Friday, June 10, 2011

Who is Карина Смiрнова?

Who is Карина Смiрнова? The entertainment and dancing world knows her as  Karina Smirnoff a Ukrainian American professional ballroom dancer.
She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Smirnoff has won the title at the UK Open, is a three-time champion at the US Open, two-time champion at the Asian Open, five-time champion at the Dutch Open, and five-time US National Professional Champion. She has been ranked second in the world, and took second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival.[1]
She is "the first woman to ever make the British Professional Final with three different partners".[2]

Biography

Smirnoff was born January 2, 1978)  in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on January 2, 1978. When she was five years old, she began taking ballet lessons, followed by gymnastics, aerobics, figure skating, ballroom dancing and piano.[3] She chose to pursue ballroom dancing. In 1992, Smirnoff emigrated to the United States,[4] and is reportedly a naturalized United States citizen.

Education

Smirnoff attended Nerinx Hall in St. Louis, MO and Christopher Columbus High School in New York and the Bronx High School of Science before going to Fordham University, during which time she picked up her interest in dancing again. Smirnoff graduated from Fordham University with a double major in economics and information system programming.[1] During her academic studies, Smirnoff's goal was to go to law school and become an attorney. However she later came across a dance school in Brooklyn, New York, and after some time there dancing became her profession.

Career

Smirnoff has made numerous candid appearances on reality shows such as Dancing with the Stars, and Chelsea Lately, featuring Chelsea Handler
Roman Nabatov
Paul Killick
Slavik Kryklyvyy
Louis van Amstel
Early in Smirnoff's dancing career, she and Roman Nabatov competed as an amateur couple for USA. They ended their dance partnership in January 1997 [5] Smirnoff soon after started dancing with Paul Killick in October 1998 as a professional couple for England; this partnership ended in July 1999. Immediately, Louis van Amstel and Karina Smirnoff, in July 1999, entered a professional dance partnership, representing the U.S.A; the partnership ended in December 2000.[6] From January 2001 to September 2005, Smirnoff was in a dance partnership with Slavik Kryklyvyy and they represented the U.S.A; this partnership thus far is her most successful one. Kryklyvyy and Smirnoff earned numerous top titles and high ratings together.[7]
Her last professional partner recorded in competitions was Dmitri Timokhin representing Russia in October 2005. They won first place at the 2006 Grand-Prix Dynamo in Moscow.[8] They finished dancing together in June 2006.[9]
Smirnoff was the project manager/director of a dancing event entitled "Day & Night", held on November 18, 2006 at the Hollywood & Highlands Grand Ballroom.[10]
She is featured in a nude pictorial in the May 2011 American issue of Playboy magazine. [11]

Dancing with the Stars

Smirnoff was a performer on the third season of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars with celebrity partner Mario López. They finished in second place, losing to the team of Emmitt Smith and Cheryl Burke. Smirnoff returned to the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and Hannah Montana star.[12] The pair was the eighth to be eliminated from the competition on May 8, 2007. Her partner for Season 5 of the show was current five-division world champion boxer, Floyd Mayweather Jr. On October 16, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition and came in 9th place. She returned for Season 6, partnered with singer Mario and finished in 5th place. In Season 7, she was partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito and they were the fourth pair to be eliminated with a finish of 9th place for the second time.
For the eighth season, Smirnoff's partner was Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak. They were eliminated in the fourth round on March 31, 2009, along with Holly Madison and her partner Dmitry Chaplin.
For the ninth season, she was partnered with singer Aaron Carter. They were eliminated on November 10, 2009, placing fifth.
In the eleventh season, she was partnered with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, from MTV's reality TV show Jersey Shore. They were eliminated in the fourth week.
In the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars, she has been partnered with the original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio. They were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Smirnoff spoofed her role on Dancing in Hannah Montana, playing a fortune teller who predicts to a disbelieving Cyrus about his appearance in a dancing competition.

Performances

With Mario Lopez (Season 3)

Week Dance(s)/Song Carrie Ann's
Score
Len's
Score
Bruno's
Score
Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Walkin' on the Sun" 9 8 9 Safe
2 Quickstep/"Do Your Thing" 7 6 8 Safe
3 Tango/"What You Waiting For" 8 6 8 Safe
4 Paso Doble/"Cancion Del Mariachi" 10 9 10 Safe
5 Rumba/"The Way You Look Tonight" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Mambo/"Ran Kan Kan"
Disco/"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"
9
No
9
Scores
10
Given
No Elimination
7 Foxtrot/"I Wanna Be Loved By You"
Jive/"Shake a Tail Feather"
10
9
9
9
10
9
Safe
8
Quarter Finals
Waltz/"Dark Waltz"
Samba/"Superstition"
9
10
9
9
10
10
Bottom Two
9
Semi-Finals
Tango/"Whatever Lola Wants"
Cha-Cha-Cha/"Bad"
10
10
10
10
10
9
Safe
10
Finals
Samba/"Sir Duke"
Paso Doble/"Cancion Del Mariachi"
Freestyle/"It Take Two"
10
10
10
9
10
10
10
10
10
Runner-Up

With Billy Ray Cyrus (Season 4)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Carrie Ann Inaba Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"I Want My Mullet Back" 5 4 4 Safe
2 Quickstep/"Ring of Fire" 7 7 7 Safe
3 Tango/"Rock the Casbah" 7 7 7 Safe
4 Paso Doble/"Black Betty" 7 7 7 Safe
5 Rumba/"What's Love Got to Do with It?" 6 6 5 Safe
6 Jive/"I Love to Boogie"
Swing/"Rock This Town"
7
No
7
Scores
7
Given
Safe
7 Waltz/"Play Me"
Samba/"Living in America"
5
7
6
7
6
7
Bottom Two
8
Quarter Finals
Foxtrot/"Stand by Your Man"
Mambo/"My Way"
7
6
6
7
5
7
Eliminated

With Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (Season 5)

Week Dance/Song Carrie Ann Inaba Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"The Way You Move" 6 6 6 Safe
2 Quickstep/"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" 7 7 7 Safe
3 Jive/"Mess Around" 7 7 7 Bottom Two
4 Paso Doble/"Captain From Castille" 7 8 8 Eliminated

With Mario (Season 6)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Carrie Ann Len Bruno Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Request Line" 8 8 8 Safe
2 Quickstep/"Valerie" 9 8 9 Safe
3 Tango/"El Tango de Roxanne" 7 6 8 Bottom Two
4 Paso Doble/"Higher Ground" 8 7 9 Safe
5 Samba/"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" 9 9 9 Safe
6 Rumba/"Let's Get it On"
Country Western/"Cotton-Eyed Joe"
9
No
9
Scores
10
Given
Bottom Two
7 Foxtrot/"I'm Your Man"
Mambo/"Mambo a la Sandoval"
8
9
8
9
8
9
Safe
8
Quarter Finals
Viennese Waltz/"If I Ain't Got You"
Jive/"Little Billy Pretty One"
9
9
9
8
9
9
Eliminated

With Rocco DiSpirito (Season 7)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Carrie Ann Inaba's
Score
Len Goodman's
Score
Bruno Tonioli's
Score
Result
1 Foxtrot/"Stray Cat Strut"
Mambo/"La Comay"
5
7
4
7
5
7
Safe
2 Rumba/"You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" 5 6 5 Safe
3 Viennese Waltz/"What's New Pussycat?" 7 7 6 Safe
4 Samba/"I Go to Rio" 6 6 6 Eliminated

With Steve Wozniak (Season 8)

Week Dance/Song Carrie Ann Inaba Len Goodman Bruno Tonioli Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
Quickstep/"Oh, Boy!"
5
6
4
5
4
6
Bottom Two
2 Samba/"Jump In The Line (Shake, Senora)" 4 3 3 Safe
3 Argentine Tango/"Cite Tango" 4 4 4 Eliminated

With Aaron Carter (Season 9)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Carrie Ann Len/Baz Bruno Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Beggin'"
Viennese Waltz/"I'm Your Man"
7
Awarded
8
10
7
Points
Safe
2 Quickstep/"The Muppet Show Theme Song" 9 9 9 Safe
3 Rumba/"Spotlight" 8 6 7 Safe
4 Lambada/"Dr. Beat" 6 6 6 Bottom Two
5 Argentine Tango/"Epoca" 8 8 8 Bottom Two
6 Waltz/"Three Times a Lady"
Mambo Marathon/"Ran Kan Kan"
8
Awarded
9
8
8
Points
Safe
7 Jive/"We're Not Gonna Take It"
Paso Doble/"I Hate Myself for Loving You"
9
8
10
8
10
8
Bottom Two
8
Quarter Finals
Foxtrot/"Lucky"
90's Samba/"Two Princes"
7
9
8
9
8
9
Eliminated

With Mike Sorrentino (Season 11)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Carrie Ann Inaba's
Score
Len Goodman's
Score
Bruno Tonioli's
Score
Result
1 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Break Your Heart" 5 5 5 Safe
2 Quickstep/"Americano" 6 6 6 Bottom Two
3 Foxtrot/"Boom Boom Pow" 7 6 7 Safe
4 Argentine Tango"/Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" 4/6 4/5 4/5 Eliminated

 With Ralph Macchio (Season 12)

Week Dance(s)/Song(s) Inaba Goodman Tonioli Result
1 Foxtrot/"Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" 8 8 8 No Elimination
2 Jive/"Nobody But Me" 7 7 7 Safe
3 Rumba/"Stay Gold" 7 7 7 Safe
4 Waltz/"Romeo and Juliet" 8 8 9 Safe
5 Samba/"Sweet Home Alabama" 8 7 7 Safe
6 Paso Doble/"Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" 8 8 8 Bottom Two
7 Cha-Cha-Cha/"Born This Way"
Quickstep/"Pencil Full Of Lead"
8*/8
10*/9
7
8
7
9
Safe
8
Quarter Finals
Viennese Waltz/"Maybe I Maybe You"
Cha-Cha-Cha/"Stuck in the Middle" -INSTANT DANCE
8
7
8
7
9
7
Bottom Two
9
Semi-Finals
Argentine Tango/"Violentango"
Salsa/"I Know You Want Me"
8
8
9
7
8
8
Eliminated
*Donnie Burns was a guest judge

Other endeavors

Smirnoff has appeared nude in a PETA advertising campaign -with the tagline "I'd rather dance naked than wear fur"[13][14]
Smirnoff has appeared nude in the May 2011 issue of Playboy

Personal life

Mario Lopez
Smirnoff dated actor Mario Lopez after having been partnered with him during the fall 2006 third season of Dancing with the Stars. The relationship lasted from fall 2006 until June 2008.[15]
Maksim Chmerkovskiy
After Lopez, she began dating fellow Ukrainian and Dancing With the Stars dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy in the summer of 2008. They announced their engagement on December 31, 2008, but broke up in September, 2009 before they got married.[16] [17][18]
In October 2009, Smirnoff began dating MLB pitcher Brad
Brad Penny
Penny. The couple became engaged on October 4, 2010.[19]

 

 

 

 

 
























To see more of Who Is click here

No comments:

Who is Luigi "Geno" Auriemma?

W ho is  Luigi   " Geno "   Auriemma? The college basketball world recognizes him as the most successfull division 1  college bas...