Dancing with the Stars - Week 4 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


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WEEK FOUR

[Natasha] This week was Classic Music night, and I thought there were some very nice songs and nice dances, mostly the Viennese Waltz, Paso Doble and slow Waltz. It's very interesting because each week the leaders are changing as couples improve and switching positions on their scores.

Tonight's Scores:

1st Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 + W4:26 = 88 total)
Chelsea and Mark danced the Viennese Waltz. I was really impressed - it was very, very nice. They chose the Harry Potter theme, and their technique was incredible. For a moment I thought Mark was dancing with a professional partner. Chelsea wants to be pushed, she said, because she's tired of coming in third place. It was really good choreography, beautiful costumes, and they had a good connection. I'm really glad for Chelsea and Mark.

T-2nd Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 + W4:25 = 94 total)
Hines and Kym did the Paso Doble this week. Hines felt like he was challenged this week. he said he didn't understand Classical music. But the dance was strong and aggressive and he did a good job.

T-2nd Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 + W4:25 = 91)
Ralph and Karina did the slow Waltz. That was a very difficult dance - and it was to Romeo and Juliet, my favorite song. The choreography was nice. They're still in a higher place with their overall score, and I think their ready to compete with the other top couples.

T-4th Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 + W4:23 = 85)
Romeo and Chelsie danced the Paso Doble. He's definitely improved his footwork. You could tell he was excited and he loved the dance. He did a good job. They did very well.

T-4th Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 + W4:23 = 86)
Chris and Cheryl also did the Paso Doble. Chris has his wrestling [acting] skills and he used them well in the dance. Cheryl used very good choreography for them.

T-4th Place - Petra Nemcova/Dmitry Chaplin (W1:18 + W2:18 + W3:25 + W4:23 = 84)
Petra and Dmitry performed the Paso Doble. She wore red, which was the character of the dance. Each week I say the same thing: she's a beautiful lady but sometimes her movements look so stiff. She should look aggressive - that's the Paso - but still should have smooth movements.

7th Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 + W4:21 = 85)
Kirstie and Maks did the Viennese Waltz. I though their dance was very elegant. [laughs] I think her score now with Maks is 1-to-1 with her shoes falling off. She did manage to get the shoe back on and continue with the dance, but I hope everything with the costumes and such goes better for them so they can just concentrate on dancing.

8th Place - Sugar Ray Leonard/Anna Trebunsakaya (W1:17 + W2:17 + W3:20 + W4:21 = 81)
Sugar Ray and Anna danced the Viennese Waltz to Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers. I loved the song - a traditional Russian piece. Unfortunately, this is the couple that was eliminated this week, so we've seen the last of them performing. Sugar Ray seemed a little nervous. He's the oldest guy in the competition, but he seemed like he really enjoyed being on the show. He talked about how much he liked tha dancing and how much the show inspired him, but unfortunately there were much stronger couples.

9th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 + W4:18 = 78)
Kendra and Louis did the Viennese Waltz, sung by guest soprano Katherine Jenkins. Kendra was very disappointed in her dance. She made some mistakes and she was nervous. You could see how she messed up the choreography. She knew was was making mistakes and that threw her off even more.

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So we have eight couples remaining for next week's competition, and we'll see what happens with them.

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Dancing with the Stars - Week 3 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


There were 10 dancers on this third week of Dancing with the Stars, and this week the stars selected songs to dance to that were near and dear to their hearts. It was difficult to judge their performance because all the dances were emotional and had a lot of feeling in them. They were mostly slow dances, the Rumba, and also a cha-cha, and paso doble.

1st Place - Hines Ward/Kym Johnson (W1:21 + W2:23 + W3:25 = 69)
Hines did the Samba, which he dedicated to his mother. I think it was interesting, good choreography, with a lot of energy and good bounce. I thought he danced the way it [Samba] should be danced.

2nd Place - Ralph Macchio/Karina Smirnoff (W1:24 + W2:21 + W3:21 = 66)
Ralph danced the Rumba. He chose a song that he and his wife danced to on their wedding day, and his dance was dedicated to his wife. I thought the choreography was very good. There were interesting lines and movements. Karina did a nice job and Ralph looked good dancing with her. I liked what they did.

