SUMMER SHAPE-UP, Latin Style

Get the dancer's body you've always wanted.

Let's face it: Latin costumes don't have much fabric to hide behind. And while dancers are concerned about keeping physically fit year-round, summer sends everyone running to the gym to get in shape.

But for dancers, fitness is much more important than looking great in that barely-there costume. Toned bodies simply dance better. Athletic dancers have complete control over their muscles and can move from foot to foot with ease. So keep these non-ballroom dance options in mind when searching for summer exercise alternatives. Tracy Jo Figueroa gets fitness and dieting tips from professional and amateur world Latin stars.

Hanna Karttunen: Ultimate Athleticism
"The most important exercise for achieving a dancer's body is to dance, and practice dance endlessly," says world professional Latin finalist and ultimate fitness guru, Hanna Karttunen. But that knowledge still hasn't kept Hanna from her ultra-intense workout schedule. "I find it's very important to perform different exercises for stamina, strength, flexibility and breathing," Hanna adds. And that translates into a lot more than just dance practice.

Fitness first... "It's important to vary your exercise because your muscles become used to the same routine. I normally go to the gym, take ballet, and do yoga [each twice a week] on top of all my dance training. I'm careful not to lift too much weight because my muscles build up easily. Overall, my practice changes according to my performance and travel schedule, but I have dance rehearsal six days a week for about two hours each time."

Daily diet... "I'm lucky because I don't like greasy or fast food. I eat several small meals of tuna or chicken with salad throughout the day, and have my main meal of grilled chicken, steak, or fish around 5 p.m. My only downfall is that I love chocolate, and I need to be careful not to eat too much."

#1 Fitness tip... "Love your exercise. Believe in yourself and listen to your body when it needs rest.”

Aleksandra Gisher: Focused Flexibility
"You can never get enough stretching," says former top competitor, turned business owner, Aleksandra Gisher. "Especially if you're pumping muscles at the gym. If ladies forget to stretch, they can end up with man-like bodies that look too bulky."

Aleksandra may have traded her intense competition schedule to start a designer costume and eveningwear company, A&D Couture (ad-couture.com), but new business ventures haven't kept her from working out regularly to maintain flexibility and tone. Aleksandra "highly recommends" machine-based pilates and gyrotonics to any type of dancer.

Fitness first... "It's so important to stretch because that's how you get long legs and toned tummies. Pilates and gyrotonics machines have resistance bands to perform specific exercises for your legs and arms. The exercises allow you to relax into your stretch and the added resistance forces you to work against your own bodyweight. It exercises your whole body, targeting every muscle—even those you didn't even know you had."

Daily diet... "Eating healthy means eating food that gives you energy. I've tried low-carb diets—which are great for losing weight quickly—but you lose too much energy. So I don't recommend cutting carbs for the long-term. I'm a big breakfast person (eggs, toast, and coffee), I eat lightly throughout the day (salad with chicken or tuna), and I definitely don't eat pasta towards the evening."

#1 Fitness tip... "Consistency is the key to success. Because once you stop it's really difficult to get back on track."

Eugene Katsevman and Maria Manusova: A Therapeutic Approach
"For many years, we didn't do any additional exercise," admits American amateur Latin champion and world finalist, Eugene Katsevman. "But now as we're getting older, we realize that we need to take better care of our bodies," adds partner, Maria Manusova. So the dynamic pair sees a physical therapist twice a week to build their best bodies possible.

Fitness first... "We don't work with machines," says Maria. "It's all free weights and yoga-like exercises. We work with the trainer on specific areas we want to target. But he (the trainer) is very realistic about what can be done to improve what we already have. It's not as if I'm asking to be skinny and tall..."
"And blue-eyed" adds Eugene, laughing.
"Because I'm not. I'm short," Maria continues. "But the trainer works on strengthening our bodies, and--because we dance so much--making sure that our muscles aren't tense. He gives us a massage."

Daily diet... "I live by myself," says Eugene. "So I don't always eat very well. I don't really cook for myself. But Maria and I know very well what is good and what is not, and we watch what we eat. But we don't strictly adhere to any diet.

