Speaker 1: Welcome to Danielle with the Stars.
Speaker 2: I am Danielle Fischl, a TV director, podcaster, forever topanga,
Speaker 2: and a mom of two.
Speaker 1: But nowadays I am an aspiring.
Speaker 2: Ballroom dancer competing on the thirty fourth season of Dancing
Speaker 2: with the Stars, and all the while, I am continuing
Speaker 2: to record a podcast forever immortalizing my attempt to be
Speaker 2: the twenty twenty five Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy winner.
Speaker 2: And every week I am podcasting for a leg up
Speaker 2: through a bruised leg up by talking to pros, former contestants,
Speaker 2: and even some of my peers, accepting any and all
Speaker 2: advice in hopes that my national TV dream of a
Speaker 2: perfect score could soon come true. And today I am
Speaker 2: being spoiled with expertise because my guest is a fan
Speaker 2: favorite Dancing with the Stars superstar who joined the show
Speaker 2: in twenty sixteen, later becoming the first black female pro
Speaker 2: dancer in the show's history. She began on Troop, then
Speaker 2: just a year later, was partnered with figure skater Johnny Weir,
Speaker 2: a celebrity she took all the way to the semifinals,
Speaker 2: but since then she has ridden a bit of a
Speaker 2: Dancing with the Stars roller Coaster, paired with Karate Kidd
Speaker 2: and Cobra Kai star Martin Cove, TV actor Daniel Durant,
Speaker 2: former NFL player Adrian Peterson, Legacy Hollywood named Eric Roberts,
Speaker 2: and then this season she was with a teddy bear
Speaker 2: who was eliminated in week two, the ray of Light
Speaker 2: known as Baron Davis. I think it's safe to say
Speaker 2: she has not had it easy, but yet through it all,
Speaker 2: her star has shown brighter than ever. Her infectious smile
Speaker 2: and undeniable talent has stood out to everyone who watches,
Speaker 2: and now I get the chance to know her on
Speaker 2: a deeper level while also picking her brain about my
Speaker 2: own journey. Please welcome to Danielle with the Stars. A
Speaker 2: total pro, a trooper, and someone who can make anyone shine.
Speaker 2: It's brit Stewart.
Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, Hello, you're the Queen of introductions. Can
Speaker 1: you just come with me everywhere?
Speaker 2: I will anywhere you want to go. Just let me
Speaker 2: walk in. Before you give a little intro, I'll shorten it.
Speaker 2: I'll make it a little tighter, you know.
Speaker 1: Yeah, if I could just have that in like a
Speaker 1: ball of a daily affirmation, I'll let you keep the paper.
Speaker 1: I am so happy you agreed to do this podcast.
Speaker 2: I have been trying to have you as a guest
Speaker 2: literally since day one of the podcast.
Speaker 1: You were at the very top of my list. Thank you.
Speaker 1: I'm so excited to be here, and I know I'm
Speaker 1: just excited to talk to you. You're so sweet and
Speaker 1: interacting with you at the rehearsal studio and everything. It's
Speaker 1: just I'm excited to go on a deeper level. Yes,
Speaker 1: me too.
Speaker 2: I wish we were here talking just because we were
Speaker 2: still both rehearsing together. In no universe did I anticipate
Speaker 2: that we would be sitting down for this podcast after
Speaker 2: you and Baron had been eliminated, just during week two.
Speaker 1: It was absolutely flabbergasting to me.
Speaker 2: Was it as shocking to you as it was to
Speaker 2: I think everyone else?
Speaker 1: It actually was? And I try to say that without
Speaker 1: any ego involved, But I feel like if you're a
Speaker 1: fan of the show, if you are, if you've watched
Speaker 1: it for you know, it's been on air for twenty years, yes,
Speaker 1: if you watch it, and then of course being part
Speaker 1: of it, you kind of you kind of have a
Speaker 1: feeling of who's going to go home or you have
Speaker 1: like a few options and I really I didn't think
Speaker 1: that we would go home week one. No, I knew
Speaker 1: it was going to be difficult because this year is
Speaker 1: the cast is I don't know if we've ever had
Speaker 1: this competitive of a cast. I mean, if you don't
Speaker 1: have dance experience, you have social media following, or you
Speaker 1: have both, and so you know, I knew it was
Speaker 1: going to be an uphill climb for us. But in
Speaker 1: my mind, I was like, if I can get Baron
Speaker 1: to week three, even week four, people are going to
Speaker 1: fall exactly him. Yes he does. He has so much charisma,
Speaker 1: his personality, his smile, his sense of humor, and so
Speaker 1: much of that just takes a little bit of him
Speaker 1: getting comfortable for him to reveal it. And so you knew,
Speaker 1: like your work was going to be. How do I
Speaker 1: get him comfortable enough out there to start letting more
Speaker 1: of that shine?
Speaker 2: And really, yeah, it's just I was I was already
Speaker 2: seeing it. But I feel like I got to Baron
Speaker 2: and I connected very early on. We connected in New
Speaker 2: York during Good Morning America. We ended up as being
Speaker 2: somehow the only two cast members on the pro bus.
Speaker 2: There were two different hotels and the rest of the
Speaker 2: cast somehow got on the right bus to go to
Speaker 2: their hotel, and we ended up on the professional dancer
Speaker 2: bus and you guys all got dropped off first, and
Speaker 2: so it was just Baron and I for maybe a
Speaker 2: ten minute bus ride, and just in normal conversation, we
Speaker 2: were like.
Speaker 1: Oh, you're one of my We're you're one of my people.
Speaker 2: And from that moment on, every time I knew he
Speaker 2: was there, we made a point of finding each other,
Speaker 2: checking in with each other. He was always so generous
Speaker 2: with his advice, asking me how I was feeling, showing
Speaker 2: me different stretches.
Speaker 1: We did our first show and tell.
Speaker 2: Yeah, we together, and that was such a special moment,
Speaker 2: and I was so I had no idea what to expect.
Speaker 2: And you the work you put in with him, and
Speaker 2: you can't hit you guys danced your first dance too.
Speaker 1: You can't touch this, and he just came alive. I. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I think he's just such a special person and it
Speaker 2: is not at all surprising to me that the two
Speaker 2: of you connected. Did you guys connect the same way
Speaker 2: it feels Barren and I connected?