3rd Place - Kirstie Alley/Maksim Chmerkovskiy (W1:23 + W2:20 + W3:21 = 64)
Kirstie danced the Rumba to "Over the Rainbow." She had lost her mom, and almost her dad, in a car accident many years ago and her dance was dedicated to her parents. Maks lost his balance and they fell down during the dance. I think if they had kept balance their scores would have been much higher. She looked great.

4th Place - Chris Jericho/Cheryl Burke (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:21 = 63)
Chris did the Rumba, dedicated to his mom. He did a great job, a very emotional dance. You could read the story through their dance. He needs to work on his arms better - he needs to be more fluid.

When you dance, you need to control your feelings and learn to relax. If you have too much control, you lose feeling, but if you have too much feeling, you lose control of the dance.

T-5th Place - Chelsea Kane/Mark Ballas (W1:21 + W2:18 + W3:23 = 62)
Chelsea did the cha-cha, and she dedicated her dance to her first love. She did a good job had a lot of rotations. I would have liked to have seen better footwork and hip action, which hopefully we'll see in the future.

T-5th Place - Romeo/Chelsie Hightower (W1:19 + W2:23 + W3:20 = 62)
Also a sad story here - Romeo lost two cousins. In dedication to them, he danced the Rumba to "I'll Be There." It was very sweet and sentimental. He finished by holding Chelsie and looking up to blow a kiss to the sky. He still needs to work on his footwork - it's very important that he gets better at that.

7th Place - Petra Nemcova/Dmitry Chaplin (W1:18 + W2:18 + W3:25 = 61)
Petra did the slow waltz which she dedicated to hope after tragedy. I loved the music - a beautiful song. The dance was very graceful, flowing and elegant. I would have liked to see a little bit better movement on the floor and better posture from her.

8th Place - Kendra Wilkinson/Louis van Amstel (W1:18 + W2:19 + W3:23 = 60)
Kendra danced the Rumba to "You and Me," which she dedicated to her husband and son. The dance looked very romantic, she showed good footwork and the choreography was very good.

9th Place - Sugar Ray Leonard/Anna Trebunsakaya (W1:17 + W2:17 + W3:20 = 60)
Sugar Ray danced the Paso Doble, which he dedicated to beating the odds - nobody thought he could ever win a boxing championship, and he was trying to beat the odds on Dancing with the Stars. He came out on the floor wearing boxing gloves and a robe. He looked very good - an improvement over the other weeks. I thought he did a good job.

10th Place - Wendy Williams/Tony Dovolani (W1:14 + W2:17 + W3:15 = 46)
Wendy did the foxtrot in dedication to her start in show business. She looked like she had a lot of fun, but the footwork was not good and her dancing was off.

Wendy was voted off the competition this week. Again, it was hard to judge because these were all emotional dances for the stars to perform. We'll see what happens next week.

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Dancing With The Stars - Week 2 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


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WEEK TWO

[Natasha] Because there was no elimination last week, this week still had eleven couples dancing in the competition. The two dances the teams could choose from were the quickstep and the jive, and it was interesting to look at the couples compete.

1st Place - Ralph Macchio (W1:24 + W2:21 = 45 points)
Ralph and Karina Smirnoff danced the jive. They didn't have the same energy as they had in their first dance, but it was still a high-energy performance. Sometimes Ralph's kicks weren't as sharp as they should be. Still, it was fun to watch.

2ndt Place - Hines Ward (W1:21 + W2:23 = 44 points)
Hines Ward moved into second place with his quickstep performance with partner Kym Johnson. Hines really stepped up this week. Very good choreography and a well done routine. He needs to improve his frame and position, however.

3rd Place - Kirstie Alley (W1:23 + W2:20 = 43 points)
I really loved so much what Kirstie and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy did last week. This week wasn't as enjoyable as last week. Most of the dance was very light on the floor, but she lost energy at the end of the routine. Still, it was high energy, and I also like the connection between Kirstie and Maks.

T-4th Place - Chris Jericho (W1:19 + W2:23 = 42 points)
Chris and his partner Cheryl Burke tied for 4th place with their quickstep. It was an easy and beautiful dance. Chris was smooth, elegant, charming and had a nice smile throughout the performance. Even judge Len Goodman complimented him, which is a hard thing to get from him.


