Karina Smirnoff Writes About Dancing With The Stars Season 21 Week 1, Video Included

Below is a take from Karina Smirnoff’s first blog for Dancing With The Stars season 21 at People. She doesn’t hold back on her and Victor Espinoza’s height difference being a challenge, but, she says he is a “sweetheart with the spirit and heart of a champion.” More below at the link.

Dancing with the Stars is always a roller coaster ride, and for this season we are going bigger with everything – which is a lot of fun. We have a huge opening number for the premiere tonight that we shot at Los Angeles’ Hollywood and Highland intersection. So, besides the dances we’ve been figuring out with our partners, there is this other big production number we’ve had to worry about.

This season, I’m partnered with Victor Espinoza. He’s a sweetheart with the spirit and heart of a champion. His story is amazing. He didn’t start out with a lot of means to live on. He moved to America and lived in a barn with horses because he loved them and wanted to become a jockey but didn’t have the means to go to training, and now he has prevailed. He’s a Triple Crown winner. That hasn’t been done in 37 years!

All that said, it’s a big challenge for us to work together because of our height difference. Even if I don’t wear heels, I am still about 4 or 5 in. taller than Vic. And if I put on my famous Latin heels that are practically 4 in. high, we’re looking at an even bigger difference in height.