Speaker 1: Oh? Yes. You know what I love about Baron is
Speaker 1: he comes forward as his authentic self, always and so
Speaker 1: I feel like if he's met with that same energy,
Speaker 1: it's hard to not be connected with him. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: think he's also an extremely curious person. So if he
Speaker 1: like sees oh oh, he wants to try to get
Speaker 1: to know you and try to you know, and also
Speaker 1: be present in an experience and be present in whatever
Speaker 1: he is doing. And so, you know, I knew Baron
Speaker 1: and I would get along because during our first meet
Speaker 1: he was like, I'm just here to learn something new,
Speaker 1: to challenge myself, to be vulnerable. And that's my type
Speaker 1: of people. I you know, for me'm I do wear
Speaker 1: I don't wear my heart on my sleeves, actually, but
Speaker 1: I am very sensitive, okay, and I try to I
Speaker 1: don't try. I lead my life with authenticity. And one
Speaker 1: of my mottos for life is to be a consistent student,
Speaker 1: to always be a student, to always learn ooh. I
Speaker 1: love that. And so when I first met him, I
Speaker 1: was like, Okay, this is going to be this is
Speaker 1: going to be fun. And then he has a sense
Speaker 1: of humor on top of it, so you know, we
Speaker 1: connected very quickly. I joke with him, I'm like, I
Speaker 1: don't know if you manifested getting a sister, a little
Speaker 1: sister in this life. But you have one. Now, you
Speaker 1: have one, now your stuff. Yeah, we definitely connected. Did
Speaker 1: it surprise you at all.
Speaker 2: To see the amount of support online? Yes, it did,
Speaker 2: because there is quite a swell of justice for Baron.
Speaker 1: There is a swell. And I know it doesn't I
Speaker 1: know it doesn't make it better, right, but I wanted
Speaker 1: to make sure that he knew that is not normal,
Speaker 1: especially in the beginning, like especially the first few eliminations.
Speaker 1: It's not that's not typical. You know. Even though he
Speaker 1: was only on the show for two weeks, he made
Speaker 1: an impact.
Speaker 2: Totally, which is a huge deal, and people saw in
Speaker 2: him the same thing we see, which was just if
Speaker 2: just a few more weeks, everyone would have been you
Speaker 2: would have blossomed like a flower and everyone would have
Speaker 2: been able.
Speaker 1: So it does. It feels like a robbery.
Speaker 2: The America, Canada, the world was cut short of being
Speaker 2: able to know the Baron we know is just right
Speaker 2: below that surface. And it's interesting that people were able
Speaker 2: to see it. And so it just makes me say,
Speaker 2: where were the vote?
Speaker 1: I know, Wow, it's so frustrating. It is what it is. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and you can't change it. I know, and and one
Speaker 1: of those people. You know, even though I'm like, it
Speaker 1: was too short, all these things, I'm you know, I again,
Speaker 1: I'm sensitive, so I felt all my feelings. At the
Speaker 1: end of the day, I still believe that that is
Speaker 1: what was meant to happen, right, So right, because what
Speaker 1: if it's meant for you, it will be yours yours.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and so you may not know exactly the why
Speaker 2: of it happening, but you know that, Okay, it is
Speaker 2: what it's supposed to be. So that's I mean, that's
Speaker 2: a wonderful perspective to have and anything you do in.
Speaker 1: Life looking forward.
Speaker 2: Had you guys continued, what were some of the things
Speaker 2: you were looking forward to for some of the theme weeks?
Speaker 1: Do you want to share any of that? Actually?
Speaker 2: Would love great because I'm dying to know. I want
Speaker 2: to know what your vision was for him.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so something super simple. We were supposed to have
Speaker 1: a tango this week. And his frame was actually the
Speaker 1: best frame that I've like. His frame was incredible, Oh
Speaker 1: gorgeous frame on day one. Yes, so not only were
Speaker 1: we robbed of Baron, but he we were robbed of
Speaker 1: his gorgeous But that's okay. Okay, I was really looking
Speaker 1: forward to we were going to do a West coast
Speaker 1: like La True la hip hop for his dedication week.
Speaker 1: Oh man, I still want to see it. Yeah, And
Speaker 1: so I you know that that would just have been
Speaker 1: a big celebration of not only like Los Angeles where
Speaker 1: he's from, it was going to be a celebration of
Speaker 1: his kids and almost this generational this generational celebration of
Speaker 1: what he is curating for his children, and you know,
Speaker 1: within that with hip hop and everything, also the celebration
Speaker 1: of black culture too. Wow. So I was really looking
Speaker 1: for I had a lot of ideas for Baron. Actually,
Speaker 1: you know, he's a he's a businessman too, So I
Speaker 1: was even thinking like, how can I dive into this
Speaker 1: like structured business world of what you normally think of
Speaker 1: what a businessman is and our eyes in America, But
Speaker 1: how he deltely is not defined by what that stereotype is,
Speaker 1: and he's this mega businessman. So I was playing around
Speaker 1: with ideas with that, and oh I love that. I
Speaker 1: had some dreams.
Speaker 2: Any any chance we could get you guys to still
Speaker 2: put that together for that dedication week.
Speaker 1: I feel like that dedication week everyone needs that. Yeah, Okay,
Speaker 1: let me you know what, let me give him a call.
Speaker 1: Let's do what we can do. I called him yesterday.
Speaker 1: I called him yesterday. I wanted to check in. He
Speaker 1: was like, you know, I kind of want to come visit.
Speaker 1: And I was like, I mean, you know, you know
Speaker 1: what that's actually breaking my heart. Maybe the most is
Speaker 1: he's really upset.
Speaker 2: He he.
Speaker 1: Oh, he misses it. And I don't think people realize
Speaker 1: when you really take a chance on something, when you
Speaker 1: really open yourself up to an experience, it takes a
Speaker 1: lot of vulnerability. And so he's, yeah, he's he's missing you.
Speaker 1: Let me know how I can help you. Let me
Speaker 1: know what I can do. I want to we need
Speaker 1: to rent a space, set a space.
Speaker 2: I just want I want you guys to be able
Speaker 2: to go out on your terms, pick you know, for
Speaker 2: you to have like, Okay, I didn't get to I
Speaker 2: didn't get to make.
Speaker 1: The decision that we left on week two.
Speaker 2: But here's a week that was going to mean something
Speaker 2: black to black culture, to your children, to music, to him.
Speaker 1: Let's do it anyway, Let's do it anyway. Why not?
Speaker 1: Why not?
Speaker 2: Why not put it together, have fun with it own,
Speaker 2: have it for himself, because he did say when I
Speaker 2: talked to him yesterday, he was.
Speaker 1: Like, you know, I just I guess I'm not a dancer.
Speaker 1: And I was like, surprise, you are? You are?
Speaker 2: And he started dying. He was like, yeah, you know what,
Speaker 2: You're right, Surprise I am. I was like, you are?
Speaker 1: You were? So I don't know.
Speaker 2: I just want to see I just want to I
Speaker 2: want to see it. I want there to be I
Speaker 2: want there to be a nice button that feels like
Speaker 2: there's some owner.
Speaker 1: I love that for you both. Thank you.
Speaker 2: So I don't know what I can do, but anything
Speaker 2: is very want I want to do.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 2: Outside of the obvious, have you kept in touch with
Speaker 2: a lot of your partners over the years, I.
