DWTS Season 19: Who Are Pro Dancers Keoikantse Motsepe And Allison Holker?
Most of you might know Allison Holker. She is most famous for her work on “So You Think You Can Dance”. She was a dance contestant in Season 2 and an all-star in Seasons 7 through 11. She started her dance training at only 4 years of age at “The Dance Club” studio in Orem, Utah (the same city where Derek began his dance and ballroom training). She began teaching at the same studio when she was 16. In other accomplishments, she’s performed with Earth, Wind, and Fire at the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2002 Olympic Games in 2002. She also starred in ‘High School Musical’ and ‘High School Musical 2’. Last year, she was nominated for “Outstanding Choreography” in the 2013 Emmy Awards (Heidi’s Note: She was nominated WITH Derek). You might remember the dances below when she danced on Dancing With The Stars in the past and the 2013 Emmy Awards last year. More on Allison at Wikipedia.
As for Keoikantse Motsepe, he was an undefeated South African Latin American Champion in every age category for 8 years. His formal dance training includes Latin American, Ballroom, and Contemporary. He has also performed on South African Idol and in the highly acclaimed dance show “Burn The Floor”. You can read more on Keoikantse at Afridiziak. Videos below. Fascinating and good luck to them both as well as Artem Chigvintsev who you know last year when he danced in the troupe!!
Allison is an all star for the current season of SYTYCD (11) and will be performing tonight with Rudy.
Thanks Vogue!!! 🙂
When it comes to Keo I have two words… Me Likey 🙂
I am glad that DWTS has chosen an African American pro for this season, I think it brings new energy to the show and was long overdue.
I have a new crush. Keo is hot and yeah, big fan of that accent. I hope he can do well in ballroom and teaching, but at least there’s the eye-candy factor!
The guy seems like a good addition to the pro lineup. Allison…….oddly loving the idea BUT what does she really know about ballroom?
@Figamentation – Keo is a rather lovely specimen 🙂 I’m definitely all about the South African accent – it’s wild. Sometimes it sounds Australian, sometimes it sounds Scottish, sometimes it sounds Zulu, sometimes it sounds Dutch, and sometimes it sounds German. It’s like the wild card of world accents – you never know what you’re gonna get! Someone on Twitter mentioned that Keo is also the tallest pro the show has ever had – can’t find his height anywhere on the internet, but considering that Maks & Tony have long been considered the tallest pros at 6’1-6’2″, Keo must be at least 6’3″…
Agree he’s lovely to look at and listen to. He isn’t American is he, he’s South African? Or is he from South Africa but now an American? But still, I don’t think people born in Africa who immigrate here identify as African American, I think it’s more so what some Americans who are descendents of involuntary immigrants use as a way of honoring their ethnic heritage. I think Maks would say he’s American and perhaps Russian or Ukrainian, or say he’s American but from Ukraine. ??? I think perhaps people who’ve immigrated here voluntarily and become citizens would use the specific country from which they came as an identifier, eg American and Nigerian, or American and Malawian? Please delete me if this is an annoying post, I know I can be that way and just always hope the mods will nix it it’s inappropriate.
I thought he lived here now, which is why I called him African-American. But I could be wrong, and yes in that case he would be South-African.
Yes Courtney – it’s that crazy mixture of Dutch/Australian/British/African that makes their accents so appealing. It’s like music to my ears. I probably couldn’t live there or I’d just be throwing my panties at every guy that talked to me.
Glad to see Keo in the show. Glad dwts is adding a African American pro this season before it was only whites and Cheryl being the only one who isn’t plain white since she’s half Asian. Way to go dwts just took 19 seasons.
I’m delighted to see two fresh faces to DWTS and a little diversity. Since Keo is so tall, that indicates to me that we must have some tall female celebrities dancing on the show this season. If I’m right, who might they be? Let the speculation (and envy!) begin.
I am all for diversity on TV , whether the person is black, asian, white, hispanic, etc., as long as that person can back it up with talent. I am not for having someone on TV just for the sake of diversity if that person sucks at what he/she does. Just a pet peeve of mine. This Keo guy seems like a great dancer and good eye candy. Will be interested to see what he can do. As for Derek, how many mirror balls does this guy want. He is a very talented choreographer, I will give him that, but am really surprised he didn’t move on after this last season.
If you know Derek AT ALL, you know it’s not about the MBT for him. It hasn’t been for quite some time. Which is why he wins, I imagine. It’s not about scores and it’s not about winning. Being in a room with him when he’s talking about DWTS, it’s very clear that he loves and is very loyal to the show. He loves doing it.
I do wish he would move on, but I say that for the purely selfish reason of wanting some time off from my other web site.
Just wwatched some Allison videos. I take back what I said. This girl is beyond ready for the show.
And hopefully the newbies get some good partners 🙂 Same for Emma.
