reality show's Season 9 premiere, a dozen local celebrities and businesspeople will show off their moves for the sake of charity and title of best dancer.

"I'm the least flexible person in the earth,'' she declared during a break from practicing Thursday. "I didn't think it would be so hard.''
The event paired local notables with professional dancers from Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Teams had 25 practices to prepare for their 2 1/2-minute routines.

Like the actual TV show, the experience hasn't been without drama. Poonkasem's legs became so sore she had to get acupuncture on her ears to relieve the pain. Then, on Sunday, her dance partner, Raymond Cedeno, bruised his toes when a chair fell on them.

But it's all been worth it. Their tango/cha cha medley was nearly perfect a few days before showtime. Thanks to extra fiber, liquids and fish oil, Poonkasem feels fit and fabulous.

The event benefits Heartbeat International based in Tampa, which provides free pacemakers, defibrillators and other implantable cardiac devices to patients in developing countries.

Last year's show raised $50,000 and drew more than 500 people. A sellout crowd of more than 800 are expected this year.

A panel of ballroom dance judges will critique each contestant and name the best male and female winners. Audience votes, cast online in advance and during the show, will select the People's Choice, and the Grand Champion will be awarded based on both the judges' and audience's votes.
Poonkasem, who was last year's Ms. Gasparilla and a former Miss Tampa, hopes people give generously regardless of their vote (which she badly wants).

Also dancing are: Lynne Austin, the original Hooters girl; Enrique Crespo, a Tampa designer; Sally Dee, former golf pro; Tom duPont, publisher of the duPont Registry; Susan Guidi, president of Advanced Ultrasound Services; Jim Henning, real estate consultant; Brandi Kamenar, CEO of Icon B. Marketing and Publicity Group; Melissa McGhee, former American Idol contestant; Chad Nelson, mixed martial arts fighter; Shilen Patel, health care entrepreneur; and Roxanne Wilder of Bay News 9.

Dancing with the Stars Tampa Bay
The event is from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday at the Tampa Marriott Waterside, 700 S Florida Ave. Tickets are $150 online in advance but were expected to sell out. Online votes for your favorite dancer are available for purchase until 11:59 p.m. Friday. Go to dwtstb.com.

DWTS Double Elimination!

Last night, Ashley Hamilton and Macy Gray were the first celebs to be kicked off the dance floor (and the show) for Season 9. What do you think?

My Golden Dancers

Happiness Is...

By Elita Sohmer Clayman

If you google "Happiness is," dozens of sayings pop up by some famous and some not so famous people. Several of them caught my attention because they are truly on the mark.

Democritus said, “Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold, the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul.”

Aristotle said, “To live happily is an inward power of the soul.”

Anne Frank said, “Think of all the beauty that’s still left in and around you and be happy.”

Allan Chalmers said, “Happiness is grand essentials and that is something to do, something to love and something to hope for.”

All four of the above quotes are quite accurate. Author Allan K. Chalmers, concentration camp Holocaust child Anne Frank, philosophers Aristotle and Democritus all basically reiterate the same feelings on happiness. Happiness is mostly inward and not so much outward for each person.

Many of us find happiness in simple and plain things that happen to us daily. Some may see a sunset, a rainbow, beautiful clouds, or just feel especially content that day. Some may buy something material that they have yearned for during a long period of time. Some may have a child attain a college degree, get engaged and married or become a grandparent. Some may be looking forward to traveling to a place they have always dreamed of seeing. Some may start a new hobby or even become employed at a company they always wanted to work for.

Others may become retired from their jobs and see great happiness in being able to not wake up early to work; others may be thinking of remodeling their homes or even buying new furniture to perk up their surroundings.

Each of has the capacity to feel happiness, maybe not every day of the week but often enough to really think of themselves as happy. Others may have gotten a clean bill of health from their doctor and feel that this is the greatest happiness at this moment in time.

So there are degrees of happiness and we all desire this feeling to overtake us.