Speaker 1: Actually have, Well, we all know the very obvious there,
Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 2: Outside of the obvious, the one who you recently married
Speaker 2: and lived with. Because I'm thinking about moving in with Pasha,
Speaker 2: and yes, so you should.
Speaker 1: I think maybe you should. Maybe you should just purchase
Speaker 1: a commune and then you know your families can just
Speaker 1: actually love that idea.
Speaker 2: Yeah, communal living either for each other, raise the children
Speaker 2: in the group.
Speaker 1: I think that's smart. Yeah, I haven't talked to them
Speaker 1: about it. Oh, I think it's a great idea. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I think so. Maybe fine. You know, I'm still really
Speaker 1: good friends with my very first partner, Johnny Weir. He
Speaker 1: was actually a bridesmaid and the photos wonderful, and he
Speaker 1: is just you know, we instantly clicked, okay, instantly, and
Speaker 1: you know, I call him doodle. He calls me Bruce.
Speaker 1: It's a thing so cute. What are those nicknames? Doodle?
Speaker 1: So I don't know, I just started calling him doodle.
Speaker 1: He's so cute, like he's a little doodle. He is
Speaker 1: just a doodle, and I it's just so now it's
Speaker 1: his nickname. Later to find out his family, any they
Speaker 1: call anything that's cute doodle. Really, yes, And I had
Speaker 1: no idea. I just started calling him doodle. I know that.
Speaker 1: I know that's weird.
Speaker 2: That's oh yeah, that's a sole connection. Yes, oh oh,
Speaker 2: one thousand percent is a sole connection. And then he
Speaker 2: calls me Bruce because apparently I'm like very sometimes I
Speaker 2: can be aggressive when I count the chat shaw oh,
Speaker 2: which was I don't know.
Speaker 1: He just he would be like four. I would sometimes
Speaker 1: go four and he was like, oh, okay, Bruce. Bruce
Speaker 1: is out I sent him in one of our you
Speaker 1: know how we get the camera blocking photos. Oh my
Speaker 1: mouth was like doing something crazy, Like I was obviously
Speaker 1: mid scream, you know, leading bar on the floor, and
Speaker 1: I I like zoomed in very close in. I was like, doodle,
Speaker 1: Bruce is back. Check out this photo of Bruce. Check
Speaker 1: out Bruce. Those photos I don't. I don't love a
Speaker 1: lot of them. No, no, it's like mid motion thing,
Speaker 1: weird things. I saw the one with your hair hilarious.
Speaker 2: Okay, great, yeah, so good. Yeah, hair was all over
Speaker 2: the place there. I also with my leg bruise. Wouldn't
Speaker 2: The day that I did the cartwheel, I was wearing
Speaker 2: shorts and it was like, you know, mid cartwheels, by
Speaker 2: the way.
Speaker 1: Just not going to be attractive, no period. It's just
Speaker 1: legs everywhere.
Speaker 2: And then like dark Bruce in my upper thigh. I
Speaker 2: was like, guys, did we could we not have just
Speaker 2: not snapped the camera during that moment. But you know, okay,
Speaker 2: I wanted to talk to you a little bit about
Speaker 2: your Disney roots because that is something we share. You
Speaker 2: are a principal dancer in all three of the High
Speaker 2: School musical films, all directed by Kenny Ortega.
Speaker 1: Were you intimidated working with such an icon at a
Speaker 1: young age? Oh, this is quite embarrassing. I have to
Speaker 1: tell you. I didn't know who Kinny was. You were like,
Speaker 1: was it weird for me? No? I was like, Okay,
Speaker 1: hey dude, Hey, what's up? No, hey, broch Okay, this
Speaker 1: is great. No. I so I didn't go through the
Speaker 1: normal audition process. Okay, they were. I happened to be
Speaker 1: in New York at a national dance competition. It's called
Speaker 1: New York Sky Dance Lions, and one of the co choreographers,
Speaker 1: Bonnie's Story. She has a daughter same age as me,
Speaker 1: and we were both there alone without our big dance studios,
Speaker 1: and we bonded in the rehearsal process, and Bonnie saw
Speaker 1: me dance, and randomly we were on the same subway
Speaker 1: after like an late night rehearsal. Okay, with my I
Speaker 1: was with my mom. Kelly, her daughter same age as me,
Speaker 1: was with Bonnie and she just looks at us and
Speaker 1: she goes, this is going to be absolutely insane. But
Speaker 1: I'm filming a movie this summer in Utah with Kenny
Speaker 1: ar Otega, and we're looking for one more dancer, one
Speaker 1: more female dancer. And I really I've already called Kenny,
Speaker 1: you are it. You would have to come straight from
Speaker 1: New York to Utah, but you can. You can live
Speaker 1: with me and my family and the girls, the whole thing.
Speaker 1: And my mom and I were like, oh, okay, god, yeah, girls,
Speaker 1: we'll think about it. Yeah. And so then you know,
Speaker 1: I was like, I'm supposed to be staying and assisting
Speaker 1: this choreographer named Brian Friedman at the Broadway Dance Center
Speaker 1: after New York whose I don't know Kenneyega Artega in
Speaker 1: Utah and Utah you know, I from Colorado. So it's okay,
Speaker 1: you know, it's not too far off, but still, and
Speaker 1: you know you're in New York. I'm in New York.
Speaker 1: I'd have to go without my parents, like all all
Speaker 1: these things. So I called Brian Friedman, who I was
Speaker 1: meant to assist in his classes and his master classes,
Speaker 1: and he goes, Britt, you, Kenny or Tega, you have
Speaker 1: to go ends up. Brian Friedman his first job was
Speaker 1: as a dancer as a child was Newsi's and Kenny
Speaker 1: or Teja choreographed newsies and so he was like, this
Speaker 1: is kismet, that this is happening. This would be your
Speaker 1: first professional job. You have to go, and so I went,
Speaker 1: and you know, High School Musical was not supposed to
Speaker 1: be what it was. It was six weeks. It was
Speaker 1: low budget Disney Channel Channel film that became this cultural phenomenon. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I can't believe how many things in your life are
Speaker 2: all connected.
Speaker 1: It's it's actually wild.
Speaker 2: Do you notice in the moment or are you the
Speaker 2: type of person who, with with some space and time,
Speaker 2: looks back and then finds the connections or you do
Speaker 2: you notice as they're happening, You're like, oh, here's a
Speaker 2: here's a thing, here's a sign.
Speaker 1: No, they just kind of happen. I mean, same thing
Speaker 1: with Dancing with the Stars. I got the audition from
Speaker 1: being in a rehearsal, had no idea, absolutely no idea.
Speaker 1: Just again, these big moments feel quite kismet in my life.
Speaker 1: I feel very blessed in that way.
Speaker 2: You've got guides, I do, Yeah, I do. We've got
Speaker 2: guides and they're they're.
Speaker 1: They're doing their work. They're doing their work, and then
Speaker 1: you're like, oh, thanks, and.