T-4th Place - Romeo (W1:19 + W2:23 = 42 points)
Romeo danced the quickstep with partner Chelsie Hightower. Romeo had a... interesting style. He needs to be more formal. He was a little flat-footed and needs work there. He also lost some energy towards the end of the dance.

6th Place - Chelsea Kane (W1:21 + W2:18 = 39 points)
Chelsea Kane danced the jive with partner Mark Ballas. I cannot say that this was my favorite. There was not much jive in this jive routine. The choreography did not work for her in this performance.

7th Place - Kendra Wilkinson (W1:18 + W2:19 = 37 points)
Kendra Wilkinson and her partner Louis van Amstel danced the quickstep. The biggest thing about this dance was that Kendra messed up her footwork. She couldn't keep up with the choreography. Kendra doesn't have enough confidence in the routine to perform it well.

8th Place - Petra Nemcova (W1:18 + W2:18 = 36 points)
Petra danced the jive with pro partner Dmitry Chaplin. I thought it was a good performance. Petra had some good kicks and flicks. She needs to work on her body position. She's a beautiful lady and I'm always looking for her to do more.

9th Place - Sugar Ray Leonard (W1:17 + W2:17 = 34 points)
Sugar Ray danced the jive with partner Anna Trebunsakaya. [Laughing] He definitely looked like he was boxing out there. The routine was high on energy and low on dancing. He needs better footwork - what he's doing is not good enough.

10th Place - Wendy Williams (W1:14 + W2:17 = 31 points)
Wendy danced the quickstep with partner Tony Dovolani. She was definitely in a better emotional place this time around. She showed more personality in this dance and there was good choreography, but she still needs better movement. Even so, it's a step in the right direction.

11th Place - Mike Catherwood (W1:13 + W2:17 = 30 points)
Mike danced the jive with partner Lacey Schwimmer. Sometimes he looked good, but mostly it did not look nice. He had said earlier it was either "jive time or die time," and he turned out to be correct.

After two weeks one couple was eliminated out of the original eleven, and that was Mike Catherwood. Ralph and Karina are still in first place with their 45 points out of a possible 60. There were some interesting results and they're getting more experience, now, so we'll see what happens next week.

- Natasha Oreshkina

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Tonight's Dance Selections on DWTS

The website Zap2it.com has a listing of the dances that each couple competing on Dancing With The Stars has selected to perform on tonight's episode. (They got the listing by following the celebs & pros comments on Twitter.) According to the site, they are:

Quickstep:
Wendy Williams & Tony Dovolani
Chris Jericho & Cheryl Burke
Kendra Wilkinson & Louis Van Amstel
Kirstie Alley & Maks Chmerkovskiy
Romeo & Chelsie Hightower
Hines Ward & Kym Johnson

Jive:
Sugar Ray & Anna Trebunskaya
Ralph Macchio & Karina Smirnoff
Petra Nemcova & Dmitri Chaplin
Chelsea Kane & Mark Ballas
Mike Catherwood & Lacey Schwimmer

"Both of these dances require dancers to be light on their feet," reports Zap2it, "and because the footwork must be clean and neat, expect the judges to make foot placement and technique a focus of their commentaries."

Zap2it reports that Cheslea Kane and her partner, Mark Ballas, should do well in their jive performance, as it's one of Mark's favorites. But, they report, celebrity Mike Catherwood might have trouble keeping up with his light-on-her feet pro partner, Lacey Schwimmer.

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Dancing With The Stars - Twitter Updates

There's a lot going on now that Dancing With The Stars has finally fired up its 12th season. Beyond the usual storylines and online news blurbs, there's also a fair amount of chatter going back and forth over on Twitter - and its coming from the stars and pro dancer themselves.

Below is a listing of Twitter comments made from celebrities and their pro dance partners going back to DWTS's premier night, last Monday, March 21.

March 21 (Premier Night)

Chris Jericho
Checkin out my costume and psyching up w some Tenacious D b4 the show. The competition is lookin STIFF!

Karina Smirnoff (Celebrity partner: Ralph Macchio)
This is it, guys! 15 min away! So nervous and equally excited! Can't wait! We r dancing 8th!

March 22
Kirstie Alley
GOOD MORNING!!! ONLY four hours sleep...yikes...I need to go back to sleep...I'm such an early bird..I should marry a farmer...a HOT farmer

Kirstie Alley
gonna get some more sleep...in five hours I am at the MERCY of @MaksimC...and speaking of MERCY...GOD have some for me today in M's arms..xo

Ralph Macchio
What at night! Thanks for all the support. I felt every one of you out there. Back in rehearsal tomorrow!