Several weeks ago, actually on September 2nd, 2009 I felt a particularly happy day.
My son was scheduled for some kidney stones to be ‘pulled’ out due to some pain and this was taking place in the outpatient division of a hospital. When I heard he had come through this successfully and was on his way home (he lives in Northern, Virginia-eighty miles away from me) then I felt a great surge of happiness because I had worried so much about the procedure. Also I had some dental work done to make a crooked tooth straight and I was ‘happy’ to smile now when a picture was taken on the digital camera and have a nice set of straight teeth now. Also I had an EKG taken at the doctor’s office and everything was fine. The final thing was that I became that day a great great aunty because my great niece, who was born on my birthday 28 years ago, had given birth to a son. So all in all that day was quite remarkable for the four happenings to me and as Allan Chalmers said I had completed all by something to love (my new great great nephew), the something to hope for had been completed because my son’s surgery was over and he was healthy, the something to do was my teeth fixed and so Chalmers only stated three essentials for happiness and I had attained four. So I topped his list by one essential.

Anyone who starts to ballroom dance need not view Dancing With The Stars on television and envision him or herself up there. That is all hype and lots of five hour days training for this event. Many of the stars who do this have had many accidents and illnesses trying to accomplish this dancing in a few weeks. Whereas we ballroom dancers who have been attempting this for many years know that learning to dance and to excel in it is not designed to do it for twenty some hours per week for five weeks or so and then to perform as if their life depended on it. They also rely on the opinions of three judges who sit there and decide their fate.

Real ballroom dancing is not run this way. When one decides to go into competition at the dance studio he or she may take an extra lesson or two per week to get in shape and to learn but many times they cannot afford the extra lessons. Therefore, they have to wait until they have been skilled in the many hours it takes to do competition work.

Sometimes this takes several years before one is ready to execute and accomplish this feat. Feat it is done with our feet.DWTS makes it seem that to be a good dancer you must be able to come out there in a skimpy outfit, men included, that you have to-do fancy footwork that you are not qualified to perform and that you have to smile until your face freezes. Also that you have to take the sometimes sarcastic, caustic and vitriolic words spewed by the so called judges. One wonders if these judges could have ever fulfilled themselves what they expect from these star performers so early in the competition or even later on towards the end of the series.

These judges judge not always with knowledge, discernment and accuracy. Many of them say things to get a smile, a boo, a roar from the attending audience. They do not always care to be guiding the dancer into a better mode, they sometimes want to rile up the dancer. They want to irritate and annoy the audience into a negative reaction because they then get noticed for being rude, funny or obnoxious.

This makes ratings for the show to rise and lots of talk about them and maybe they will even get noticed and written up in People magazine.

This is not what ballroom dancing is all about. Ballroom dancing is about “beauty that is out there and around you and happiness” as Anne Frank said in her sad life during the Holocaust. Ballroom dancing is about as Allan Chalmers said “it is something to do, something to love and something to hope for.” It is about as Democritus said “happiness resides in the feeling in the soul.” Lastly, as Aristotle said “happiness is to live happily and is an inward power of the soul.”

Ballroom dancing is beauty, something to love, something to hope for and is a power of your soul. By seeing ballroom dancing as love, hope, soul power and as Oscar Wilde said “some cause happiness wherever they go.” When we dance we cause happiness not only to our self but to others.

Ballroom dancing is something in our vision if we want it and happiness will be there and it is in our power to be happy when we dance whether it is social dancing, competitive dancing or dancing for our happiness and sweetness to our soul and mind.

So whatever category you may fall in, go out and try to dance whatever age you are now, whether you be a young person, a middle aged person or a senior person. Dancing will bring you the ultimate security that you are alive, well, happy and most of all active.


Keep On Dancing

Senior Couples Have A Ball Competing!

From signsonsandiego.com:

Fun and challenges are found during Senior Olympic events
By Tanya Sierra
Union-Tribune Staff Writer

Mariko and Takeo Sakakibara celebrated their medal run at yesterday's Senior Olympics. The couple took home eight gold medals and one silver for their 10 ballroom dance performances.

Takeo and Mariko Sakakibara barely got back to their seats before the couple's names were called to receive another gold medal during the ballroom dance competition of the 22nd annual Senior Olympics yesterday.
After a four-year hiatus, ballroom dancing returned to the Senior Olympics — albeit with sparse participation — at the Cottonwood Golf Club. Four couples from the Fred Astaire Dance Studio competed in the ballroom competition.

For about two hours, the Sakakibaras and three other couples glided from one corner of the dance floor to the other using techniques that they have been perfecting in dance classes.