Speaker 2: You are prepared at the right place at the right time,
Speaker 2: and wow, it's pretty great. You have danced with Janet Jackson, Rihanna,
Speaker 2: Selena Gomez, Nick Jonas as a dancer on tour. Do
Speaker 2: you ever get sick of hearing the songs? Because that
Speaker 2: would be an occupational hazard. You're losing a lot of
Speaker 2: bops in your life.
Speaker 1: Can you still listen to all the music of the
Speaker 1: people you've danced for? So the longest I've danced for
Speaker 1: an artist is three years, and I was with Katie
Speaker 1: Perry for three years, wild three years. Three years, and
Speaker 1: I'm actually proud to say I did not get sick
Speaker 1: of her music. Okay, great, good? Those are boy, They're boppy,
Speaker 1: They're great. But I'm very shocked by my answer, really honestly.
Speaker 1: And I can still listen to Teenage Dream and still
Speaker 1: love it. I love it. It takes me back a little bit. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's a little nostalgia for you. Okay, Well that's good.
Speaker 1: That makes me happy. Is there a dream musician you
Speaker 1: would want to tour with? You know what? I think?
Speaker 1: I'm gonna be honest, I don't know. I don't think so.
Speaker 1: I think as far as a dancer goes, touring with
Speaker 1: Katie for that long was such a full experience. I mean,
Speaker 1: I got to go all over the world. We did.
Speaker 1: I was in her super Bowl performance, like I got
Speaker 1: to do so with her, and then like after I
Speaker 1: danced for Jana Jackson, I was like, what else is there? Yeah?
Speaker 1: This was pretty cool. Yeah, exactly, I'm good. So I
Speaker 1: don't know about dance. Yeah, maybe if I could, like
Speaker 1: choreograph for somebody.
Speaker 2: Maybe I love that is that you're where your sites
Speaker 2: are starting to send you.
Speaker 1: You know, I'm a little bit I'm I'm a limitless
Speaker 1: dreamer and I've always believed that choreography would still be
Speaker 1: my connection to dance after I stopped dancing. So yeah,
Speaker 1: I talked to Mandy Moore the other day.
Speaker 2: We and I interviewed her and she was telling me
Speaker 2: a little bit about her process for choreographing the tour
Speaker 2: and how, you know, some of it she's a planner.
Speaker 2: Some of it needs to start now, but also she
Speaker 2: needs to see how the season ends up.
Speaker 1: And is there now that you have some unexpected free time.
Speaker 2: Does Mandy ever ask you to come in and help
Speaker 2: think of things, put things together, being that you are
Speaker 2: clearly so good at.
Speaker 1: What you do, thank you not typically Actually that sort
Speaker 1: of process really happens once we're in the rehearsal process. Okay,
Speaker 1: I mean Mandy is like my I actually call her
Speaker 1: one of like my fairy dance godmothers because she had
Speaker 1: such a massive part in bringing me on to Dancing
Speaker 1: with the Stars. Oh yeah, Like that rehearsal that I
Speaker 1: was talking about was her rehearsal, and she put me in.
Speaker 1: She actually asked me to dance with Derek in a
Speaker 1: moment that I wasn't supposed to dance with him, but
Speaker 1: he needed a partner and that we were filming a
Speaker 1: wide and that's what got sent to all of the
Speaker 1: producers and the networking sects, and that's how I got
Speaker 1: my audition for Troop Wow. And so she just kind
Speaker 1: of made all the puzzle pieces of the puzzle come together,
Speaker 1: and she really helped and supported me in that journey.
Speaker 1: But you know, sometimes she'll she usually during a season,
Speaker 1: will sit down with each of the pros that are
Speaker 1: going on tour and just talk about some of the
Speaker 1: things that we really are either feeling inspired by or
Speaker 1: feeling like, hey, I did a cha chaw last tour.
Speaker 1: I don't necessarily need to do a cha cha, but
Speaker 1: maybe I can do a rumba this year. That is
Speaker 1: our involvement in her creation process, and then things she yes, absolutely,
Speaker 1: things unfold and develop within the rehearsal process. It's actually
Speaker 1: I'm actually really glad that you asked me this, because
Speaker 1: there's this rumor going around that Emma and I request
Speaker 1: to have partners that get eliminated early so that we
Speaker 1: can have involvement. Can you imagine being the time.
Speaker 2: I mean, in order to be a part of this
Speaker 2: show and to even do remotely well in it, you
Speaker 2: have to be competitive.
Speaker 1: Yes.
Speaker 2: Can you imagine being a professional dancer who's involved in
Speaker 2: a show where you're going to try to win a
Speaker 2: mirror ball by teaching a celebrity who most of the
Speaker 2: time knows very little about dance, and then being like,
Speaker 2: I only want to do it for like a couple
Speaker 2: of weeks.
Speaker 1: Can you give me?
Speaker 2: I mean, that's ah, that's a crazy rumor.
Speaker 1: It is crazy. But Emma is the host, she's one
Speaker 1: of the co hosts of the tour on it, and
Speaker 1: then I'm dance captain when we go on tour, But
Speaker 1: my work doesn't really start until we get out.
Speaker 2: Until you get out on the road, but at least
Speaker 2: you know where the impetus for that rumor started. You
Speaker 2: guys have special names and roles attached to the tour
Speaker 2: that maybe other people do not have, and so.
Speaker 1: There was a little bit of an assumption made.
Speaker 2: But so, okay, you do not actually have a hand
Speaker 2: in the choreography until you're in the actual tour and
Speaker 2: things flourish on their own, collaboratively exactly, okay. Uh. And
Speaker 2: so with your origin on Dancing with the Stars, producers
Speaker 2: saw you in this wonderful world of Disney show, right
Speaker 2: and that rehearsal okay, and they ask you to audition
Speaker 2: for Troop. You get the job, but you didn't have
Speaker 2: any experience.
Speaker 1: In ballroom dancing, right, okay.
Speaker 2: And so this is an important question for some of us,
Speaker 2: very relevant to me at least.
Speaker 1: How did you get so good so fast? And can
Speaker 1: I have it? You know what? It's First of all,
Speaker 1: I feel like I was always meant to do this
Speaker 1: style of dance because it didn't come I don't want
Speaker 1: to it didn't come easy, but I loved it right away.
Speaker 1: I also feel like, you know, I was on True.
Speaker 1: I was on True for five seasons actually, okay, And
Speaker 1: so it gave me time to become a student. So
Speaker 1: as I was doing true my first season, I was
Speaker 1: also training simultaneously, okay, And then when I got into
Speaker 1: the world and learned more about the ballroom world, I
Speaker 1: was like, this is completely different from the type of
Speaker 1: dance and the community that I grew up in, and
Speaker 1: I really wanted to not only show respect to the
Speaker 1: art form, to the dance style, but to also my peers.