Looking at the clips of Keo, impressed by his charm and dancing. Great addition and he doesn’t seem to be part of that familia clique of Tony, Val and Artem. Also with Allison on the show, maybe Derek, Twitch and Allison could do a performance together. Love to see that.
Derek has won in so many ways through dwts not just Mbts. His book was great and showed how much he cherishes the partnerships than the wins. He admits the competitive side early in his seasons and moved on. Which is probably why he wins. I say more dedication by Derek. Other pros with the schedule he has been on would have probably passed. Heck Maks barely made it this season with a ringer and a win on a silver platter yet Derek went to the finals four season a row and one can argue he should have win with Shawn and an argument for
Amy winning too.
Love the new addition of pros. Keo has potential and think the audience will like him. And would love to see Marquette or Victor Fung in future seasons.
People who really understand Derek, know that he isn’t on a mission to see how many MBT’s he can win. He loves this show. It’s where he has grown into the genius he is today. He is competition for the other pro dancers who are on each season. One day, maybe he will have his own TV show and be at the top of his promising career, until then I intend to enjoy every fascinating moment I get to see him live on TV. I’m just digging my brains out trying to figure out who could possibly be his partner? And, found out that I need to do this exercise more often to keep my brain from filling up with cobwebs!!! 🙂
#15, do you think it could be Oprah? I am thinking it will be someone unusual and not a dancer. I keep remembering that Derek wants to be challenged.
Oh, my gosh, @della #16
I never thought of that, but she did call Amy during one of her and Derek’s practices and she was very excited that she catch Derek there with Amy. They did have dinner together with Oprah. Now you got my wheels cranking in my brain….I hope I can keep myself from wondering too much ’till Sept. 4th. 🙂
I’ve seen Keo live and he was amazing. I always thought he’d end up on SCD because he’s friends with a lot of the pros there – i.e. Karen, Aljaz, Janette, Kevin… but I’m so happy we’ve got him here, and as our first black pro! 😀
Glad to see a little diversity in the Pro line-up with Alison (hope she can do ballroom) and Keo; bummed about Sharna; insanely happy Derek will return and happy about Mark as well. I hope we have seen the last of Maks but I have a sinking feeling he might show up as a guest judge, yuk. As for Tony, I really don’t get it: his best years are past, yet they keep hiring him back. Why? As another poster said: who is he sleeping with? He certainly isn’t there for dance talent, choreo or looks. He is a snooze-fest. I guess I’ll be using the fast-forward button for both he and Maks. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to seeing who the celebrities are. I hope Derek gets someone fantastic that lasts the season. I could watch that boy dance all day long!
#19 When I heard Robin Roberts introduce Tony as the winner of the all star season I nearly threw-t-f-up. I’m wondering if there’s a kind of seniority/tenure given to pros who have won. The person I wish Sharna had been brought back instead of is Peta. Nothing against her, she just doesn’t seem to do anything new or innovative, but she did win — plus, of course, she’s always up for faux/show/ro-mance. Kim left, but I think that was her own choice, yes? Just a thought.
@KreativeKat, in a recent interview Derek said he hasn’t had the dinner with Oprah yet, but it should happen in a couple weeks when he meets up with them on their tour. Would be incredible if that were his partner though right?
As many have said, Derek doesn’t do it for the trophy. He does it for the journey with his celebrity and the love of creating. Some may be tired of him, but many more can’t get enough of him because they see that love and find joy watching him do what he does best.
Keo is very easygoing and charming. Hope he gets a celeb with a good fanbase so he can stay in a while. It’s about time DWTS had its first Black pro!
I said a bit in the Pro Watch post, but I just had to go in detail expressing this: He’s Black, not African-American. The distinction is important to a lot of people. Personally, though I was born in the US, my parents are immigrants from Haiti (in the Caribbean) and I can’t stand it when people call me African-American. I always identify according to my parents’ country of origin. Everyone I know who is African/part of the African diaspora feels the same way, because “African-American” implies a different history & culture we can’t fully relate to, separating us from our roots. Sorry for the somewhat off topic rant-ish comment, it’s just a fairly sensitive topic of identity.
Allison is an absolute beast and I feel like she’s throw herself into the ballroom routines like she’d throw herself into anything else
From the clips I’ve seen of him, Keo has a natural charisma and stage presence. I’m interested to hear what Courtney thinks of his ballroom dancing chops.
People of color are woefully under-represented in a lot of dance disciplines, both Ballroom and Ballet. There are a few breaking through such as Chong He and Jing Shan dancing for China in Amateur Latin and Carlos Acosta and Misty Copeland dancing ballet at major ballet companies. Not to mention Arthur Mitchell dancing ballet way back in the pre-segregated American 50’s.
I think the main thing that stymies growth among dancers of color in certain disciplines is the thinking among Artistic Directors or teachers that you have to look a certain way in order for the dance steps to look “correct”. Which is idiotic.
Keo must have given one heck of an audition in order to land a spot as a pro on the show right out of the gate. Happily looking forward to seeing what he can do.