Penny St. James and Janet Battey used their arms to enhance their performances by clasping their thumb and middle fingers as they twirled. Marie Thome gracefully moved with partner and husband Dick Thome.
The men also showed off their moves. Ron Joy, Thome and Wayne Lee forcefully spun their partners during various routines.

At the end of the event, the Sakakibaras were elated to win 8 gold medals and one silver for performing 10 dances including tango, waltz, foxtrot, cha cha, rumba, swing, salsa and the hustle.

“This is our first competition,” Mariko Sakakibara, 55, said. Her husband, Takeo Sakakibara, 65, joked they should go to Las Vegas to perform.
For three weeks every September, seniors age 50 and older show off their physical prowess by competing in 18 events from archery and swimming to bowling and billiards.

Gold medalists can move on to compete in the state games, then the regional and national games, said Daniel Propp, this year's assistant games director.

Propp, 66, a professional pool player and master instructor, said he put this year's games together in four months after the organization's office manager suffered a stroke. It usually takes about a year and $400,000 to plan the event, he said.

Until this year, Propp had never heard of the Senior Olympics, but he made it his personal mission to promote and plan next year's games. Organizers say they'd like to see as many as 50 couples join the dancing ranks.
“My goal is to make the Senior Olympics a household name,” Propp said.
The San Diego Senior Sports Festival, which puts on the games, is a nonprofit organization that encourages adults 50 and older to carry on vigorous lives and maintain physical fitness.

This year about 1,300 people participated, Propp said.

Dancer Wayne Lee, 63, who has been dancing for two years, said his quest for a unique anniversary gift for his wife led him to dance lessons.
“We liked it so much we kept going,” Lee said.

Anyone 50 and older who wants to compete in any of next year's events can call the Senior Olympics at (619) 226-1324.

United States Dance Championships 2009!

We are proud to announce that many Fred Astaire Dance Studio professionals won big at the recent USDC, the most prestigious dance championship in the United States. Congratulations to all our competitors and special congratulations to:

Marat Bakh & Kristina Staykova – 7th in American Rhythm
Jesse Benedetti & Kimalee Piedad – 1st in US Cabaret and 2nd in World Professional Cabaret/Exhibition
Ricky Bentzen & Albina Habrle – 5th in American Rhythm
Aaron DeSoto & Jaana Lillemagi – 5th in National Rising Star American Rhythm
Chris Germain & Simona Polmova – 6th in National Rising Star Smooth
Victor Luna & Dawn Westberry – 3rd in Theatrical Dance
Aleks Nashev & Brittney Bartler - 4th in National Rising Star American Rhythm
Vicente Martinez & Megan Murphy – 2nd in US Cabaret and 3rd in World Professional Cabaret/Exhibition
Adam Maynard & Rachel Nace – 9th in US Cabaret
Ruslan Meshkov & Alexandra Nema – 3rd in Open Rising Star International Standard and 3rd in National Rising Star International Standard
Ilya Velednitsky & Mandy Velednitsky – 2nd in National Rising Star American Rhythm

Forecast For Season 9 of Dancing With The Stars!

From mlive.com:

A footwork forecast for Season 9 of 'Dancing With the Stars': Watch out for Donny Osmond

By The Grand Rapids Press
September 20, 2009, 6:25AM

"Dancing With the Stars" is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates -- you never know who you're going to get, and Season 9 of ABC's top-rated dance competition bears this out more than any other spin around the ballroom floor.

ON THE AIR
The ninth season of "Dancing With the Stars" returns at 8 p.m. Monday on ABC. The first round of competition continues at 8 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the results show at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Oh, there are the usual suspects -- a football player (Michael Irvin), a light heavyweight champion (Chuck Liddell), and an all-grown-up child star (Melissa Joan Hart). Those would be the cherry-filled cordials and nougats; no one is surprised by their presence.

But a few of the casting calls caused a national kerfluffle indeed, and none more than former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R), aka "The Hammer," who at 62 is either a great defender of conservative values or a crooked politico who should be wearing a prison jumpsuit, not sequined pants, depending on your personal political views.

After the shock of his casting sunk in, however, the public has appeared to warm up to the guy: A recent TV Guide.com poll has him and professional partner Cheryl Burke handicapped in the top spot, above even Donny Osmond!