Speaker 1: So I ended up competing in pro am as well
Speaker 1: to really like, not for the not for the accolade,
Speaker 1: not for anything other to dive deeper into the culture
Speaker 1: of ballroom because it is it is unique all on
Speaker 1: its own. Yeah, it's completely different than how I was
Speaker 1: raised in the dance world.
Speaker 2: Right, That's what Mandy was saying too. Mandy was saying,
Speaker 2: it doesn't matter how well versed you are in contemporary
Speaker 2: or modern or jazz or hip hop, it does not matter.
Speaker 1: It's a totally different thing. It's wild. Yeah, it's wild.
Speaker 1: I actually love teaching kids that have ballet, contemporary, jazz,
Speaker 1: tap hip hop training to do ballroom because I know
Speaker 1: exactly how it feels. And sometimes I'll look at them
Speaker 1: and I'll say, I know this feels crazy, Yeah, I
Speaker 1: know this is this is this is exactly opposite from
Speaker 1: what your ballet teacher is teaching you right now. But
Speaker 1: this is why, this is how we initiate a movement
Speaker 1: like this in ballroom. Yeah, I kind of geek out
Speaker 1: on it a little bit. I love that. I love
Speaker 1: that you geek out on it. I feel like Pasha
Speaker 1: geeks out on it too. Oh. I think Pasha geeks
Speaker 1: out more than I do.
Speaker 2: Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, I was just saying I feel
Speaker 2: like Pasha's definitely geeking out, and I'm like, okay, you
Speaker 2: really love this.
Speaker 1: He loves it. Yeah. I love Pasha's dedication. He's always practicing,
Speaker 1: always perfecting, always, and I feel like you guys are
Speaker 1: a very good match. We are, We are a very
Speaker 1: good match.
Speaker 2: He's been saying in interviews that he thought he was
Speaker 2: a perfectionist until he met me, and now he feels
Speaker 2: like he can let go of that title.
Speaker 1: I was like, no, no, no, no, definitely not.
Speaker 2: What did it mean then for you when you in
Speaker 2: twenty twenty were asked to become the first black female
Speaker 2: pro on Dancing with the Stars, What did it mean
Speaker 2: to you?
Speaker 1: Oh? My goodness, Well, it was very overwhelming and it
Speaker 1: was also unexpected, so I did five seasons on Troop
Speaker 1: and the season before season twenty eight he actually got
Speaker 1: rid of the Troop. And right before that season, I
Speaker 1: had re auditioned to become a pro, and I remember
Speaker 1: at the time, the showrunner different than Conrad called me,
Speaker 1: and he was straight up from the beginning. He's like,
Speaker 1: I don't want to sugarcoat anything. This call is not
Speaker 1: going to be good. Oh man, yeah, I know he was.
Speaker 1: He basically said, we were very impressed with your audition,
Speaker 1: we love you, but we're not going to promote you
Speaker 1: to be a pro. And then on top of that,
Speaker 1: we're getting rid of Troop this season, so out of
Speaker 1: the job.
Speaker 2: Yeah, not only do you not get the job you want,
Speaker 2: but the job you have you don't have it exactly.
Speaker 1: And so then I, just like any industry dancer does,
Speaker 1: or I should say, anyone in this industry, does you Okay,
Speaker 1: you feel what you pi it and you pivot immediately.
Speaker 1: And that's exactly what I did. I just did. I
Speaker 1: just called my agent.
Speaker 2: I was like, get me look exactly exactly, tell us
Speaker 2: what find me.
Speaker 1: Some work exactly. And the work that I did in
Speaker 1: that year actually ended up being really great. It was
Speaker 1: and I think it all prepared me to become a pro.
Speaker 1: And I'm actually very grateful for that time off because
Speaker 1: I think if I would have become a pro immediately
Speaker 1: after Troop, I would have been too close to it.
Speaker 1: I would have been like, I don't know. It gave
Speaker 1: me a little bit of a fresh perspective and just
Speaker 1: a breath.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a breath of Yeah, a nice little breath away
Speaker 2: from something which is also something you do and dance.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, you have to. Times you just have to
Speaker 1: not practice, just need to. I call it marination. You
Speaker 1: need to let it marinate and get some sleep sometimes. Yeah,
Speaker 1: not always, not if you're just being lazy. Yeah, there's
Speaker 1: a different there's a big difference. Yeah, yeah, yeah, difference.
Speaker 1: So and then, of course in twenty twenty the world
Speaker 1: shut down, so you know, I was also like we
Speaker 1: were still isolated when I when I learned that I
Speaker 1: was going to become a pown, did you learn that
Speaker 1: you were going to become op?
Speaker 2: This is now I want to hear the flip side,
Speaker 2: because you had the conversation that started off with guess what,
Speaker 2: this is bad news. I'm just warning you now it's
Speaker 2: going to be a bad conversation. What was the flip
Speaker 2: side of that conversation.
Speaker 1: So Dina texted me and she just simply asked, can
Speaker 1: you can you do a video call at this time?
Speaker 1: And I was like, okay, okay, yeah, I guess of
Speaker 1: course sure. I mean even if I wasn't in isolation,
Speaker 1: I would have dropped everything too, Like when Dina text you,
Speaker 1: when this.
Speaker 2: Is Dina Cats for those of you who may not know,
Speaker 2: Dina CAATs executive producer, casting, really very very very high
Speaker 2: up head honcho, lots of decisions being made by Dina exactly.
Speaker 1: And so I said yes, anytime, whatever. Yeah. So then
Speaker 1: we get onto a zoom and she tells me that
Speaker 1: I'm becoming a pro and I actually I was like,
Speaker 1: I think I was in such shock. I was almost
Speaker 1: emotionless because I was like just say yes, yeah, that
Speaker 1: just happy and yes, yes. And then I called my mom.
Speaker 1: I was like, I lost it when I called my mom.
Speaker 1: Of course I lost it. Yeah, And I was just
Speaker 1: filled with so much gratitude. And then after that, I
Speaker 1: was like, oh my gosh, I'm not only is you know,
Speaker 1: this dream of mine coming true, but now I'm becoming
Speaker 1: you know, this representation that has not existed until now
Speaker 1: tell you and you know it's the representation has been
Speaker 1: in the celebrity Partners, but never as a dancer, which
Speaker 1: is so important. And it was very overwhelming, very exciting.