Louis Van Amstel
Thank u for all your sweet tweets. I'm very proud of @KendraWilkinson I gave her a full on routine, because she can do it. She delivered!!!!

Lacey Schwimmer (Celebrity partner: Mike Catherwood)
errand errands errands. then getting @mcatherwood JIVIN hard core!

Louis Van Amstel (Celebrity partner: Kendra Wilkinson)
Off to the gym....chest n triceps....gotta look good next to @KendraWilkinson

Lacey Schwimmer
Thank you to my @ctgnyla family for the flowers http://twitpic.com/4c7fbg

Lacey Schwimmer
Omgomg! @MCatherwood got me flowers too! http://twitpic.com/4c7hid

Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Celebrity partner: Kirstie Alley)
Quicksteping with @kirstiealley is going great! Trying to get M to 'haul ass in ONE trip'.....LOL

Kirstie Alley
WOW..what a difference a DAY makes. Last night so happy feeling like Cinderella..today, started quickstep..feeling like smashing pumpkins.

March 23
Chelsie Hightower (Celebrity partner: Romeo)
Good rehearsal today, quickstep is coming along! Gonna be a super fun dance!!

Louis Van Amstel
Kendra is so cute. Check out this article from people magazine where she talks about how nervous she was. But... http://fb.me/TjvyeWS7

Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Ola Twitterverse! Let's get 'quick and steppy'! Oh, wait....I need my M for that....LOL. Where r u @kirstiealley ???

Dmitry Chaplin (Celebrity partner: Petra Nemcova)
Done with our rehearsal, @pnemcova did great and learned all the steps for our jive! Time for the pro number

Louis Van Amstel
Just finished fitting my suit now off to see @KendraWilkinson for rehearsal...quicka di quickstep!!!

Dmitry Chaplin
@pnemcova drew her first blood! [foot] Who said that dancing is not dangerous!

Chelsie Hightower
Good rehearsal today, quickstep is coming along! Gonna be a super fun dance!!

Romeo Miller
@ChelsieKayH trying to turn me into a real ballroom dancer Haha

March 24
Louis Van Amstel
Had a great rehearsal today with @KendraWilkinson! Already looking forward to next week to show those judges a thing or two ;-)!

Chelsie Hightower
Hit a pot hole and got two flat tires...

Kirstie Alley
I talked to Maks.... He's IN!!! We will "Flap" you on DWTS during bumpers!!! To acknowledge u as our Twittter Friends.. WOO HOO.. Watch 4 it

Chelsie Hightower
Man things get so much more difficult without a car haha

Cheryl Burke (Celebrity partner: Chris Jericho)
Our quickstep is coming along....violently! Already scratched @IAmJericho's shoulder. And he loves whining about it too! ;)

Chris Jericho
Had a great rehearsal today but @cherylburke scratched me! She has sharp nails and It really hurts! WahWahWah...

Maksim Chmerkovskiy
My brother (@iamValC) and I grew up in Jewish dad/Christian mom family. My best friend (@TonyDovolani) is Muslim. THAT'S how I'm blessed!

Kirstie Alley
@MaksimC Ya tebya lublyu.....Mozhete na menya raschityvat....:)

Lacey Schwimmer
Rehearsal with @MCatherwood jive time baby!

Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Stop fishing for compliments M! You look fantastic :) RT @kirstiealley: getting hair and make up for LENO.....thank God for hair and make up

Lacey Schwimmer
Off to bed loooong day tomorrow! Fitting rehearsal w/ @MCatherwood interview and then rehearsal with @dmitry_ch for a special number! Xo

March 25
Louis Van Amstel
Having a little too much fun w @CherylBurke and @LaceySchwimmer in rehearsal w @MaksimC

Kirstie Alley by iluvssw
@MaksimC You can ACCIDENTLY end up at practice tomorrow morning on time........sorta like me calling the kettle black...hehe

Ralph Macchio
Body soreness has reached a new level this morning. Working on wk 2 and 3 dances. Drawing off ur energy to deliver another strong perf Mon!