That's just wrong, folks. Because clearly, it's Donny's contest to win or lose. Not only is he a former teen idol, but the dude's been prancing around in be-dazzled costumes since he was a kid. He has my votes, definitely. I've been cheering for good ol' Donny since I happened upon him belting out "Hound Dog" on his '70s TV show with sister Marie, and I'm betting millions of women will remember him fondly. Can't you just see him, misted with chemical bronzer, those Osmond teeth gleaming like the sun, hoofing it all the way to the Mirror Ball Trophy?

Donny, Tom and the rest of the extra-large (too large!) 16-contestant cast will face a few new dances, including the Bolero, Charleston, Two-Step and Lambada, as well as the mid-season triple-threat of double eliminations.
Who will have a leg up on the competition, and who will have a leg in a cast? According to "Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, look for Mark Dacascos, "The Chairman" and host of Food Network's "Iron Chef America," to sizzle, as well as young popster Aaron Carter (coupled with Maks' ex-fiance Karina Smirnoff), R&B singer Mya and, naturally, Mr. Osmond. And he also thinks his own partner, "Entourage" actress Debi Mazar, can go the distance as well -- big surprise there.

Here's my semi-annual, sight unseen, footwork forecast:

1. Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson
Kym's a two-time runner-up, and millions of ladies still have a slight case of puppy love for Donny.

2. Melissa Joan Hart and Mark Ballas
Mark is the defending champ and could become the first pro to win three Mirrorballs with cute and lovable "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Melissa.

3. Natalie Coughlin and Alec Mazo
Inaugural winner Alec may not have a dazzling personality, but it's wise never to underestimate an Olympian on this show. Partner Natalie's won 11 medals in swimming.

4. Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff
He's cute, and he's got rhythm. Remember how far that got Cody Linley a couple of seasons ago?

5. Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
The "Entourage" star and Maks are getting along like gangbusters, and he really, really wants to get his hands on that mirrorball.

6. Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Sliwinska
Everyone loves Edyta, and the son of George Hamilton and Alana Stewart may be just quirky enough (he's actually hilarious) to rise above the pack of better known "celebs."

7. Mya and Dmitry Chaplin
L'il Kim was astounding last season, and maybe Mya will follow in her footwork. Plus Maksim said she's one to watch -- and he's seen her dance, after all.

8. Michael Irvin and Anna Demidova
The former Dallas Cowboys wide-receiver could thrown down, like former NFL/"Stars" greats Emmitt Smith, Jason Taylor and Warren Sapp. Or he could fall flat, a la Laurence Taylor.

9. Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani
Tony took bronze last season with Melissa Rycroft, and, as supermodels go, Kathy's pretty cool and somewhat relatable due to her weight struggles of late.

10. Mark Dacascos and Lacey Schwimmer
I would rank this kitchen star higher, but the word online isn't good. Likeability is key.

11. Macy Gray and Jonathan Roberts
Jonathan and partner Belinda Carlisle were eliminated first last season, but he definitely will go farther with Grammy-winner Macy.

12. Tom DeLay and Cheryl Burke
He is the most buzzed-about contestant this year, and Cheryl knows how to shape a winner. But DeLay's 62, and at least half of voters are Democrats.

13. Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya
Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Chuck is called "The Iceman," which doesn't sound very warm and fuzzy at all.

14. Kelly Osbourne and Louis van Amstel
Louis last danced with Priscilla Presley in Season 6, and look how that turned out. Plus, we all may have a bit of Osbourne fatigue.

15. Snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower
Chelsie finished fourth last season with Ty Murray, so she's fresh on everyone's minds. But with the Winter Olympics still six months away, Louie's off everyone's radar.

16. Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough
I know Derek won Season 7 with Brooke Burke, but if there's anything the public won't have it's a pouty supermodel. Anyone who saw an episode of "Superstars" this summer knows what I mean.

Dancing Pros Make Key Adjustments

From hublsj.com:

Each season of 'Stars' brings new challenges

by Mike Hughes TV America

This is what life is like, if you're dancing with the stars.

Chelsie Hightower is rushing through Los Angeles traffic. She just finished a class, is heading to a rehearsal with "Dancing With the Stars" partner Louis Vito - and has an interview while she's driving.

"It's just go, go, go," she said. "That's what my life is."