Speaker 1: And then when I got there for the premiere, I
Speaker 1: had a little baby like not freak out, but I
Speaker 1: felt very overwhelmed, and I felt very much like I
Speaker 1: was putting a ton of pressure on myself to be
Speaker 1: perfect and to be right. Now. I have to be
Speaker 1: at all. Now, I have to be at Allah. And
Speaker 1: that season, I'm so grateful I was partnered with Johnny
Speaker 1: that season. Johnny is so there is no other human
Speaker 1: in this world that is like Johnny Weir, and he
Speaker 1: taught me so much in that season. I always led
Speaker 1: with authenticity, but sometimes in moments of fear or moments
Speaker 1: of anxiety, I would I would just little myself, make
Speaker 1: myself small. And I just learned in that moment that
Speaker 1: all I have to do is show up as myself
Speaker 1: and that would be the perfect representation because that's all
Speaker 1: I have, is me. I don't need to do anything
Speaker 1: other than just show up and be me exactly. And
Speaker 1: so wonderful that you had a partner that was able
Speaker 1: to recognize you doing it and to be able to
Speaker 1: point it out to you and say, don't do that.
Speaker 2: You know again, such a wonderful like the things that
Speaker 2: happened that have happened for you in your life, Like
Speaker 2: what a perfect first partner for you, What a gift. Yes,
Speaker 2: probably a decision made by Dina, by the way, Yes
Speaker 2: it was.
Speaker 1: And yeah, he was like, just let your bruce, your
Speaker 1: inner bruce fly, everybody, let your inner bruce out. Fine,
Speaker 1: let your inner bruce go. I love it.
Speaker 2: I ask every guest this because I know that there
Speaker 2: are sort of two camps on the subject. One that is,
Speaker 2: one camp is totally fine with celebrities coming in having
Speaker 2: previous dance experience, and then the other camp, who think
Speaker 2: the premise of the show should be to teach newbies.
Speaker 1: Where do you fall on the subject. It is so interesting.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna say this, ooh, this is actually a little
Speaker 1: bit difficult for me because I've actually, outside of Johnny, who,
Speaker 1: even though he's a figure skater, never took a dance class,
Speaker 1: I've actually never had a partner with previous dance experiences.
Speaker 1: So I come from that side of it. I see
Speaker 1: my peers with partners with dance experience, and they're able
Speaker 1: to have like a lot of creative freedom. I'll say, yeah,
Speaker 1: so that is I could see some people on one
Speaker 1: side saying, Okay, like you can like really produce some things.
Speaker 1: There's not as many like limitations or what have you.
Speaker 1: But I still go back in the heart of the
Speaker 1: show is teaching someone how to dance? Yeah, and is
Speaker 1: teaching someone the very beginning and what that journey is like,
Speaker 1: you know, and some you know, if you go to
Speaker 1: past season, some of those people that won that had
Speaker 1: zero dance experience, Oh my gosh, how rewarding, I know,
Speaker 1: how incredible to see them from their first days of
Speaker 1: rehearsals and then at the finale doing their freestyle like
Speaker 1: a proper dancer. Right, That is the heart of the show.
Speaker 1: And I almost think it's like it's a little bit
Speaker 1: more rewarding. Yeah in my eyes. Yeah, you're right. And
Speaker 1: and certainly.
Speaker 2: For you as the pro to be able to see
Speaker 2: like I did that you know, of course the celebrity
Speaker 2: had to put in the work, but like you were
Speaker 2: able to figure out how to communicate to somebody in
Speaker 2: a language they do not speak, to become fluent.
Speaker 1: Yes, in this language in a short amount of time
Speaker 1: and zero time, zero time.
Speaker 2: I mean, I mean, I'm talking about how crazy the
Speaker 2: schedule is. Four hours a day is just not enough
Speaker 2: time to really get everything across. I mean, Pasha talks
Speaker 2: a lot about teaching and layers. You know, like the
Speaker 2: first day is really just you are in your brain
Speaker 2: one hundred percent of the time making sure you can
Speaker 2: try to remember the steps. That's day one goal, Day
Speaker 2: one goal. Can you just remember the steps? And then
Speaker 2: after that it's like, Okay, that's honestly going to end
Speaker 2: up only being worth about ten percent.
Speaker 1: Of this whole thing.
Speaker 2: If that's all we got, we're not going to have much,
Speaker 2: and that's crazy. So that you're like, now I gotta
Speaker 2: start doing the steps bigger, wider, grander, more this, and now.
Speaker 1: I got a twist while I'm doing them, and now
Speaker 1: I gotta perform while I'm doing it.
Speaker 2: Now I have to be in my heart and not
Speaker 2: in my head. The fact that you guys are able
Speaker 2: to do it with total dumb dums like myself. I
Speaker 2: do not know how you do what you do, but
Speaker 2: I will say my biggest takeaway so far, and only
Speaker 2: however many weeks I've been a part of the show
Speaker 2: is how truly remarkable.
Speaker 1: You guys are you are. You are the stars of
Speaker 1: Dancing with the.
Speaker 2: Stars, and you keep spirits high and you are patient
Speaker 2: and you don't I mean, I would be losing my
Speaker 2: marbles if I would be losing my marbles.
Speaker 1: I don't know how you guys do it, but you're incredible.
Speaker 1: I mean, I will say I was so pleasantly surprised
Speaker 1: that first time we did a show and tell with you, Okay,
Speaker 1: I mean I thought you blew me away. Really, yes,
Speaker 1: thank you. Yes, I would say, like, just just trust
Speaker 1: in your process because it's it's paying off, like it
Speaker 1: is to me to watch you go out on the
Speaker 1: ballroom floor and do what you do with no previous
Speaker 1: experience is absolutely remarkable, Like, thank you. I remember that
Speaker 1: first show and Tell. I looked at you and I
Speaker 1: was like, you are the epitome of this show, and
Speaker 1: you gave all of us a very nice pep talk.
Speaker 2: It was, And I went home and I specifically told
Speaker 2: my husband, I said, britt.
Speaker 1: Just gave us the nicest talk.
Speaker 2: You know, because every we all pretty much nailed that
Speaker 2: first Show and Tell.
Speaker 1: We were all nervous.
Speaker 2: We had never done this before we're about ready to
Speaker 2: show our dances for the first time. And even though,
Speaker 2: of course were there are things we all could have
Speaker 2: done better or little things that were missed. Sure, but
Speaker 2: nobody fell apart, which is kind of the expectation is like,
Speaker 2: let's do this so that you get your fall apart
Speaker 2: moment now, and nobody really fell apart. And then we
Speaker 2: were all just looking at each other like we just
Speaker 2: did that. And at the end of it, you were like,
Speaker 2: I just have to give I have to tell you,
Speaker 2: you guys are what the heart of.
Speaker 1: This show is.
Speaker 2: And it meant a lot to us who were in
Speaker 2: that room, and so thank you. It's just it goes
Speaker 2: to show what a special person you are. So in
Speaker 2: season thirty one, let's talk about the fact that you
Speaker 2: were paired with actor Daniel Durant. You place fifth, your
Speaker 2: best showing to date. But most importantly, did you ever
Speaker 2: say I will never have a showmance on Dancing.
