Isn’t it fun to see Dancing With The Stars Tristan MacManus and Chelsie Hightower again? Above the two danced a Tango at Ohio State University at the end of January. Let’s hope this means Tristan’s injury is healing? They’ve also been dancing in Ballroom With A Twist along with Dmitry Chaplin and three members of the troupe. You can view some fun takes of them all at Ballroom With A Twist Facebook.
And speaking of Tristan, Dublin Downs has posted another interview with him where he talks of choreograping and more. You can watch it here.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
This weekend several of our pros from Dancing With The Stars are in Lexington, Kentucky to dance in “Ballroom With The A Twist”. Kentucky.com has a feature article up promoting it. Also, in the article, Anna Trebunskaya and former husband Jonathan Roberts talk of the differences between performing in “Ballroom With A Twist” versus performing on Dancing With The Stars. Here is a take….
The celebrity competitors on Stars often overshadow their partners, who dance for a living, but Roberts and Trebunskaya said the big names and the variety of celebrities demonstrate a broad interest in ballroom, and that interest is taken up by the audience.
“You look at your football players,” Roberts says. “When Donald Driver wins Dancing With the Stars, as a guy, you have no excuse not to dance,” he says, referring to the Green Bay Packers star who won season 14 of the show with partner Peta Murgatroyd.
Other NFL players to win the show are Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hines Ward. Trebunskaya’s partners have included Super Bowl champions Kurt Warner and Jerry Rice.
“That was phenomenal, to get a taste of their lives and what their talents were all about,” she says. Even as trained athletes, she says, “They all think it’s a walk in the park in the beginning — you get a nice costume and dance with a pretty girl. Then they realize it’s actually hard work.”
She and Roberts, who were married nine years before announcing in October that they were divorcing, like meeting and working with the celebs, but they also like the opportunity that Ballroom With a Twist provides for them to show their stuff as professional dancers, sans competition.
“It’s nice to be a performer and dance and do something that you know you’re good at, and give the joy to people who come and watch,” Trebunskaya says.
Roberts says, “You don’t have to worry about getting the judges’ attention. You just go out there and dance for the audience, and that’s my favorite thing.”
If you are in the Lexington area, be sure to take the show in this weekend. Dancing With The Stars troupe members Emma Slater and Sasha Farber are also in the show.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
If any of you are missing some of our pros of Dancing With The Stars and would like to do a little travelling after the holidays, this might be just the show to go to. Here is more from the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera….
Utah Symphony | Utah Opera today released the final roster of talent competition television stars scheduled to appear in the upcoming Utah Symphony performances of “Ballroom with a Twist,” choreographed by “Dancing with the Stars” Emmy-Nominated Louis Van Amstel.
The show, which opens in Abravanel Hall Friday and Saturday, February 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., will feature dancing and vocals by ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” pros Chelsie Hightower, Dmitry Chaplin and Tristan MacManus, FOX’s “American Idol” finalists Gina Glocksen, David Hernandez and Von Smith, and FOX’s “So You Think You Can Dance” finalists Randi Lynn Strong, Legacy Perez and Jonathan Platero.
Chelsea Hightower, a fan favorite who, like Dmitry Chaplin, appeared as a finalist on “So You Think You Can Dance“ before garnering a recurring ‘pro’ spot on “Dancing With The Stars,” also has Utah ties, along with Randi Lynn Strong. Both female dancers lived in Utah Valley prior to their reality television careers.
Many Utahns will also likely recognize vocalist David Hernandez, who competed against Utah-favorites David Archuleta and Brooke White in season 7 of “American Idol.”
More information about the Utah Symphony performances of “Ballroom with a Twist” will be announced after the holiday season. Press photos are available by contacting Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Public Relations Manager Hilarie Ashton (hashton@usuo.org, (801) 656-7385).
Cast Breakdown
“Dancing with the Stars” Pros
Dmitry Chaplin (Seasons 9, 12)
Chelsie Hightower (Seasons 8-12, 14-15)
Tristan MacManus (Seasons 12-15)
“American Idol” Finalists
Gina Glocksen (Season 6)
David Hernandez (Season 7)
Von Smith (Season 8)
“So You Think You Can Dance” Finalists
Legacy Perez (Season 6)
Jonathan Platero (Season 5)
Randi Lynn Strong (Season 5)
Dmitry Chaplin (Season 2)
Chelsie Hightower (Season 4)
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
So many cool pics have come out of Anna Trebunskaya, Jonathan Roberts, Oksana Dmytrenko, Sasha Farber, Dmitry Chaplin, and Peta Murgatroyd while they danced in “Ballroom With A Twist” in San Francisco, California this summer. One weekend, Dancing With The Stars host Tom Bergeron was pictured with the cast when he went to one of the shows a few weeks ago (pictured above). To see a slew of pics, see these facebook pages here and here. Below are a few more pics with Peta, Dmitry, Oksana, Sasha, Anna, and Jonathan (be sure to see the “read more” link). If you are in the San Francisco are, be sure to see this show!