Kirstie Alley
It always makes me laugh to see who's team people are on.. We are creatures of competition... Myself included

Louis Van Amstel
Can u believe it at one point we had 37.000.000 million viewers monday night!!!wooohooooo.....w an average of 23.000.000


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DWTS returns with its 2nd performance episode on Monday, March 28, and its first elimination episode on the following night, Tuesday, March 29.

Dancing With The Stars - Week 1 Commentary

Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars is finally upon us. Each week Syracuse, NY FADS co-owner and award-winning ballroom dancer Natasha Oreshkina will be sharing her thoughts on the competition and giving us her take on which celebrities had the best week on the dance floor and which ones should be getting ready to pack their bags.


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WEEK ONE

[Natasha] On the premiere episode of Dancing with the Stars we had 11 different celebrity couples coming from many different areas – from athletes and talk show hosts to models and even a Disney star. Having seen them dance only once, it’s difficult at this stage of the competition to give an accurate prognosis. But here’s a brief list of what I saw from the first show.

1st Place – Ralph Macchio (24 points)
Ralph Macchio danced with pro partner Karina Smirnoff. They danced the foxtrot, and I thought he had the best routine of the night. His dance was very smooth and elegant with nice lines, and the judges saw that, too. It was a very good performance.

2nd Place – Kirstie Alley (23 points)
Kirstie Alley danced the cha-cha with professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy, and they finished one point behind Macchio. I was surprised by Kirstie’s performance – I didn’t think she would dance so well. Before she danced, I was asking myself, “How is she going to move? How is she going to keep up with Maksim?” On the first night, celebrities usually don’t have good technique. But she was very balanced and her timing was very good. Maksim is a very experienced professional, and he picked a routine that was not too complicated and enough to make his partner look good. She has a lot of chances to win the competition.

T-3rd Place – Chelsea Kane (21 points)
Chelsea danced with professional Mark Ballas and they did the foxtrot. I thought Chelsea also looked good. Her routine was progressive and flowing, with good movement. She needs to work on her footwork, but she’s got good potential.

T-3rd Place – Hines Ward (21 points)
Hines Ward danced the cha-cha with dance pro Kym Johnson. It was a very nice dance. His lines and balance were very good for a first dance. I look forward to seeing what they can do in the future.

T-4th Place – Chris Jericho (19 points)
Chris Jericho danced the cha-cha with pro partner Cheryl Burke. I always like to watch Cheryl’s choreography and I had a lot of fun watching their routine. Their cha-cha showed a lot of energy – I liked the leather and Chris tearing off his sleeves! He needs to concentrate more on posture, though, and there was too much bending of his legs. Perhaps because of his wrestler training, he was also too tight in the shoulders.

T-4th Place – Romeo (19 points)
Romeo danced with professional Chelsie Hightower and they also did the cha-cha. I thought it was… okay – not so much fun and excitement as [fellow 4th Place finisher] Chris. You could see he was not ballroom dancing. Chelsie had a hard time with him – he doesn’t feel comfortable dancing ballroom style, so we’ll see how he does. He needs work.

T-5th Place – Petra Nemcova (18 points)
Petra Nemcova danced the foxtrot with pro partner Dmitry Chaplin. I was expecting a little more from Petra. As a model, I thought she would be a little more graceful on the floor. She was a little too closed – she needs to dance more openly and show her personality. She can do better than her first dance.

*On the question of whether or not Petra’s pelvic injury will affect her ability to compete: It might happen – especially the Latin dances might bother her. But it’s also a good opportunity for her to develop her body [through therapy] and pick up her self-confidence.

T-5th Place – Kendra Wilkinson (18 points)
Kendra Wilkinson danced the cha-cha with professional dancer Louis van Amstel. She was not bad, but I can’t say she was one of my favorites. Her footwork was not so good. The dance showed a lot of energy, but she looked a little too nervous in all of the excitement. When someone is dancing a routine, the audience should not have to worry or think about trips or falls. The dancers should be having fun and enjoy what they’re doing, and so that way the audience can enjoy it, too.

9th Place – Sugar Ray Leonard (17 points)
Sugar Ray Leonard did the foxtrot with pro partner Anna Trebunsakaya. What Sugar Ray did didn’t look like the foxtrot. The foxtrot should be smooth, elegant, with nice lines. He was so messy I couldn’t tell what it was.