Speaker 1: With the Stars And did you actually believe that? I
Speaker 1: actually believe you did. Yes, I you know. And no
Speaker 1: judgment too, I mean I can't obviously I can't judge
Speaker 1: because I had a show. We know that judgment I mean, yeah,
Speaker 1: but I just you know, I think also starting in
Speaker 1: the industry at such a young age, at fifteen, I
Speaker 1: think I saw a lot of showmances, right, and I
Speaker 1: kind of know that that's not for me. That's not
Speaker 1: for me. I like to keep my work and my
Speaker 1: love separate totally. And funny with Daniel, he's the same way,
Speaker 1: because you know, you can have an intimate scene or
Speaker 1: a love scene, or a character or whatever, but then
Speaker 1: you go home and you that was your character. You
Speaker 1: left that at home totally, or you left that at
Speaker 1: the studio, whatever it is. And so we both had
Speaker 1: the same mindset entering into work.
Speaker 2: Right, this is a business. It's a business, and we're
Speaker 2: gonna be friends. Of course we have to have chemistry, yes,
Speaker 2: but that's where it ends.
Speaker 1: Yes, And I knew we had chemistry. We both knew
Speaker 1: that we had chemistry from the beginning. But it wasn't
Speaker 1: it wasn't really like, it wasn't romantic romantic, it wasn't
Speaker 1: like intimate in that sort of way. And it's so
Speaker 1: funny the way Daniel says it is hilarious, Like American
Speaker 1: sign language is extremely expressive and sometimes like if I
Speaker 1: was to interpret what he was signing, it'd be like, oh,
Speaker 1: I did it. I was not attracted to her at all.
Speaker 1: I didn't even I didn't even I didn't even never
Speaker 1: even that. I'm like, whoa easy settle down, settle down,
Speaker 1: you can still appreciate, yes, exactly. But we really just
Speaker 1: in that process we became teammates. First, like we just
Speaker 1: had this goal and we just we we wanted to
Speaker 1: have a great team have fun together. And you know,
Speaker 1: I'm way more competitive than he is, but he was
Speaker 1: still very competitive. Yeah, and then we actually became legitimately
Speaker 1: friends and we would go get ivs and with his interpreter,
Speaker 1: we were like to do, yes, we don't. Who doesn't
Speaker 1: go get IV's with their friends anyone not in LA.
Speaker 1: That sounds very weird to anyone not here, but for us.
Speaker 1: We did a cold plunge contrast therapy IV's red light.
Speaker 1: I said, you know, a casual friend date. And then
Speaker 1: we got eliminated and we didn't see each other, and
Speaker 1: we started texting, and then one day he was it
Speaker 1: was actually in his trailer. He was just it was
Speaker 1: it was after we got eliminated and his interpreter stepped
Speaker 1: out and he was like staring at me. And I
Speaker 1: looked at him and I was like, why are you
Speaker 1: looking at me like that? And all he signed was
Speaker 1: I think you know exactly why I'm looking at you,
Speaker 1: and I said I do and same but and then
Speaker 1: and then we were like and I was like, I
Speaker 1: gotta go figure out my life. And then we went
Speaker 1: to dinner and then nothing happened. And then I think
Speaker 1: both of us were so hesitant because we had been
Speaker 1: with each other every single day. Dancing with the Stars
Speaker 1: is extremely intense. I don't know if we thought it was.
Speaker 2: Real right, You're like, was that because we were kind
Speaker 2: of forced to be in a room together for that
Speaker 2: many hours?
Speaker 1: Or is this legitimate? Will it survive outside of the
Speaker 1: pressure cooker? Yes? And then he the first time he
Speaker 1: kissed me, he asked, oh so sweet, like can I
Speaker 1: kiss you? And then we kiss and both of us
Speaker 1: were like this.
Speaker 2: Yes, oh so well, you guys, I mean, you've started
Speaker 2: the falling in love process on the show, but you
Speaker 2: didn't technically fall in love on the show. It's not
Speaker 2: like the cameras were around and you were like, pretend
Speaker 2: we're just friends. You guys really were just partners with
Speaker 2: the same goal in mind. Who became legitimate friends, and
Speaker 2: then after you were eliminated, actually fell in love. Yeah,
Speaker 2: oh gosh, I love your love stories so much. For
Speaker 2: your wedding, were people intimidated to get on the dance floor?
Speaker 1: I thought about that the minute. The minute I knew
Speaker 1: you were getting married.
Speaker 2: I was like, how do normal people dance at a wedding?
Speaker 2: For incredible dancers?
Speaker 1: I would, I'd be like, I'm just gonna set this
Speaker 1: one out, you know, It's so funny. It was actually
Speaker 1: our family and friends that weren't dancers that were dancing
Speaker 1: the most. Wow, which is hilarious. That's great. I also
Speaker 1: think Daniel and I for our first dance, we didn't
Speaker 1: do anything like choreographed or anything. We just slow danced.
Speaker 1: We just went out there, and so I think we
Speaker 1: set the tone pretty like this is gonna be chill.
Speaker 1: It's going to be We're not gonna put on a
Speaker 1: whole thing. No.
Speaker 2: A lot of the fans of the show feel like
Speaker 2: some of the pros get regularly paired with celebrities that
Speaker 2: maybe on the outside, don't seem as though they're gonna
Speaker 2: go as far. Do you feel like the sharing of
Speaker 2: celebrity talent is generally fair or how It's such a
Speaker 2: hard question to ask because I know the casting process
Speaker 2: has so many factors that go into it. But when
Speaker 2: you hear fans say like, come on, how come some
Speaker 2: people seem to get ringers year after year and other
Speaker 2: people seem to get whatever the opposite of a ringer
Speaker 2: is here after you?
Speaker 1: What are your thoughts on that. I do think that
Speaker 1: when pairing comes that Honestly, that's kind of a hard question.
Speaker 1: But I do think, you know, when parings do happen,
Speaker 1: I think everything is considered. I can only speak for myself,
Speaker 1: and I don't know if I've I don't actually I know,
Speaker 1: I don't think I've had a ringer, and I do
Speaker 1: feel like I want that chance, you know, I don't
Speaker 1: know if I've had that chance. I do think Baron
Speaker 1: could have been a dark horse. Again, if we he
Speaker 1: could have potentially been a dark horse, But again, it
Speaker 1: was very very competitive. I would actually argue that Daniel
Speaker 1: was a bit of a dark horse. They are, you know,
Speaker 1: if we're he had an incredible story, but you know,
Speaker 1: he the challenge of dancing when you're deaf can be
Speaker 1: and for Daniel, he's profoundly deaf, so deaf is very
Speaker 1: vast in what the community is. You can be like doctory.
Speaker 1: It's a huge spectrum and Daniel's profoundly deaf. So he
Speaker 1: People don't realize how hard he worked on the show
Speaker 1: because he had to learn everything. He had to learn
Speaker 1: the choreography, but then he had to learn the rhythm.