#1 Fitness tip... "We enjoy working with the trainer because it feels good," says Maria. "And we believe that it helps," adds Eugene. "And as long as we believe that it helps..." Maria continues and laughs. "That's it!"


This article, prepared from interviews conducted last year, was published in the May 2005 issue of Dance Today!, a British magazine. A cite to my article can be seen here: http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/d-today200505/dancetoday200505-front.html

Ballroom Blogger is Back!

Ok, so we all know that I have been absolutely horrible at maintaining this site, and I apologize tremendously. I have been insanely busy at work (paralegal at Skadden in Times Square) since graduating from NYU last May. But I have found found my way back to writing once again! I do intend to update this blog regularly with new pieces, so please come back. And I begin with two recent articles, below. I know they're not new, but it's something to start with :)

Both pieces have been posted in the "Dancer Profiles" section on NYUSABDA.org. Enjoy!

Being Nick Kosovich

An inside look into the life of the American Smooth Champion and Dancing with the Stars competitor.

By Tracy Jo Figueroa

He somehow found himself in a rough part of town. "I don't know where it was. It wasn't Chicago…," he squints his eyes and strains to think. "But it was pretty rough, with bikers and all. And there were these two huge burly guys," he continues, using hand gestures to depict the enormity of their size, "and they were arguing over who they thought should have won [Dancing with the Stars]. It was pretty funny."

Nick Kosovich, the self-deemed diplomatic dance partner to the not so tactful Tatum O'Neal on season two of ABC's hit dance reality, Dancing with the Stars, grins and laughs lightly at his story.

Calm, cool, and completely collected, this American style Smooth champion is dressed slickly in all black, with a silver, black-trimmed, Bluetooth headset phone clipped to his right ear. His skin is tan-but not that eerie orange color that many competitors suffer from-just naturally bronzed and toned. His long, lean, yet masculine physique confirms his dance profession. He stands tall with perfect ballroom posture, yet he's not the slightest bit cocky.

Another busy workday has come to a close. Nick rests in a corner of Manhattan's Latin and Ballroom costume shop, LeNique, which he owns with his wife and partner, Lena Bahcheva. He sits back comfortably in a chair-right ankle crossed over left knee-amongst glittering gowns, Swarovski-stoned bracelets and competition photos of LeNique sponsored couples, including his close friend and Stars competitor, Tony Dovolani.

"He was the best man at my wedding," says Nick of the American Rhythm champion and Stars finalist who danced with long-legged, wrestling beauty, Stacy Keibler. "He's a good friend."

The completely engaging celebrity dance competition, Dancing with the Stars, whisked American TV watchers right off their feet last winter. The reality show's ratings soared to new heights as 27.2 million viewers tuned into the finale, allowing the ballroom competition to easily beat out heavy hitters like the Turin Olympic Games, which only raked in 14.9 million viewers on the same night. Everyone, it seemed-even burly bikers-became a fan of partner dancing and got behind their favorite celebrity week after week.

And it wasn't just by voting. There was serious betting and loads of money involved, too.

"They had odds on [the winner] in Vegas," says Nick, in his Australian accent, raising his thick brows to stress his point. "They were betting on the show and Tony and Stacy were the favorites. So a lot of people lost a lot of money," his tone remains serious for only a moment before he cracks a smile. "But then you know people in Vegas… They'll bet on anything."

For anyone not familiar with Nick's stellar resume on ABC.com-which lists titles such as World American Ballroom Champion (2005), two-time U.S. American Ballroom Champion (2004/2005), and two-time U.S. Classic Showdance Champion (2003/2005)-it is even more refreshing to see that off the floor he is just a regular guy, with a wonderfully witty sense of humor and extreme passion for dance.

And even though Nick is best recognized from Stars' second season, he has been involved in the show since before season one. "I was pitching [the idea] to some producer friends way before the show started in the U.S.," says Nick, who was quickly recruited by ABC producers for the new series.