10th Place – Wendy Williams (14 points)
Wendy Williams danced with professional Tony Dovolani and they did the cha-cha. [deep sigh] Very sad. Tony’s such a good teacher, we always hope he gets a good celebrity, but again this year not so. They didn’t look good. But Tony’s good, so hopefully he can straighten her out.

11th Place – Mike Catherwood (13 points)
Mike Catherwood danced the foxtrot with pro dancer Lacey Schwimmer. That was for sure the worst dance. Messy dance, posture not good – his shoulders were up, he looked nervous. The foxtrot should be a smooth dance, and he was awkward and stiff. I didn’t get the feeling they enjoyed dancing together. But I am looking forward to seeing what they can do in the future.

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This season should be a very good season. There were three ties this week – so that’s good competition. Again, it’s hard to tell so early on how each celebrity will do, but after next week (the first elimination round) we’ll get a better idea of where they are.

- Natasha Oreshkina
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Key Dates for Season 12 of "Dancing With The Stars"

Dancing With The Stars premieres tonight at 8:00pm EST on ABC. Below are key dates that fans might want to take note of as the season unfolds. (Dates provided by TVGrapevine.com and may be subject to change.)

- "Dancing with the Stars'" two-hour season premiere performance show, MONDAY, MARCH 21 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET).

- "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show" one-hour season premiere, TUESDAY, MARCH 29 (9:00-10:01 p.m., ET).

- "Dancing with the Stars'" 1000th Competitive Dance, MONDAY, APRIL 18 (8:00-9:31 p.m., ET)

- "Dancing with the Stars'" final performance show, MONDAY, MAY 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET)

- "Dancing with the Stars'" season finale, TUESDAY, MAY 24 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET)

DWTS Celebrities Prepare for Showdown on the Dance Floor

As Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars gets ready to kick off this March 21, celebrity contestants are prepping their moves and hoping that what they’ve got will be enough to take home the much-coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.

Contestant and former Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson was quoted as saying she’s really just a freestyler and that other contestants such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Chris Jericho and Ralph Macchio might have an edge on her because "they’ve done choreography before."

From the entertainment website Gather, blogger Matt Clark quotes Kendra: "I'm all about freestyle and shaking my butt! That's all I got! And I think Kirstie Alley wins the popularity vote; she has the most fans, I think."

Meanwhile, contestant Sugar Ray Leonard says he’s "in it to win it, baby!" and BleacherReport.com has their own "Ten Reasons He’ll Succeed" list posted on their website:
10.) He had to deal with Don King
9.) He knows how to deal with adversity
8.) TV cameras love him
7.) He knows a thing or two about footwork
6.) He gives a great interview
5.) It’s just another comeback for him’
4.) He’s a reality TV veteran (hosted The Contender)
3.) He looks the part (whatever that means)
2.) He’s got the competitive edge
1.) He could make boxing look graceful

Outside of the boxing ring, actress Kirstie Alley says she’s probably been asked to appear on DWTS "every year" before finally agreeing to go on for Season 12. She told Zap2it.com she changed her mind this year because, "It's sort of like a guy who keeps asking you out on a date. You say, 'No, no, no, no,' but then you think, 'He's so tenacious. All right, OK…."

As far as her first rehearsal went, Kirstie admitted to being unprepared for the workout: "I literally thought I was going to die," she told Zap2it. "I was dehydrated. You've got to drink a lot of water."

"Dancing with the Stars" Pro Lineup Announced

The entire lineup of professional dancers set to appear on Season 12 of Dancing With The Stars is listed below. (The pros are in bold, their celebrity partners are to their right.) The season starts on Monday, March 21st!

Tony Dovolani --- Wendy Williams
Anna Trebunskaya --- Sugar Ray Leonard
Chelsie Hightower --- Romeo
Cheryl Burke --- Chris Jericho
Dmitry Chaplin --- Petra Nemcova
Karina Smirnoff --- Ralph Macchio
Kym Johnson --- Hines Ward
Lacey Schwimmer --- Mike Catherwood
Louis Van Amstel --- Kendra Wilkinson
Maksim Chmerkovskiy --- Kirstie Alley
Mark Ballas --- Chelsea Kane

Check out all their bios at the DWTS website, here.

Also check out the bios of the celebrity dancers, here.

