Women professionals on 'Dancing' make their celebrity partners shine

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - It has been said of dancing icons Fred Astaire's partner Ginger Rogers she had to do everything Astaire did while going backward and in high heels. In other words, men may lead in dancing but it is the women who are the real force.

Need proof? Four of the six "Dancing With the Stars" celebrity winners have been men.

The seventh season starts at 8 p.m. EDT Sept. 22. Female professional dancers Kym Johnson, Edyta Sliwinska and Karina Smirnoff will be under pressure to make their male partners look good. This year they have been paired with gridder Warren Sapp, comedian Jeff Ross and chef Rocco DiSpirito, respectively.

Johnson, 31, was a professional ballroom dancer in Australia. She's also worked as a model. Sliwinska, 27, was born in Poland and is the only professional dancer to be in all seven seasons of "Dancing With the Stars." Five-time U.S. National Champion Karina Smirnoff, 30, was born in the Ukraine.

Just before rehearsals started in July, Sliwinska, Smirnoff and Johnson took time to talk about the show, the celebrities and how the world of dance and the lives of the dancers have been affected by the ABC competition series.

Question: Four of the six winners have been athletes. Is there something about athletes that gives them an advantage?

Kym Johnson: Of course. An athlete is one of the best celebrities you could get. Because you know instantly they have the discipline and focus. They are agile and athletic. You know you have something to work with when you get an athlete.

Edyta Sliwinska: First, athletes are very fit. Then they are coachable. They know how to take directions. And that is extremely important. They also have a great work ethic. They know how to be on a dance floor for five hours. That's natural to them.

Karina Smirnoff: If you are athletic, you are more coordinated.

Q: Is it harder for a female to make a male celebrity look good than it is for your male counterparts?

KJ: You know, in ballroom dancing the male is meant to lead. So, in that respect it is easier for the male professionals because they can lead their celebrities around. With the girls we have to try to make it look like the male celebrities are really leading us around.

Q: Do you get a say in who you get to have as a partner?

ES: We only find out the day before. You just hope you are with someone you feel comfortable with.

KJ: No. Not at all. I remember when I first came over here. On the whole flight from Australia I was trying to guess who I would get. I never guessed it would be Jerry Springer. They keep the list of the celebrities who will be on the show a real secret. So we never know.

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Q: How much time to you get to spend with the celebrities?

KS: You don't get a lot of time to work with the celebrities. But you can tell as soon as your celebrity walks into the room whether they are going to be finding every step difficult or whether they are going to be on the ball with it.

Then when you start dancing you know how well they will do.

KJ: We meet the celebrity and start rehearsing straight away. It is kind of strange. You are two strangers. You say "Hi. How you doing?" And it is like "your hips have to go here, your hands have to be here." You do get to know each other very quickly.

We have four weeks' rehearsal before the show starts to get them use to the forms of ballroom dancing. Once you start you have no days off.

Q: Have you ever met anyone you could not teach to dance?

KJ: Some people find it a little more difficult than others. That's definitely true. Joey Fatone picked it up quicker than Jerry Springer. Jerry had never done much physical exercise before. So for him to dance was quite a big thing.

But if you can walk you can dance.

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ES: I believe that anyone can dance. I think it is in our genes. With a little bit of patience and a lot of work anyone can dance. With Jason Taylor last year I had to tell him to "just do it." He was blocked. He was not comfortable at all. He said he had never danced before. So I showed him the simplest movement and we would dance and dance and dance.

Q: Is there one dance you should start with if you want to learn ballroom dancing?

KS: It should be American rhythm because it does not have as much technique as international style. It allows you to be on soft knees. With international you have to have straight legs. So you get a little stiffer with international.

Mambo, cha-cha are good dances to start with.

Q: How has "Dancing With the Stars" changed the public's view of dancing and your life?

KJ: All of us have danced pretty much our entire lives. So it is nice to be recognized for what we do. "Dancing With the Stars" has changed ballroom dancing because a lot of people thought it was something your grandparents did. But seeing all these macho men and sexy girls dancing has kind of made it popular for younger people.

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ES: People recognize us and that is different. But that is not my motivation. The way I look at it is that I am doing the same thing. I am doing what I love and I enjoy it as much that I can.

I think nowadays people don't know how to dance with a partner. You go to a club and hop from one leg to another. Ballroom dancing is actually a man and a woman dancing together. I think people forgot how great that is.

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DANCING WITH THE STARS

8 p.m. EDT Sept. 22

ABC

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© 2008, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.).