Nick, like many others, has been anxiously waiting for the popularity of ballroom dance to quickly grow from the large, yet tightly knit ballroom community, and become a wildly exciting part of American pop culture. "It's long overdue for our industry," Nick continues. "Unfortunately it's at the end of my career that I'm seeing it all start to happen…" his words trail off as he laughs. But after a long and successful competitive dance career, he's thrilled to see the change nonetheless. "Of course I want to see the industry do well."

And so I got canned…

And Nick does intend to stick around in the blossoming business of reality ballroom TV, be it as a dancer, judge or costume designer, all three of which initially linked him to Dancing with the Stars.

"I was initially, for the first couple of months, more of a consultant for [the show]," adds Nick, who was originally slated to dance on season one until he learned that his unknown celebrity partner (they really do keep it a secret right up until the first videotaped meeting) suddenly backed out of the competition.

"I got the call: 'We need you to fly to Jacksonville, Florida to meet your celebrity,' Nick recalls. "Ok, I'm ready to go… And then they rang back and said, 'No, it's fallen through.'"

And he never even got her name.

But things seemed to turn around when Nick was asked to judge the series, only two weeks before season one premiered.

"I thought about it and I said, yeah, why don't I give it a shot." Nick quickly left his home and business in New York and flew to LA for a week of on-camera training for his new role.

"We trained everyday, watching TV shows that had already run in England (Strictly Come Dancing) and some in Australia, and actually commenting on them," Nick continues. "It was an audition process, but it was more of a training process."

They then shot the season one pilot the Friday before the live show aired. All of the professional dancers were there in bright costumes, while eager amateurs served as stand-in celebrities. The full orchestra played and they danced and were judged as if it was a real show. And everything seemed to be going great.

"Everyone was very happy and I thought, 'Ok, it looks like I got the job as a judge,'" says Nick, smiling. But then came another quick and disappointing blow. "ABC decided to use the [original judging] lineup they had in London." Nick takes a serious tone as he explains how current judge, Len Goodman-who was not present for the pilot due to travel problems-was already contracted to do the show. "They just needed someone as a backup to stand in and shoot that promo," Nick adds in a quiet voice, seeming slightly saddened. But his lightheartedness makes joking come easy. "So I got canned!" he says, bluntly. His words, though direct, come with a genuine smile. "First things were looking good, and then they were looking bad. And then they were looking good again, and then they were looking bad."

Do they Make Dance Shoes for Size 18 feet?

But even though Nick was not hired to judge, he did learn a thing or two about dishing good on-camera commentary. "You've got a very limited amount of time so you have to come up with very quick sound bites," says Nick. And while the judges, he claims, were not spoon-fed mandatory remarks to tell the celebrity contestants, Nick quickly points out that show producers certainly "selected judges that have, clearly, three different personalities, and are from three different walks of life."

Yet, when asked specifically whether the judges were instructed to comment more or less harshly on dancing that was good, bad, entertaining, or clearly not up to par, Nick only furrows his brows playfully and in a teasing voice, says, "I'm not privileged to that information! I wasn't one of the judges!"

But that doesn't keep him from commenting honestly on the notoriously not-so-talented Master P.

"The guy did not take it seriously. [He was] by far the worst dancer and should have been out the first show," says Nick. "No disrespect to him, but the only thing that kept him was the public vote. Kenny [Mayne] was a better dancer." He pauses a moment to laugh. "And Kenny was pretty bad. But he was a lot of fun and we were all very sad to see him go."

Still, P's presence on the show suggests a very significant, yet somewhat unfortunate reality of reality television. "Although the controversy was good for TV, it took away from the reality of it being a dance competition," says Nick. "I think that when they kept Master P that actually fazed some of the celebrities a little bit. They were thinking, 'Oh my God, we're going to get ousted by Master P? When this guy can't even dance?'"

And what about P's refusal to wear proper ballroom shoes even when his generous partner, Ashley DelGrosso, bought him a stunning pair as a gift?

Nick can only joke. "Hey, if the guy's got size 18 feet, or whatever he's got, and granted any dance shoe manufacture will make shoes that big… I'm [still] sure he's not in a position where he couldn't afford to have a pair of shoes made for him."