And Tony Dovolani is juggling coasts. He flew home for his twins' first birthday and their sister's first day of school; then he was back for "Dancing" rehearsals with Kathy Ireland.

Life is crowded, he said, especially when he's obsessing over choreography. "You have a lot of sleepless nights, being up at 4 in the morning worrying about it."

These two seem like opposites - a young blonde, 20, from Utah, in her second "Stars" season; a veteran, 36, from Kosovo, in his eighth. Together, they offer a glimpse of the show's dance pros.

At times, things work splendidly. For instance:

• Dovolani received a 2006 Emmy nomination for his choreography of a jive piece. In his first "Dancing" season (the second for the show), he finished third with pin-up star Stacy Keibler.

• Last season, her first on the show, Hightower finished fourth with rodeo star Ty Murray; Dovolani finished third with former "Bachelor" choice Melissa Rycroft.

This time, Hightower is with Vito, a snowboard champion. "I thought he'd be kind of chill," she said. "(But) he's just a really good guy and a very good, hard worker."

Athletes do thrive on the show. In one three-season stretch, they had two firsts (Emmit Smith and Apolo Anton Ohno) and a second (Jerry Rice). "They know what it is to be good at something," Hightower said. "And they have a real work ethic."

That's the part that varies from star-to-star. Each sets the time and place for rehearsals.

Last season, Hightower flew to Texas for intense work with Murray. His wife (singer Jewel) was rehearsing at the same time, until an injury stopped her. "My heart kind of broke for her," Hightower said. "We were all bummed out; she'd worked so hard on it."

Some stars have limited rehearsal time. "If you only have three hours a day, you go with it," Dovolani said. "If you have seven hours, you go with it."

He also adjusts to height. Dovolani (6-foot) has ranged from the 5-foot Marissa Winokur and 5-2 Susan Lucci to the 5-10 Ireland and 5-11 Keibler. "That makes some difference in terms of balance and footwork," he said. "You need to work with each one differently."

Mostly, he's just happy to be a dancing pro. "I grew up in the former Yugoslavia, watching Fred Astaire movies," he said. His dad (a top executive) encouraged him; he went from folk to ballroom.

The surprise came when he moved to the U.S. at 15. In the land of Astaire, things were scarce.

"For years, we didn't see any ballroom dancers on TV," Dovolani said. "It was a secret society."

He found the Fred Astaire Dance Academy and has gone on to win five national and international titles. Meanwhile, ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" brought new attention.

At times, he's been warned it would be difficult. A Broadway choreographer told him Winokur was a bad dancer; Ireland said the same thing about herself.

Dovolani disagrees. "Fred Astaire said everyone is born a great dancer."

Still, some seem born with more greatness than others. Hightower grew up in Utah, a place where dance is big. Top teachers were flown in from New York; she won a national championship at 11.

She finished in the top six in the 2008 season of Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance." The tour led to her next break: "Katrina saw the show and talked to me," she said.

That's Katrina Smirnoff, a "Dancing With the Stars" pro. Soon, Hightower was changing shows, networks and dance styles. Her go-go-go life was going faster.

Dance show’s star had early dreams

From newsok.com:

BY LUAINE LEE
Published: September 21, 2009

STUDIO CITY, Calif. — When dancer Tony Dovolani glides through a torrid tango or hops to a lively Lindy on ABC’s "Dancing With the Stars,” he’s just emulating what he saw as a child.

He and his father used to watch a movie every week in his native Kosovo. "My dad found these Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers movies and Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor. Every Sunday, we had movie night. And we watched musicals. It was so amazing because I was addicted to it as a kid. I couldn’t wait to come to America to see some of this live.”

He’d fallen in love with dancing at age 4. "When I was 3 years old, my dad tells me I showed interest in music and dance, so he took me to classes where I learned how to learn instruments and a dance class. In Kosovo, it’s very big to do folkloric dancing, ballet but also folkloric dancing,” he says.
"I quickly realized I didn’t want to be behind an instrument while everybody else was dancing. So, I quit taking music lessons and just wanted to do dance lessons. I was 4 years old,” he says.

When "Dancing With the Stars” returns at 7 tonight, Dovolani will team with model-designer Kathy Ireland. This marks his eighth season on the 9-year-old show. He missed Season 1, as he was preparing for his first world title in ballroom dancing when he was invited to join.