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Dancing with the Stars: Seeason 12 Celebrities Announced

Last night Dancing with the Stars announced its celebrity cast of competitors for Season 12. This season's Dancing Stars are:
Men
- Rapper Lil' Romeo
- Retired boxer Sugar Ray Leonard
- The original "Karate Kid," Ralph Macchio
- Wrestler Chris Jericho
- Football player Hines Ward
- "Loveline" host Mike Catherwood

Women
- Disney actress Chelsea Kane
- Model Petra Nemcova
- Reality star Kendra Wilkinson
- Talk show host Wendy Williams
- Actress Kirstie Alley

Meet the entire cast on ABC's website, here.

"Live to Dance" Steps onto the National Dance Stage

The world of dance has greatly benefited from such television hits as Dancing With The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and this year dancing fans everywhere have been given yet another treat to satisfy their craving for high-energy dance competition.

Live to Dance premiered on January 4, 2011 with a diverse assortment of acts and with a judging format that gave the viewing audience considerable say in which acts moved forward through the competition. Produced by former American Idol judge Paula Abdul, who also acts as one of three judges (called “experts” on this show) in addition to her role as being a coach and “mentor” to the competitors, the show is derived from the successful British series, Got to Dance. In the 2-hour premiere episode of the American spin-off, 17 acts were chosen by the judges (Abdul and co-judges Travis Payne and Kimberly Wyatt) and one act was chosen by the voting audience to participate in the series’ semi-finals. The semi-finalists were then divided into three groups of six to appear in three semi-final episodes which aired January 12, 19, and 26. In each of those episodes, two acts were chosen – one by the judges and the other by the voting audience – to advance onto the finals. Beginning in February, then, the six remaining finalists performed in front of the audience for the last time before voting began for the show’s Grand Finale episode, which aired on February 9th, and in which the contestants were whittled down first to three finalists and then to two before the winner of the competition was announced.

Live to Dance has a no-age-limit, no-style-limit format which many viewers may have found difficult to judge the various acts by after years of watching episodes of Dancing With The Stars or even the more diverse So You Think You Can Dance. (The acts on Live can range from solos and couples to large ensembles of dancers, and can consist of anything from a Lindy Hop presentation to a Broadway-style show.)

The contestants on Live to Dance compete for a $500,000 prize, which certainly makes all their preparation, practice and performances worthwhile for them. Unfortunately, the new series didn't get the best of reviews from a number of media sources, who were critical of both the show's format and its talent, so its unclear how long of a run the show will enjoy. Still, while it lasts, Live to Dance offers yet another outlet for aspiring dancers to show off their talents on the national stage while providing yet another showcase for the dance profession itself. And for that we can only wish them the best and hope that the televised dance craze that started out with DWTS and SYTYCD can continue on with this latest incarnation.

Oh yeah, and the winner of this year’s Live to Dance competition? Congratulations to ballroom dancers D’Angelo & Amanda!

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Karen Hauer Compares Performing on TV versus Stage

In the latest issue of Dance Beat, writer Andrew Pueschel interviews professional dancer Karen Hauer.

Hauer and her husband & partner, Matt, are currently ranked #6 in the USA in NDCA American Rhythm and captured 2nd place in Mambo at the 2007 NDC Championships, according to Hauer's Facebook page. Hauer has also danced with partners Kevin Hunte (Cha-Cha) and Victor Smalley (Tango, hip-hop) on TV's So You Think You Can Dance.

Hauer is out of the SYTYCD competition these days. She started touring with the theatrical show "Burn the Floor" last year (actually late December of 2009). In the interview, Pueschel asks Hauer about the difference between performing on television and performing on stage.

"It's totally different," Hauer responds. "[On TV] you only have ONE chance to create a character that the audience will either get behind or turn their backs on." She said that in contrast to television, the stage allows a performer to develop their character. "My character grows throughout the show and I can be more myself - who Karen really is."

Pueschel then asked Hauer how she thinks experienced ballroom dancers will view "Burn the Floor."

"Those who know more about the techniques seem to appreciate not only the difficulty and clarity of the routines, but [also] relate to the insanely high level of energy - the acting, the development of each character and the telling of each individual story throughout the evening," she explained. "It really is something that dancers of all levels can be inspired by!"