But joking and judging aside, Nick did find his niche on season one in costuming. He and Lena designed all the menswear and a few of the ladies' costumes. And while heavily involved behind the scenes, Nick also found himself pulled into ABC editing rooms to discuss dance styles, view tapes, and serve as a valuable "dance expert" to the producers.

"They would have a cutaway of a specific dance where they would say, 'this is the samba, these are the botafogos,'" says Nick. "And they needed a dancer there to tell them what was what."

But Nick's role changed dramatically when he met Tatum.

On Taming Tatum

"She was a good student," says Nick, attempting an unbiased description of his celebrity partner who was the youngest actress ever to win an Oscar for her role in Paper Moon. "She was on time. She was punctual. She was very determined and a hard worker." But anyone who watched the show knows that Tatum was not the easiest person to work with. And Nick easily attests to this.

"In five or six weeks, spending five or six hours a day together, I certainly got to see the many different sides of Tatum O'Neal," he says. "We got along pretty well, but we had our bad days. Fortunately, a lot of those bad days they did not tape… We were lucky, or I was lucky," he says with a smile.

And for Nick, luck came in the form of not having a full-time camera crew tracking his every move. Nick and Tatum rehearsed mostly in Manhattan at the Arthur Murray on 57th Street and at Dance New York on 54th Street. And as luck would have it, they were nowhere near the full-time crews stationed in LA where the show was taped.

But even though Nick and Tatum had their share of quarrels, Nick certainly developed a new appreciation for his partner during the show. "In some way the show was a humbling experience," he says. "Especially in the respect of me having Tatum.

"I'm a pretty diplomatic person and I think the producers, in selecting me to dance with Tatum, already knew that," Nick adds. "I certainly received a lot of accolades from some of the producers for handling certain situations," he says, hinting to disputes that were caught on tape. But times spent off the dance floor and away from cameras were the most heartfelt.

From quick lunches between practice to social outings and even AA meetings Nick really has seen all sides of Tatum's busy life. "It was very much an eye opener," says Nick when discussing a Beverly Hills AA meeting he attended with Tatum. "I got to meet some very interesting people with certainly interesting stories about celebrity lifestyles and struggles with drugs and alcohol. I certainly took on a different respect for Tatum."

But with all the demands placed on his shoulders to work and dance around the clock, it became even more challenging for Nick to be excited about dancing with his new partner.

"Having to spend so much time with a person, and not necessarily wanting to, but having to because it was a working situation" made things difficult for the professional dancers, he claims. Rushing through choreography for the additional group performances and professional showdances that took place on the show also increased stress levels. "It was all thrown together really quickly," Nick says about the live performances he did with professional ten-dancer, Andrea Hale (Kenny Mayne's partner) and the group numbers he performed with the other professionals.

But Nick is still a huge fan of the major strides the show has made in its second season. "I totally think this season was so much better than last season, but we (the dancers) were expected to do so much more," says Nick. "I knew we needed to put a lot of work into what we were trying to do. But are we making lots of money out of it? No. Still, are there a few who possibly could? Maybe."

Wishful Thinking and Mating Rituals

And that brings us to the idea of our favorite Latin and Ballroom pros reaching this new height of celebrity in the media. But despite being recognized for his involvement in the show, Nick still remains realistic about being a star.

"I don't think of myself as a celebrity," he says sincerely. "I think of myself as a dancer doing the job." But his humble thoughts have not kept his wife from buying him a t-shirt with the words, "Future Celebrity" plastered across the chest. And Nick wore it with pride to the Dancing with the Stars wrap party. "It was a funny joke," says Nick and everyone got a kick out of it.

With the Stars' second successful season complete and talk of season three on the rise, Nick hopes to see the show grow and develop even more. "The show has longevity," says Nick. "I think that as far as dancing being in the movies and on television and in print, it's always been there. Yes, it's a bit hotter right now, but the biggest difference is that the show has come at the right time because I think people want to see a change," in reality TV and in dancing.

And that change involves sharing the true joy of movement and partnership with individuals across the country as they tune in to watch celebrities with little to no dance training-and sometimes, sadly, no rhythm-put their all into learning a completely new style of dance.

