CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
Kym Johnson is one of the world’s most well-known professional dancers, having appeared on the past four seasons of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. Yet, had it not been for her brother, she might have never found her way to ballroom dancing. When she was 15, he encouraged her to take him to lessons in the hope that it would help him meet girls. Instead, Johnson was the one who found love, developing a deep obsession for the profession that has led to her fame.
Johnson admits that even she is surprised that ballroom dancing became her niche. “It is quite a strange form of dance to get into,” she tells me. “Now, not so much, because Dancing with the Stars has made it popular. Back then, ballroom dancing was something your grandparents did. I took ballet, jazz and tap [dancing]. Then, as I went along, I [found out that ballroom dancing] is really good fun.”
For each season of the show, ABC pairs Johnson with a celebrity partner that she must introduce to the world of dance. Her past partners include Joey Fatone, Jerry Springer, Mark Cuban and Penn Jillette. “You really do become a team,” Johnson says. “It’s nice. You’re working toward one common goal.”
While she has yet to lead a partner to the coveted trophy in the U.S. (she won the Australian version of the show), the friendships she’s formed endure. She says she regularly speaks with Jerry Springer and Joey Fatone and stays in touch with Mark Cuban as well. “I’ve remained friends with each and every one,” she tells me of her past partners.
According to Johnson, she maintains close relationships with other dancers and contestants as well. “It does become a little family there,” she remarks.
Besides helping her form bonds of friendship, dancing also enables her to maintain her impressive figure. “[Dancing] is such a good workout,” she says. “The good thing about it is that you don’t really realize you’re getting a workout at the time, because you’re concentrating on the dance steps. It goes so fast that you’re just burning all this weight, and you’re actually having fun while you’re doing it.”
She adds, “If you look at all of the celebrities that come on the show, even if they’re in incredible shape, their bodies still change. Most of the celebrities that have come on the show have lost weight or at least have toned their bodies or transformed in a way. That’s something to be said about ballroom dancing that is great. You can lose weight and get toned in a way you never even knew you could before.”
While the intense workout dancing provides is ever present, Johnson says she believes most contestants only fully understand the competitive aspect of the show after experiencing the first episode. “In the preparation stage, when we’re just rehearsing up until the first show, obviously they’re all working very hard. But when they see everybody else dancing, they realize it’s a competition. Everybody steps it up a little bit.”
This season of Dancing with the Stars, which premieres Monday, Sept. 22 on ABC, pairs Johnson with retired NFL star Warren Sapp. Although Sapp may not look the part of a dancer, Johnson says she believes he will defy expectations. “He’s remarkably light on his feet,” she remarks and is quick to point out that “for a big guy, he moves really well.”
Johnson says it will be difficult to predict where she and Sapp stack up until all the couples hit the dance floor for week one. For now, she’s keeping her expectations modest and maintaining a lighthearted spirit about the competition. She laughs, “I just hope we’re not the first ones out.”