Speaker 1: He had to memorize when something was fast and when
Speaker 1: something was slow. Wow, I didn't even think about any
Speaker 1: of that stuff. Yeah, but he does have this like
Speaker 1: very I always call it an internal metronome that for
Speaker 1: some reason, he shocked me every single week. But you know,
Speaker 1: he in his season he came on. If we're talking
Speaker 1: about just social media, just numbers, yeah, he came onto
Speaker 1: that season which was stacked with Charlie Demilio, Wayne Brady,
Speaker 1: Chandela has a huge social social media following. I know
Speaker 1: I'm missing some other people, Oh Jordan's sparks, like Selma Blair.
Speaker 1: He came in with fifty thousand Instagram followers and we
Speaker 1: made it fifth to fifth place, so he I would
Speaker 1: actually consider Daniel to be a underdog for horse for sure,
Speaker 1: But yeah, I don't. I don't know if I have
Speaker 1: gotten a ringer yet. Actually I know you have not
Speaker 1: gotten a ring and you're ready for them. My gosh,
Speaker 1: I'm so ready. Yeah, I'm so ready. Yeah, I'm ready
Speaker 1: for you to have that too.
Speaker 2: I'm ready for you to be like you know what,
Speaker 2: I actually like having somebody with a little dance experience.
Speaker 2: It's uh feels pretty good. I mean, maybe I'd just
Speaker 2: like to pitch that maybe for season thirty five you
Speaker 2: get like Usher.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it's crazy. One of my friends
Speaker 1: had a dream that I would that I was going
Speaker 1: to be paired with Usher, And that's really weird that
Speaker 1: you just said that. It's that's wild. I don't think
Speaker 1: Esher would ever do the show, but maybe maybe what
Speaker 1: I bet I don't know him. I bet you everybody
Speaker 1: we are calling baron the minute we leave here. One
Speaker 1: to figure out when he can get in a rehearsal
Speaker 1: space with you for this dedication week dance that I'm
Speaker 1: gonna somehow facilitate, and two to see if he knows Usher.
Speaker 1: Also side note, do you know.
Speaker 2: Okay I am going to ask for I'm not asking
Speaker 2: for any sort of leg up here because all of
Speaker 2: my competition could listen to this podcast, But if you
Speaker 2: had to reveal the biggest strategy that you have learned
Speaker 2: over the last six seasons of Dancing with the Stars,
Speaker 2: what would it.
Speaker 1: Be, I would actually putting dancing scores, you know, social
Speaker 1: media trends, all of that aside. I think it's actually
Speaker 1: the connection with your partner. I think if you can
Speaker 1: find that that connection, which I believe you and Pasha have.
Speaker 1: You guys, you have an amazing camaraderie with each other
Speaker 1: yea and support and it's also very cute to see.
Speaker 2: Like.
Speaker 1: Danny and Dylan and the four of you. And if
Speaker 1: you can find that essence, I feel like that people
Speaker 1: fall in love with that, people want to root for
Speaker 1: that as well. You know, talking from experience, you know,
Speaker 1: my best seasons have been with people that I also
Speaker 1: have a big connection with Johnny Johnny Daniel and that
Speaker 1: grew within the show. Yeah, so that would be my
Speaker 1: one big advice to you, which I think that you're
Speaker 1: already doing. I feel like again I said it you.
Speaker 1: I think casting you is incredible for the show, and
Speaker 1: you're pleasantly surprising on the dance floor. You're dynamic, and
Speaker 1: what's so exciting about you is you're going to see
Speaker 1: your growth.
Speaker 2: I hope, so I really, I desperately need to start
Speaker 2: getting better every week. And you know, we're doing such
Speaker 2: drastically style different styles of dance that it's hard to go.
Speaker 2: You know, well, if maybe if I were to do
Speaker 2: a tango again in week four, I'd be like, oh,
Speaker 2: look at the difference in tango week one versus week four.
Speaker 2: But I'm struggling to be like, you know, they're all
Speaker 2: so different. But I do think it'll start, It'll start
Speaker 2: to be more apparent that I'm growing and learning.
Speaker 1: So so close to it. Yeah, you're staring at yourself
Speaker 1: for four hours as your day.
Speaker 2: I don't even like to look at myself for two minutes,
Speaker 2: much less for four hours.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, welcome to a dancer's brain. This is
Speaker 1: why we have so many problems.
Speaker 2: No, seriously, Like every now and then, Pasha's like, okay,
Speaker 2: let's do it toward the mirror, and.
Speaker 1: I'm like, really do we have to? No? Please, don't know.
Speaker 1: But imagine our audience. They get to see you once
Speaker 1: a week, I know, and so they you know, you're
Speaker 1: so close to it. Yeah, So the audience's perspective is
Speaker 1: we're seeing your like major big shifts each week. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Well, and I appreciate your advice also because I feel
Speaker 2: like it's so perfect coming from you, because you are
Speaker 2: such a person who, as you have said, and it's
Speaker 2: very clear to anybody who meets you, you really do
Speaker 2: truly lead with authenticity and that your advice about the
Speaker 2: connection with your partner is something you can't fake. It's
Speaker 2: something you have, it's some thing you nurture, it's something
Speaker 2: if you have it, you use it to your advantage,
Speaker 2: and it is it's such a It's about connecting authentically
Speaker 2: with the other person in the room with you, who
Speaker 2: you're creating with, and your storytelling with you know, it's
Speaker 2: I've also I've been so surprised by how much dance
Speaker 2: is just a story telling element. I had never thought
Speaker 2: of in this in the entertainment industry, and now that
Speaker 2: I get to be a part of it, it's such
Speaker 2: a fun new thing to play with. And I know,
Speaker 2: I already know I'm going to be not just a
Speaker 2: better dancer at the end of this, but I really
Speaker 2: believe I'm going to be a better person at the
Speaker 2: end of this. I already am, and so much of
Speaker 2: that has been because of you and your advice and
Speaker 2: getting to know you, and I am so grateful that
Speaker 2: you came and spent your time with me on this
Speaker 2: podcast today.
Speaker 1: Thank you so much. Brit Oh, my goodness, thank you.
Speaker 1: I think you're such a ray of light like you
Speaker 1: just beam and so I'm so happy that I'm here.
Speaker 1: Thank you.
Speaker 2: I hope this is this is not the end of
Speaker 2: our journey. I can't wait to spend more time with you.
Speaker 2: Yes please, Okay, thank you all for listening to this
Speaker 2: episode of Danielle with the Stars. I'll see you next time.
Speaker 2: Danielle with the Stars produced and hosted by Danielle Fischel.
Speaker 2: Executive producers Jensen Carp and Amy Sugarman, Executive in charge
Speaker 2: of production, Danielle Romo, producer, editor and engineer Tara Sudbosch.
Speaker 1: Theme song by Justin Siegel. Follow us on Instagram at
Speaker 1: Danielle with Stars and vote for me