When Dovolani arrived in the U.S. in 1989, he was heartily disappointed that there were no musicals like he’d seen in the movies.

"I was 15. I started working as a dishwasher because they didn’t accept our diplomas here, and I was already in my second year in college back home. I was one of the brainiacs.”

He decided to take up ballroom dancing. The day he walked into the Fred Astaire Studio, he vowed he would be a dancing champion.

"In 1998, I represented the United States in the world championships, and in 2001, I won my first PBS championship, which was the United States title.”

He kept on winning, and he trained Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez for the film "Shall We Dance?” in which he had a small part.

Dovolani insists anyone who can walk can dance. "No dancer was born a dancer. Every dancer has been taught.”

DWTS Curse!

From eonline.com:

Safety measures be damned. The new season of Dancing With the Stars hasn't started yet, but already the injury count is one two and holding.

Kathy Ireland received seven stitches in her leg when a day at the beach turned into a day at the emergency room.

The accident happened on Sunday, when the former model took partner Tony Dovolani's advice to "go out and have fun" on what may—should she prove to be any good at this dancing thing—have been her last free day for quite some time.

Unfortunately, she failed to heed the latter half of his advice, which Dovolani also told her children: "Make sure she doesn't do anything to injure herself."

Here's what went down...

Ireland decided to take her son Erik surfing in Santa Barbara. During a wave run, the 46-year-old former Sports Illustrated swimsuit fixture bashed the board against the side of her leg, splitting it open.

As luck would have it, she managed to keep her treatment in the family. Her husband, Greg Olsen, is an ER doctor in Santa Barbara. He happened to be on duty at the time and stitched up Ireland himself.

While the injury probably won't help Ireland, her rep said it is not expected to hurt her, with the model (like the previously injured Tom DeLay) still set to participate in Monday's premiere.

Patrick Swayze Honored On DWTS

From etonline.com:

One of the biggest shows on TV is reportedly set to pay tribute to Patrick Swayze.

The 'Dirty Dancing' star will be honored on "Dancing with the Stars" in a special tribute this Sept. 23, according to People.

The beloved actor made a guest appearance on the show during its first season -- showing his friend John O'Hurley some moves in rehearsals. He also came out to show his support by attending the finale.

"We have some very fond memories of [Patrick] coming to help us when we were a tiny little show way back when," "Dancing"'s executive producer Conrad Green tells the mag.

"He was one of the few people to integrate dance with being an A-list actor," Conrad adds. "He inspired many people and many of our pros to dance. We want to honor the great moments he's brought to film by getting our dancers to do their interpretation to some music from his films."

First DWTS Injury!

From accesshollywood.com:

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --
Tom DeLay has suffered a “Dancing” injury, but it’s not enough to keep him from the ballroom.

The 62-year-old Republican, who has been paired with professional Cheryl Burke, revealed on Tuesday morning he thought he had a significant foot injury.

“Old age is catching up to me, may have a stress fracture in my foot. no worries, it’ll take more than that to keep me off the dance floor!” he Tweeted.

But a short while later, he revealed the injury wasn’t as severe as he first thought.

“No stress fracture! It is a pre-stress fracture. I live for another day,” he wrote.

“Dancing With the Stars” instituted new practice rules for the ninth season of the show, limiting contestants to just five hours of rehearsal a day. Last season, Access Hollywood’s own Nancy O’Dell and singer Jewel had to drop out before the show even started due to injury, while Gilles Marini, who made it to the finals, underwent surgery as a result of his “DWTS” experience.

Tom continues to work on his ballroom moves, something Cheryl recently told Access hasn’t been easy for the man who was known as “The Hammer” while working in the United States House of Representatives.

“We’re getting there. Slowly but surely,” Cheryl previously told Access. “But at the end of the day, this is something completely out of his element and I think he’s such a brave man for going out in front of millions of people… You know, he’s not going to be the best dancer of the bunch. That’s for sure. But hopefully he’ll bring something new and different. Bring out his personality. Hopefully it’ll change what his image is all about.”
The new season of “Dancing With the Stars” debuts on Monday, September 21.

Celebrate National Ballroom Week!