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Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

This past January has been a snowy one for us here at FADS Corporate. In one week's time we had about three feet of snow dumped on us as two storms came by, one after the other (click on the photo above for a larger view). Now it's snowing again today, and local forecasts are calling for another foot-plus to fall by Wednesday.

Happy days!

"Dancing With The Stars" Changed Bristol Palin's Life

Pop Eater reports that Bristol Palin says she has left her Alaska home for good and that "Dancing With the Stars" was the catalyst.

"Bristol loves her mom and family, but it was time for her to start her own life with her son," writes Rob Shuter of Pop Eater, citing a friend of Palin's. "'Dancing With the Stars' changed her life. She had never left home before, and it gave her the confidence to know she can survive and finally step out of her mom's shadow."

Check out the entire story here.

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West Coast Dance Championships Results

Below are the award winners at this year's FADS West Coast Dance Championships.

Congratulations to all the award winners in this year’s event. Special thanks to everyone who helped organize this event and to all the attendees!

Top Amateur Couple
Maria and Tony Sanchez, Pasadena, CA

Top Newcomer Students
Male - David Harris, Portland, OR
Female - Erin Brown, West Hartford, CT

Top Bronze Students
Male - Wayne Lee, San Diego
Female - Linda Coughlin, New York East

Top Silver Student
Barbara Fry, Memphis East

Top Gold Student
Barbara Fry, Memphis East

Top Male Teachers
6th Place - Martin Raphael, Oceanside
5th Place - Olaf Pries, West Hartford
4th Place - Tim Bishop, Chandler
3rd Place - Benjamin Smith, Memphis East
2nd Place - Eguene Graev, New York East
1st Place - Ryan Lockhart, Oceanside

Top Female Teachers
2nd Place - Jessica Reynolds, Portland
1st Place - Dani Palmer, San Diego

Top Studio Runner-Up: San Diego
Top Studio: Oceanside

New FADS Franchise Opens in Greenfield, WI

This news was first announced in our online In Step newsletter, but I thought I'd get it out here for those who don't subscribe to it.

We have welcomed in yet another Fred Astaire Dance Studio franchise, in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Owners Richard and Vanina Soppa have been with Fred Astaire for several years, now, and decided to start their own "Fred Astaire Family," which opened this January 10.

Visit their website here (which is still being put together).

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Fred Astaire "Top 10 Dance Scenes"

Over at a website called Film Misery, blogger Alex Carlson has put together what he calls Fred Astaire's top 10 finest dancing scenes. He's listed them all along with accompanying YouTube videos.

Regardless of whether you agree with his selections, the videos are some of Fred's best moments in film.

Check out the post here.

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On New Year's Resolutions and Ballroom Dancing

The Upper Montclair FADS blog has a great post on New Year's resolutions that relate to ballroom dancing. Actually, the resolutions themselves are pretty general on their own, but the post follows up their listing with a more detailed analysis on why they are all, in fact, associated with the benefits of ballroom dance.

Read the Upper Montclair FADS post here.

Videos: 10th BDFI Malaysia Open DanceSport Championships

On January 9, 2011, the 10th BDFI Malaysia Open DanceSport Championship was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Below is a video clip from the event along with a link below that to more videos.



Check out this link for more videos of the 10th BDFI Malaysia Open DanceSport Championships 2011.

Stamford, CT, First Lady to Start “Dancing Classrooms”

Stamford, CT, first lady Maureen Pavia is set to launch her version of Dancing Classrooms today (January 10th) after the project was initially announced last September.

Pavia, who, according to The Daily Stamford, is herself an accomplished ballroom dancer, is excited about the opportunity. She spent a week in New York last November training for her role in the program. "I'm thrilled, I'm absolutely thrilled,” she told The Daily.

Dancing Classrooms was created in 1994 as the educational component of New York's American Ballroom Theater Company, and is being run in Stamford as part of Pavia’s Stamford Gives Back Association, The Daily reports. The program was established with the goal of helping to improve children’s self-esteem, confidence and social connections.

Pavia will be teaching dance at Stamford’s Waterside School, while another dancer, Maribel Velasco, of Fairfield, will teach at the city’s Boys & Girls Club, The Daily reports. The lessons will include “basic ballroom dancing,” according to Pavia, including the tango, cha-cha, and merengue.

[Photo credit: Deb Failla]