"For me there is no greater thing than ballroom dancing," says Nick. The sincerity in his voice only strengthens the content of his words. "Learning how to hold your partner and how to move with your partner is the basic communication between two people. It is also, historically, the mating ritual."

Oh, really?

"Yes. There is this whole natural aspect to it," Nick continues. "Of course, music helps. It also teaches manners-what's proper and what's not-and allows an environment for you to do something with your partner and be able to enjoy something and share something together which you don't always get in many other sports."

And if Nick ever has the opportunity to choose his dream celebrity partner, he chooses none other then the exceptionally talented and incredibly popular talk show host, Oprah Winfrey.
"You're not going to get anyone more influential and powerful in this country on television, and I think she'd be great," says Nick.

But as names of next season's possible celebrity contestants start to fly-and Nick prepares to meet his new partner next week-we can only wait and see if his wish will come true. And as for the rapid growth and rising popularity of ballroom dance in the mainstream media, we can only look forward to the best.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this to happen!" says Nick, excitedly, as he flashes his immediately contagious smile.


This article was published last week on the NYUSABDA website: http://www.nyusabda.org/dancer_profiles/dancer_profiles.html

Chatting with... Cheryl Burke

It's no surprise that Cheryl Burke's fierce dancing and passionate style got her instantly noticed by scouts from Dancing with the Stars . The season two series champion was competing fervently in Los Angeles with former partner, Jose DeCamps, when she was first spotted. “They contacted me, I went in for an interview, and that's how it all happened,” says the 21 year-old former New Yorker, Professional Rising Star Latin Champion, and newfound Hollywood star. “I did my interview and got chosen to do the show.” And just like that, her life changed completely.
“Every day is different,” says Cheryl, excitedly, while discussing life after her Stars win with celebrity partner, Drew Lachey. From working the red carpet to numerous ABC publicity stints, Cheryl is doing it all. And fans can't seem to get enough of her. In fact PhilippineNews.com recently reported that a simple one-hour private lesson with the in-demand dancer sold for a shocking $31,000 at an upscale high school fundraiser in Atherton , California . (And yes, you read that number correctly.)

Tracy Jo Figueroa caught up with the budding starlet between new projects and travels in late March to discuss her fantastic win with Drew, thoughts on the growing popularity of ballroom dance, and her packed post-show Hollywood life.

First I'd like to start by congratulating you on your win! I'm sure you've heard it a million times, but congratulations nonetheless.
Ha ha ha, thank you.

So, tell me, how has your life changed since the show?
My life has changed tremendously (laughs). People recognize me on the street and congratulate me, which is great because I love dance and I'm so happy with the exposure that ballroom dancing got. I've also had offers to do a lot of things other than dance, which is exciting as well.

Can you talk about any of those offers yet?
Not right now… ( laughs ).

Ok, what about types of offers?
A sitcom, maybe. Some commercial stuff as well. So that's exciting.

That's awesome. One thing I noticed when I first called you is the fact that you have a publicist. How has that changed your life?
It's changed a lot. I have a publicist and an agent now. And I definitely need it. There's a lot of stuff going on. I've gone to a lot of red carpet events, which has been good publicity for me. I would also love to do next season [of Dancing with the Stars ] as well.

Is there definitely going to be a next season?
I think so, but nothing is for sure yet.

If there is a third season, will you be dancing again with another celebrity?
They haven't asked me specifically yet, but I'm just hoping.

Let's say there is another season and you're dancing. If you could choose any celebrity to dance with, who would you choose and why?
A lot of people have been asking me this, and I've been saying George Clooney. But now I'm actually changing my answer to Antonio Banderas. I've seen clips of his movie and he seems like a great dancer. I know that he would never do it, but [I'd like to partner] someone with great musicality and a good Latin feel. I think George Clooney would be great for it [too].

Now, you've been involved in the show since day one this season. Have you had any opportunity to work behind the scenes with the producers or in promotions?
I really didn't have any time to do behind the scenes work because I only concentrated on training Drew. We were in that studio eight to 10 hours a day, with additional interviews, and [costume] fittings. So my days were pretty packed.

