Dmitry Chaplin Talks About Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Fashion, And More

MF Magazine has a great new interview up with Dmitry Chaplin. He talks of his experiences on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing With The Stars and how much he has learned from each of them. Of Dancing With The Stars, he described it “as one of the most exciting and memorable experiences ever!” He hopes to come back as a “regular pro” for future seasons. All this and more below. Be sure to read the link for the full story for what he says on fashion and how he keeps in shape, etc.

Okay, let’s move back to your performances. Tell me about your days on Dancing With The Stars.
I really enjoy my experience on Dancing With The Stars because not only do I get to meet and dance with different celebrities, but I find the whole process from putting the choreography together and teaching your partner to dance, picking the music, costumes, and then performing live in front of 22 million people every night as one of the most exciting and memorable experiences ever! This show has made an incredible impact on people around the world and changed the industry completely! I received some very touching emails from people around the world telling me how watching us dance has made a huge impact on their lives and that dancing has given them a new hope and inspiration!

Wow, that’s awesome. Ya think any more seasons on the horizon for you after this past one then?
I hope that I get a chance to come back to the future seasons as one of the regular pros on the show and that I can continue to enjoy my dancing career as I’m doing it now!

Was your schedule strenuous and exhausting though?
There are a lot of responsibilities when you have a celebrity partner and it takes a lot of time to turn them into a dancer! I always try to find their best qualities and then try to showcase them on the dance floor. If they have a fun personality I try to have them do some exciting moves so they could really connect to the dance. If they have good lines like Petra for example, I definitely try to give them some lyrical moments that will make us stand out! In reality it takes some time to learn about your partner and make them trust you, so rehearsal hours can be very long…

How did you balance your personal life and other obligations during that time?
I pretty much don’t have any time for my personal life when I’m on the season. The schedule is so packed that I would literally leave my apartment at 8am and get home around 10pm and by that time you don’t feel like going out or doing anything else but going to bed. (He laughs.)