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Isn’t this a beautiful picture of Dancing With The Stars pro Anna Trebunskaya? Her long red hair is one of her best features, isn’t it?!! The photo was taken Thursday night in an opening number of “Ballroom With A Twist” with hubby Jonathan Roberts in San Francisco. There are more pics as well as a “mixed” review on the night at the San Francisco Gate. Dancing With The Stars troupe members Sasha Farber and Oksana Dmytrenko are also dancing in the production as previously reported. Peta Murgatroyd and Dimitry Chaplin will be dancing in it’s second week run. Let’s hope they take more pictures! For ticket information, scheduling, and times, be sure to visit MarinesMemorialTheatre.com.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Just a few media tidbits to mention for the start of the day!! First up, if you are going to be in the San Francisco, California area in July and you are missing some of the pros on Dancing With The Stars, you might wasnt to take in “Ballroom With A Twist”. Anna Trebunskaya, Jonathan Roberts, Peta Murgatroyd, and Dimitry Chaplin will be making special appearances. According to @DWTSGossip, Dancing With The Stars troupe members Sasha Farber and Oksana Dmytrenko are also dancing. For ticket information, scheduling, and times, visit MarinesMemorialTheatre.com. Special thanks to Dmitry Dream Team at Facebook for the poster and heads up.
Speaking of some good shows to take in this summer, below is another fun promo for the Dancing With The Stars: Live in Las Vegas Show. Carson Kressley, anyone? Yes, he’s in this too.
Let’s hope this show is around for a long time to come. For more show, cast, and ticket information, visit The New Tropicana Website.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
It’s time to plan a trip to California if you are a fan to Anna Trebunskaya and husband, Jonathan Roberts. The two will be hosting “Ballroom With A Twist” on January 20th and 21st at the Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. Below are some more details on all the performers….
Star Watch: It’s the who’s who of the dance and singing world, joining together for an evening of grace, athleticism, and passion. Dancing with the Stars hot-shot couple Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts host both nights of Ballroom with a Twist and are joined by vocals from LaKisha Jones, David Hernandez, Gina Glocksen, and Michael Sarver. The show is conceived and choreographed by Dancing with the Stars’ Emmy-nominated Louis van Amstel and conducted by Matthew Garbutt.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
For those of you missing former Dancing With The Stars pro dancer, Edyta Sliwinska, she will be performing in “Ballroom With A Twist” at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles which begins tonight. In promoting it, you can watch her and her partner Sasha dancing on Good Day L.A. below….
George Pennacchio also interviewed Edyta on the production. He asks her about her time on Dancing With The Stars and her future plans as well. She and hubby, Alec Mazo, have big plans for their own stage show called “Dance Temptation” (which we reported to you on over the summer) once he finishes school (I hope so! I’d love to see them tour everywhere with this show!!!). More below….
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Let us begin!! The beautiful Peta Murgatroyd was born July 14th in Auckland, New Zealand. At 18 months old, Peta and her family moved to Perth, Australia where her parents could give her brother and her more opportunities in life. According to Peta, her mother always knew she was “artsie” and at 4 years old, Peta started studying to dance. She trained for 12 years at the Kirov Ballet under Madame Lubov Nikonorenko and became a classically trained ballerina. Peta was also trained in Contemporary and Spanish dance! At the age of 16, Peta started to ballroom dance and only after three months of training became an Australian Open and British Youth Latin finalist.
Peta then moved to London, England to further her career and compete. Amongst many international competitions Peta finished 2nd in the Great World City Championships and was a semi-finalist in the Lion City Championships in Singapore. Peta was also a finalist in the Australian Open championships. But, nothing meant more to Peta when she placed 3rd in the world at the British Youth Latin Championships in Blackpool, England in 2006 where she “wanted to live and breathe the life of a dancer”.
In 2004, Peta’s musical theatre career really took off when she was chosen to be a cast member of Burn The Floor. Her lifelong dream of dancing on stage and living the life of a true dancer had come true. Like fellow cast mate Tristan MacManus, she travelled the world with them for 6 years. In August 2009, Burn The Floor hit Broadway. It was at this time Peta was made the lead female dancer.
It was January of 2010, Peta made a decision to pursue a career in film and television. Since that time, Peta has performed on Dancing With The Stars in Australia and America and So You Think You Can Dance in Australia and Holland. Peta has also choreographed and performed with great artists Heart, Rod Stewart, Taio Cruz, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, and New Kids On The Block. Peta also toured with the theatrical dance production “Ballroom With A Twist”.