Can you walk me through a typical day?
We started around 10 in the morning and were in the studio until about five or six at night. We did choreography and went over the dances a lot. We also took a lot of breaks, whenever we needed. Went out to lunch, and afterwards normally to a fitting. I went to the [ABC] studios for the fitting and then maybe I would have to do an interview. Every day changed. But basically we were in that studio everyday from 10 to 5 p.m.

How was that for both yourself and Drew?
It was tiring, especially towards the end. It was very mentally and physically exhausting. But we hung in there, and whenever we needed a break—whenever we felt a little tension in the room—we would take time to just talk. We would totally be open with each other about our feelings because we were with each other so many hours of the day. We needed to make sure that we were still excited about what we were doing, and having fun.

You brought up an interesting point there about tension and taking breaks. We never really see you and Drew argue on camera as much as we see other couples argue. Did you face any difficulties in your partnership, and if so, how did you get through them?
You know, there were moments, especially the day after the show [aired] when I had to teach Drew another dance. It was difficult for him. But you have to just deal with each other's—I guess—tempers (laughs), or personalities. But we never fought. We got along from day one. Drew is a very grounded person, and he is understanding and patient, and that's what it takes.

When did you first start practicing with Drew?
We started about three weeks before the first show aired and we only knew the first dance that we were going to do, the Cha Cha. So it was kind of like an intro to ballroom dancing and the technique.

When was the first time you realized, "Wow, I really have a good partner here?"
The first show we did.

Not anytime before that?
Well, when we practiced Drew would be very low key. He wouldn't perform, but would just kind of walk through the motions. But as soon as our first performance began he just lit up. He totally put 100 percent on top of what he could do already and he performed.

In terms of performing live, you mentioned in your blog on the Dancing with the Stars website that you would get nervous even when Drew was calm. Why is that and were your nerves different from those you may have felt during prior professional competitions?
The nerves were more excitement. I was excited and I was nervous as well—especially during the first show—because I didn't know how Drew was going to perform and I wanted everything to go well. This competition was also very different from others because in [professional] competitions, you get nervous, but you know everything will be ok because you're dancing with another professional. On this show, with 27 million viewers… When you think about that and how the show is live, you know you can't redo anything. I wanted to make sure that Drew was comfortable, but as soon as the first performance hit I realized he could perform like no other. I was very comfortable, but [the nerves] were more of an adrenaline rush. I felt more excited than nervous.

Looking back is there anything you would have done differently with Drew in how you taught him or how you performed?
No, because Drew—from the moment I met him—was so dedicated to win this competition. We put in a lot of time and effort, and we got along so well, and we really matched each other's personalities. I wouldn't have changed anything.

I heard Drew is a father now. Have you kept in touch with him since the show?
I have, Drew's wife just had a baby, and we do keep in touch at least once or twice a week.

Is he still dancing?
No (laughs).

Do you think he will start up again anytime soon?
I don't think so. I think his dancing career is over...

Aww that's a shame, but at least he won the competition.
Yes, yes.

I want to back track a little to how the success of the show and your win has affected you. You used to live in New York before the show, right?
Yes, for a couple of years before the show started.

What made you decide to move to LA?
I was out here already [for the show], and I love California. I'm originally from San Francisco and I just felt that this would be the best place for me to be right now in my career.

Was it difficult at first for you to stop your life, and move out to LA for the show?
Nope.

No?
No, no it was a difficult decision because I had to ask my partner at the time. But it was a great opportunity for me and I'm very happy I did it, and my life has changed only for the better.

Do you have any regrets at all?
No, none.

That's good. What was it like for your partner to let you go? Was that difficult for him?
He was supportive. We were also involved personally so that's a whole other issue.

I see. So it was a difficult decision for both of you to make?
It was pretty difficult, but I'm glad I made the decision. And I don't regret anything.

Would you ever go back to dancing with Jose or is that something that probably won't happen?
I don't think it will ever happen, no.

Do you ever see yourself going back into competitive ballroom?
I'm still dancing. I'm going to be doing some shows with Louis actually, Louis Van Amstel.

Ahh, Ok.
But I'm kind of taking a break with competition because I want to see where this takes me for now. And if nothing works out I can always go back to competition.