National Ballroom Dance Week is September 18-27. The Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Rochester, Minnesota is celebrating this week by offering group lessons for free 9/20-26. Classes include popular dances, such as the Fox Trot, Tango and Waltz, and will also teach technique and rhythm.

My Golden Dancers

Caress Someone’s Soul

By Elita Sohmer Clayman

In Corinthians, Chapter 13, it is stated:

Love is patient, love is kind
Love is not jealous; it does not put on airs
Love is never rude. Love is not pompous.
Love never gives up
Love is eternal
Love endures all things
Love is not quick tempered and does not brood
Love does not rejoice in what is wrong

The whole thing was recited at my great nephew’s wedding ceremony last month in Michigan. He, being Jewish, married a Christian girl, and they had a deacon there for her religion and a rabbi for his religion.

The rabbi said all marriages are intermarriages because even though it is said that opposites attract, people are different and that is really ‘intermarriage.’ That is really true and a different assumption on marriage.

I find that a very interesting theory. It is true that everyone is different and that is what makes the world go round. I find that in everyday life being different is a good thing. If everyone were the same then it would be dull and uninteresting.

My son married an Asian girl and our two families have bonded in a deep and loving way. I did not know what to expect upon meeting them and they in meeting us. We joined immediately at the first encounter and our love for our children, my son and their daughter brought together two faiths and two cultures.

There was no fear on either side. We were there to be receptive to our children and their choice of a mate. Our love for our child did not put on airs or be pompous. Our love believes all things and hopes all things and is eternal.

We can also apply this to our dancing activity. When we are at a dance, we should never be rude or pompous to a new person attending the dance. We should not be impatient when they are trying to do a step or dance among others on the dance floor. We should not act as if we are rejoicing if they falter; we should not rejoice if they get upset over something they are doing. We should tell them not to give up or go home if they get frustrated. We should tell them that once they learn to dance, it will eternally be bringing them happiness.

Many new dancers get so unhappy when they cannot perform the way they want when they are new at the dance party. They may not be able to tell the type of song being played and they may get irritated if someone corrects them when asked to dance with a stranger.

Many years ago there was a man named Jerry (not my husband Jerry) who would come to the dances and constantly correct his wife if she made what he thought was an error while they danced. He would call her to the side of the dance floor and show her the mistake and correct her in front of people. She was a timid lady and did not like being shown the errors Jerry thought she was doing. Finally, I heard he built a dance floor and an addition to his home so they could practice because he thought himself better than her in their dancing hobby.

He was truly obnoxious. I saw him dance with other ladies and do the same thing. One of them never came back to the studio because he made her feel insignificant and incompetent. She was there for pleasure and not to be called down by the likes of him. After a while, the owner cautioned him not to ever do that again to anybody including his wife or else he would be banned from that studio.

As Corinthians says, love is patient and love is kind. That is what we experienced dancers should be to our fellow new dancers so that they rejoice and believe they can do all things. Corinthians also says that love should endure all things; we can make these folks endure the beginning of learning to dance and put them in good spirits while they accomplish it.

I heard a line on television: “We should caress each others’ souls.” How lovely if we all could at least once a day or once a week caress another person’s soul to leave them feeling full of spirit.

Robert Jacob Meyer, the former editor of Amateur Dancers magazine for twenty-four years and my editor for seventeen of them, wrote me the following in an email recently: ‘May your outers reflect the treasures of your inners.’ I took it to mean that what I write in my articles is reflecting the joys and happiness I have in my dancing mind and in my normal life.

If we all could treasure our inner thoughts, then we will be caressing others too and making peace in their souls.

Love is never rude and not quick tempered like the man Jerry. We should remember to rejoice that the new dancer is there and protect him or her by being kind, patient and helpful. Then we have caressed someone’s soul and they will continue to dance and we will feel good about ourselves because we were patient, not rude. We have rejoiced in the truth that ballroom dancing can enhance a person’s life and we have helped a stranger revel in this.

John Quincy Adams said, “The power to do.” We have the power to show that love is patient and love is kind. By encouraging their soul to dance and to enjoy the rewards of dancing, we have shown a different form of love. To dance with your feet and arms while using our minds is surely what Adams meant. We have the power to do and doing something for another person is pure gold and another form of love.

Who Will Win Dancing With The Stars?