#21 @Kay
Oh, thanks Kay for letting me know. I thought Amy & Derek already had dinner with Oprah. I’m not always up on the latest. I can’t sit at my P.C. for long periods so my search is limited. I like to see a variety of races on the show, also. I’ve lived 64 years in America and have know many different races. I’m not in any way prejudice, and the nicest person who a kind and caring Home Health Aide took care of me after I survived a deadly illness. Her name was Ruth, she was of the black race and she prayed for me the first day she came to my home. Her prayer was answered and I will never forget her. Her name was Ruth (how perfect).
Can’t wait to see the full cast list of partners.
Kay I appreciate hearing your perspective. I think that many white Americans feel a huge responsibility to use words that are respectful and it causes a lot of anxiety not knowing how people want to be referred to. I think, for myself, for years, I felt calling my black American friends African American was most respectful, and perhaps ignorantly so, thought saying black was disrespectful or a bit less respectful. So I can see how my peers also, in trying to be respectful, use the word African American in ways that are inaccurate. I think it helps those of us who want to speak with respect to hear a black person say “I’m a black person from so and so”. Thanks. Also, my understanding as of now is that in using black as an adjective, it’s not disrespectful to use the lower case b. But I’d love to hear from your own perspective how you feel about that.
My goodness, look at those MUSCLES! I’m becoming a fan FAST! Go Keo!!!
Whoever his partner is going to be we’ll be one darn lucky girl!
I was so overcome by the lady vapors while watching these Keo videos that I forgot how to spell. That’s will, not we’ll.
Charlize Theron is African American. It’s a reference about nationality, not race. I think the sincere desire to honor heritage has greatly overshot the mark.
@Susan #29 – please correct me if I’m wrong (and I really might be, English is my second language and I’m from Europe), but I don’t think there is such thing as African American nationality. Charlize is South African and American. Two different nationalities. And Caucasian (race). She was born and raised in South Africa, however her ancestors are Dutch, French and German.
I’m happy to see Keo joining the pros. I just find it kind of funny (again, European point of view), that he is described as African American by some people, considering the guy spent most of his life in South Africa and doesn’t have American nationality. That’s all 😉
I know this is very OT, but hopefully not too blunt 🙂
Looking forward to seeing what Keo, Allison and Artem bring to the floor as new pros. Going to miss Sharna, as she is one of my favorites.
IIRC, the Oprah tour starts in September. I would be very surprised if Derek has time to visit her on her tour since he would be starting training with his season 19 celebrity.
Veronika — You’re not wrong. There is a custom in the US of hyphenating the reference to nationality with a nod to whence you came. So there are Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, etc. While African-American seems like a similar formulation, it has come to be used as a stand in for race. My mention of Charlize Theron is just an example of how that usage is incorrect.
I tried to find a twitter account for Keokantse Motsepe but was unable to do so. Has anyone been able to find one?
Here ya go, Sandy: https://twitter.com/keodancer
WOW!! I think I died and went to heaven. He is gorgeous… I think I have found my first favorite of the season. I’m so excited.
Hopefully Keo will be paired with a great partner because I need him on my television screen for as long as possible.
Thanks Vogue!! As always Vogue to the rescue!! 🙂
YW and loves your reaction. His muscle poses remind me of Donald Driver. Bring Keo on!!
Dear Allison, please have your husband join you for a special pro dance this season. Love, a big fan of you and Stephen (Twitch).
P.S. Allison, please also partner with Derek for a Season 19 pro dance.
GOOD idea Deena! I’d love that too!
I have seen keo live too and he blew me away , his samba is incredible and jive but he is also very good at standard too. I like Allison shes a great addition . I am actually pleased we are getting people who aren’t a part of the “fam” rme as much as I like val and tony as dancers that fam thing annoys me no end .
@Jess 25, I think the instances when one uses “black” with a lowercase “b” or “Black” with a capital “B” depend on grammatical context. It’s generally understood to use “Black” if referring to something specifically part of/within the Black community. (Ex: “Black men,” “Black employees,” “Black kids”, etc. If that’s not really clear, then it’s because the topic itself is quite debateable. Personally, if referring to myself I always say “I’m Black.”
Really looking forward to pro dances with Allison & Derek. She’s just incredible. I think a big reason why she’s a pro now has to do with 1) Her being a trained contemporary dancer 2) the Emmy Academy being more inclined towards contemporary routines 3) DWTS wanting to increase their chances at more Emmy wins.
Thanks Kay.
Here’s another little snippet I’ve found of Keoikantse shaking it on the dance floor. This is from 5 years ago, so he was about 19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMEBkmPEdIc
[…] Below is a fantastic interview with Suri Serano (of Afterbuzz) and Allison Holker. It’s an older interview, but, it’s fun to listen to in getting to know Allison some more and understanding how Dancing With The Stars isn’t her ‘first rodeo’. For more on Allison (including dance videos), see our previous “getting to know” Allison Holker here. […]