Was that a hard decision for you to make?
You know, it wasn't because I've been so involved in competing for the last 10 years. I wouldn't mind having a little break. If I were to start a new partnership and prepare for a competition, next season [of Dancing with the Stars ] would have already started. So, I feel, I want to do this for a couple more years and see where this takes me.

How is the Hollywood scene different from New York ?
Well, moving out to LA... It's completely different because people—just random people—even celebrities recognize me, which is crazy! When I was in New York I was so focused on my dancing and that's all I did. Now I'm trying to build on my dancing career and do other things also. So, it's a whole new life for me right now.

Have you ever considered yourself a celebrity?I've never thought of myself as a celebrity, and I still don't think so. But it's so weird because everybody says, “You know you're a celebrity now.” Everyone is coming up to me and saying, “Oh my God, you're a celebrity!” or “Oh my God, I'm next to a celebrity! Can I take a picture with you?” So I think in peoples' minds I am, but I still don't think of myself as one. I still think of myself as a dancer. It's always dance.

What goes through your head when you think about all these fans that are not just Drew's fans, but your own individual fans?
It feels great. Sometimes people come up to me and say, “Oh my god, you gave me chills,” or “You made me want to dance again,” and it feels so good because that's what I want to do. That's why I dance, not only because it's my passion, but to give other people inspiration as well. So it's great to have fans that are supportive. It just feels really good.

You're 21, right?
Yes.

Did you ever think your dance training and dance career would take you to this point?
You know what, no, I had no idea at all. Especially at such a young age! I had no idea, first of all, that ballroom would ever be as big as it is now and that's great because ballroom was never really recognized as a sport or as something cool to do. I'm glad to be a part of it and I'm glad to be a part of exposing the sport. I think [dance] is a great thing to do, and it's great to see that people actually want to take dancing seriously now.

Can you talk a little more about the recent growth of ballroom?
What does it mean to you and where would you like to see ballroom go in the future?Ballroom has grown tremendously. I've only been in this sport for 10 years, but I remember it when I first started. Ballroom was very popular, but only in the ballroom world. People at school would ask me, “Why are you doing ballroom dance, isn't that for old people?” But the years have gone by and it has definitely changed with younger people wanting to start learning. It's a cool thing to do now.

I would also love to see ballroom get to the Olympics one day because it's definitely a sport because of all the stamina necessary. I mean it's crazy. You see some of the sports now that are in the Olympics and some of them can't even compare to this, the hard stamina you need when you dance.

Do you think ballroom will ever make it to the Olympics? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed. I think the only problem is the politics. We take lessons from basically all the teachers who are qualified to judge. So it would be hard to find someone to actually judge it as an Olympic sport. I think that's the only conflict.

Now, to shift gears a little, I can't ignore the fact that I've seen some things about you in tabloid magazines. How has that affected your life in terms of being followed by paparazzi and seeing your face in Us Weekly magazine, for example?
Yeah, it hasn't really affected my life. I just think it's funny, all the stuff they come up with. It's good though because I'm in the magazines and people know me as part of Dancing with the Stars, and I think any press is good press. But you just have to brush it off, keep your head up and just laugh at it because most of it is not true.

Are you close with your family? How do they feel about all these changes in your life and are they supportive?
They've always been supportive from the beginning of my career, and they're still happy for me now. This is actually where they wanted me to go. They wanted me to do things to get ballroom exposed, and to make the money that dancers deserve to make!

So, thinking long term, where would you like to go with your career in the future?
Every day changes for me. There's always new opportunities coming, and I'm living it day by day, really. I have two lives now: I have my ballroom life and I have the Hollywood life. I would kind of like to incorporate it all in one. That is what I'm trying to do right now.

How long do you plan to be involved in Dancing with the Stars?
You know I can't answer that question because they haven't even asked me to do next season. But if I was guaranteed to do every season I would do it probably for a couple of years, but I don't know what will happen. My life changes from day to day, so we'll have to see.


This article was published a couple of months ago on the NYUSABDA website. http://nyusabda.org/archives/oldprofiles/cheryl_burke.html