From msnbc.com:

Laying odds on ‘Dancing’: Who will win?
Osmond has the stage experience, but Hart may have the fans necessary

By Linda Holmes

Handicapping a season of "Dancing With The Stars" gets harder as every rule grows an exception. Football guys get close to the end — except Lawrence Taylor. Pretty, inoffensive young women get knocked out early — except Brooke Burke. People without name recognition have no real chance — except Gilles Marini.

There are few reliable rules anymore, so all you can do is look at who has natural advantages and disadvantages. After that, it's anyone's guess how it will play out.

In this extra-large season with its 16-member cast, let's look first at the advantages.

Stage experience: Donny Osmond has spent years doing glittery stage shows like "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." What's more, his crafty partner, Kym Johnson, has brought out the best in an unlikely mix of hams from Jerry Springer to Joey Fatone. Especially with her help, it could work for him.

Musical background: Singers are a mixed bag, with Mel B and Joey Fatone on the high end and Belinda Carlisle and Master P … not so much. But on balance, it's always good to have rhythm, which could help Mya, Macy Gray, and Aaron Carter.

Nostalgia: Melissa Joan Hart has been famous for a long time, spending many years, for better or worse, as a tween star. She's stayed on the radar making cutesy ABC Family movies, and plenty of people know who she is. In many seasons, just having a base to build on is enough to carry you a few weeks while you try to learn to actually dance.

Being an underdog: Lots of people seem like they might be bad dancers, but it takes a certain kind of underdog to capitalize on that quality. This year's most likely candidate? Kelly Osbourne. She's struggled with her weight and her image, she has a weird family, she seems like the world's unlikeliest ballroom dancer, and she's not without flashes of charm as a general matter. If she turns out to have any ability whatsoever, she will seem brilliant just for not falling on her face.

The right athletic skills: Mark Dacascos, who appears on the U.S. version of "Iron Chef," is almost as unknown this year as Gilles Marini was last year, but his real background is in martial arts — and more specifically in martial-arts movies. That could make him a natural fit. Anyone who's done demanding physical choreography is a step ahead of this game.

Interesting combinations: Swimmer Natalie Coughlin is an Olympic athlete, but she's also sort of a babe. And Joanna Krupa is a model, but as she demonstrated on "The Superstars" this summer during a stormy pairing with Terrell Owens, she's also outspoken and sharp-tongued. Those could both turn out to be combinations of traits that might have some extra appeal to audiences.

Two left feet
So who might be at a disadvantage?

Division: You may love or hate Tom DeLay, and you may take those feelings a little more seriously than with an actor or a model. Getting a lot of votes is largely about nursing broad support, not just passionate support. Oddly, this is something DeLay — partnered with two-time champion Cheryl Burke — has in common with Michael Irvin, whose football career and personal life have been controversial. You don't get far being polarizing, as pundit Tucker Carlson learned from his early exit.

Anonymity: While Chuck Liddell has a low profile in the kind of frothy pop culture that often produces "Dancing" contestants, he is a big deal in Ultimate Fighting circles and even hosted a show on Spike, making him not as anonymous as he might seem. Louie Vito, on the other hand, is a snowboarder who only turned pro in 2006. While Vito's partner, Chelsie Hightower, made a silk purse out of the adorable sow's ear that was Ty Murray last season, Vito is even less known, and lacks a famous spouse like Jewel as an entry point.

Representing for moms: Kathy Ireland could be a great dancer, and she'd still be a very unlikely candidate to go far, because women who represent the "mom" demographic — specifically including former models Paulina Porizkova and Rachel Hunter — have had it rough. Leeza Gibbons, Gisele Fernandez, Tia Carrere … even Susan Lucci only finished sixth, and she should have had the most obvious crossover with the "Dancing" audience that one can possibly imagine. This is also likely to be a problem for character actress Debi Mazar, who lands right on the "vaguely familiar" spot that rarely works well for anyone.

Head-scratchers: Ashley Hamilton may be the strangest person to ever be chosen for this show. At least when Gilles Marini was known only for his largely wordless and entirely pantsless turn in "Sex And The City," it was a recent movie. Ashley Hamilton is really only known for having been briefly married to Shannen Doherty years ago. They'll tease the angle that he's the son of former "Dancing" contestant George Hamilton, but in the end, he's not even someone where you'd say, "Who?" He's more someone where you'd say, "Why?"