But, things really started to pop for Peta again in the Spring of 2011. Peta was hired to become a member of the Dancing With The Stars Troupe. Due to her success and quick popularity on the show, she was promoted this Season as a Pro partnered with L.A. Laker Ron Artest.
Peta’s career doesn’t stop with dancing. She’s also done some modeling and recently did some fun spreads for Regard Magazine as well as Pilates Magazine. It’s no wonder ….as well as being beautiful, I’ve always thought she had a natural knack for soaking up the camera just like the dance floor.
Peta dates beloved fan favorite and former Season 10 pro dancer Damian Whitewood who she met in her homeland of Australia. The two reside together in Los Angeles, CA.
Here’s to the lovely Peta and one of my favorite women pros! We hope her run on Dancing With The Stars is a long one and we wish her much success! If you haven’t read our first profile on Tristan MacManus, you can do so here. Stay tuned, Val Chmerkovskiy is next!
Ok, here are Heidi and Court with their personal thoughts on Peta and we’d love to hear yours as well…
Courtney: Are all Kiwis & Aussies blonde, willowy, & gorgeous? Because between Peta & Kym, I’m beginning to think so Seriously though – I think Peta may be the closest thing to a replacement for Edyta that we’ve seen so far. Beautiful girl with a rockin’ body and impossibly long legs, and not afraid to show some skin! She also seems rather soft-spoken & calm like Edyta, which will help when it comes to dealing with potentially squirrely partners. And she and Damian are just PRESH together – very striking, pretty couple, much like Edyta & Alec…only with a bit more personality, methinks I’m definitely excited to see just what she can do with her partner…and with the other pros, in both team & pro dances.
Heidi: Heh, you said squirrely. Frankly, I have a hard time focusing on Peta when that pic right up there has bare chested Damian in pajama bottoms. Oohh yeah. That’s nice. Anyway, yeah, Peta is gorgeous and she does seem calm – but hopefully she’s not toooo quiet. She didn’t have much to say in one of the rehearsal videos I saw – and I think that was part of Damian’s problem. I think the producers LIKE the pros to talk and have personality – or BE personalities. It certainly doesn’t hurt the show! But we’ll see – we haven’t seen really that much of anyone yet.
I'm a fashion and music nut....and I have always loved dancing too of any kind. Dancing With The Stars seems to have this way of bringing all of those things together. Derek Hough (one of my favorite dancers) said at a recent Get Healthy event that ‘dancing’ is an outward expression of what is going on inside you. He says that in some ways, everyone dances and it's so true. To TPTB, how about this song for next season's theme song? Robin G Ft. Wilunleashed - A Good Time (Original) // Download High Quality
Another week, another random smorgesboard of inquires and curiousities
Are Hines & Kym secretly dating?
Erm…if it was a secret, how would any of us know? I know a lot of us here at PureDWTS were definitely not opposed to a Hinenkym liason, but realistically – I’m not sure Hines’ & Kym’s lifestyles are very compatible at this point. It sure doesn’t sound like they’ve been in the same place at the same time much since the show wrapped, aside from the media blitz the week of the finale. Kym’s been jet-setting all over the place in the past couple weeks – she was at a nightclub in Vegas last week with Dmitry (no Hines in sight), was in Tampa earlier this week to do some promos on HSN for the DWTS hair extensions line, and is doing a bikini photo shoot for Star Magazine today in LA. Hines was tied up earlier this week as a presenter for the CMT Awards in Nashville, and tweeted earlier today that he was “back home” (which I’m assuming is his house in Atlanta, and not the apartment he had in LA for the duration of the show) and his MBT had arrived. Kym did tweet that she wished she was at the CMT’s with Hines, but I don’t think we can really read too far into that, considering a lot of the pros & celebs still do attend events together after the show – Kirstie danced with Maks at his studios’ Summer Invitational. The point? It’s kinda hard to date when you’re seldom in the same zip code Don’t get me wrong, it’s POSSIBLE – but I just don’t find it PROBABLE. You be the judge.
Lorenzo Lamas
We were hearing this guy’s name left & right as a casting rumor for season 12 – so much so that we almost positive that he was going to be on. He was going to Ballroom with a Twist performances, following some of the pros on Twitter, and telling basically any media outlet that would listen that he was “in talks” to do the show. And then – nothing. We didn’t even see him in the audience this season. Maybe the media took a tiny bit of info and ran with it, or Lorenzo himself talked this one up to sound far bigger than it really was, or maybe he couldn’t reach a contractual agreement with the show…who knows. As we’ve said before, sometimes it takes a few seasons of being a rumor before anything actually happens – so I still think he’s a possibility for season 13. I sometimes wonder if TPTB already have a cast in mind for an entire year, and then try to separate them into spring & fall casts, so that there’s an even distribution of personalities & occupations. Or maybe they try to work with certain celebs’ schedules…something like “Hey, we know you said you couldn’t do the show this season due to previous obligations…but could we count on you for next season?” We may never know the particulars, but I sincerely doubt they rest on their laurels once they secure a cast for one season…I would bet they almost have to do some far, far in advance planning to secure some of the bigger names they’ve gotten.
Do Cheryl & Maks smoke?
Only in the bedroom KIDDING!!! With regards to Maks, this seems to be a touchy subject amongst his fans over at maksimchmerkovskiy.com - but people are curious by nature, so to me there’s no point in beating around the bush and calling the topic off-limits. Anywho – I guess there’s a video somewhere of him throwing a cigarette butt on the ground before entering a club or something a few years ago, and I found an old article from back in 2009 with pix of him smoking. Honestly, I’m not surprised – most European-born people I know have smoked at some point in their lives. It seems to be more socially acceptable over there than it is in the US, although it does seem to be losing popularity on a world scale. I would sincerely doubt he’s a pack-a-day smoker, since he’s an athlete and seems to have incredible endurance (and a busy schedule not conducive to regular smoke breaks); but he could be like a few of my friends who are what I call “social smokers” – those who only smoke when they drink or when they’re around others who are also smoking. Whatever he is – doesn’t bother me any, as long as he’s not blowing rings of smoke in my face or trying to make out with me. As for Cheryl – found an old article with pix of her smoking as well. According to my boyfriend, a surprising amont of female pros do smoke – some of them do it to unwind (which seems counterintuitive to me, since nicotine is a stimulant), some of them do it to keep the weight off between competitions. I certainly hope Cheryl isn’t doing it for the latter reason – although those pictures are old, from back when Cheryl was incredibly thin when she first started the show. She seems to be a lot more comfortable with her curves now, so I doubt she’d be doing it for that reason. The verdict? Both are likely just sometimes-smokers, if they even still smoke at all, since I can’t find anything more current than 2009.
Kirstie Alley’s new movie Syrup
Kirstie mentioned it briefly in the video Vogue posted earlier this week. She’s filming it in NYC this month, and is hoping Robert De Niro is her co-star . However, according to IMDB (and take it with a grain of salt kids, because it’s about as reliable as wikipedia – ask Heidi), the only stars listed for it so far are Kellan Lutz, Amber Heard, Shiloh Fernandez, and Allison Williams. No mention of Kirstie’s name – then again, it did just start filming this month, and it doesn’t sound like a lot of details have been released yet. It sounds like the movie’s gonna satirical comedy based on the novel of the same name by Maxx Barry, about two 20-somethings trying to make it soda industry. Hmmm…interesting.
Are Ted & Nicole Volynets brother & sister or husband & wife?
Definitely one of the more “talked about” body parts here at PureDWTS (but nowhere near as popular topic as Kym’s Awesome Boobage(TM) ), mainly because Lacey doesn’t have the typical long, lean, leggy frame that many of the other female pros have – not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that Lacey’s the second shortest pro, with a height of 5’3″ (Chelsie’s 5’2″), and her legs are noticeably more muscular than most of the other female pros. While this does tend to make a woman’s leg lines in Latin look less aesthetically pleasing (especially when Lacey insists on wearing something OTHER than ballroom shoes, which annoys me to no end), they do have an advantage – shorter legs usually make for greater flexibility…and Lacey tends to work these dramatic displays into her choreography. I’m still in awe of the spin she did in a bow & arrow stretch position with Kyle in their rumba (3:22 mark). And short legs aren’t necessarily a deal-breaker in the professional world, either – Latin competitor Elena Kryuchkova barely stood 5’0″ (much, much shorter than her partner!), and didn’t have very long legs, and was still a world champion.
Derek Hough bulge
I have to wonder if some of you have gotten sneaky and are just googling hilariously inappropriate things in hopes that it will lead you here and make the SERU (search engine round-up) each week But alas, it popped up, it was amusing, and I had to share…so here’s the cheesecake from October of last year where Heidi & I discussed the “bulge” at length. Other highights from that particular edition were Margaret & Louis’ costumes, the smoke monster, and Val vs. Mark…let us reminisce. And any further inquiries about the bulge can be directed to Pure Derek Hough. Kthanxbye
Ultrasound sales specialist by day, semi-knowledgeable DWTS fan by night...with a smattering of hair & makeup enthusiast, occasional model, and crazy cat lady peppered in to make things REALLY interesting ;-) I might pee my pants in happiness if Donny Wahlberg ever does DWTS - or if they ever use "Sunglasses at Night".