Share Email Print RSS

A Dancing Star

Kym Johnson won't forget the Tuesday nights she spent standing alongside Jerry Springer waiting for the voting results on ABC's hit show "Dancing with the Stars."

"It was very noisy and Jerry can't hear well," she recalled in a recent telephone interview. "He would ask me 'What's happening? Are we in or not?' because he couldn't hear anything. He talked very loud. It was hysterical. He would talk all the way through the elimination. I would have to listen very carefully."

Johnson will have the chance to show off her ballroom talents when she appears as a member of the cast of "Dancing with the Stars – The Tour" at the Richmond Coliseum on Sunday, Jan. 27.

A native of Sydney, Australia, Johnson began training in ballet, tap and jazz when she was 3 years old. She may not have taken up ballroom if it hadn't been for her brother who persuaded her to take classes when she was 15.

"I really enjoyed having a partner and working with someone else to a common goal," she said. "I threw myself into ballroom dancing."

By the time she was 21, Johnson was growing tired of competitions. She had become an Australian Ballroom Champion when she was 17 and had represented Australia four times in world ballroom dance championships. When the opportunity to join the cast of the modern ballroom show "Burn the Floor" presented itself, Johnson grabbed it. She spent the next year touring throughout Europe and the United States.

Her next gig: Performing on "Dancing with the Stars – Australia." In her second season, she and her partner won the championship. That experience led to the U.S. version where she was paired with Springer.

"The show has the same format, but it's a lot bigger in the states," observed Johnson. "In Australia, we had about 2.1 million viewers. In the states, we have 22 million."

Since she's been with "Dancing with the Stars," she's found it interesting how the show pairs the celebrities and the dancers.

"They don't like to tell us beforehand," she said. "They want that reaction on camera. After we meet them, we have a two-hour rehearsal that first day."

Learning the personalities of the celebrities is fun for Johnson.

"Jerry Springer was the most nervous," she said. "He had never danced or performed like that in his life. He's an incredibly funny man. I really enjoyed working with him because he loved to dance. He wasn't afraid to try anything."

Johnson's second partner, former 'N Snyc pop star, Joey Fatone , was the same age as Johnson.

"We had a lot of things in common," she said. "We became very good friends."

Johnson is now in her third tour with the show. Rehearsals started the day after the television finale.

"We don't have any downtime," she said, adding that she did get to go home to Australia for Christmas. "I was getting a little homesick."

The tour, which started in December, goes through Feb. 10. The television show will start its new season in March.

"We have two weeks off and then rehearsals start again," Johnson said.

This year's tour features new choreography, new numbers and new costumes.

"Expect to see something really different," Johnson said. "We've had great feedback on the show."

Johnson's favorite moment in the show comes when she dances to "Moon River" as it is being sung by Virginia-native Wayne Newton – Newton was a contestant on the last season.

"It's an honor to dance to that song," Johnson said.

The constant dancing schedule keeps Johnson in tip-top shape.

"You definitely don't get bored," she said, laughing. "We have a lot of fun on stage because each audience gives you energy."

w Soft Scrub Presents "Dancing with the Stars – The Tour" comes to the Richmond Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 27. Tickets can be purchased at the Coliseum box office or at participating TicketMaster outlets at Ukrop's and Macy's. Also visit www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone at 804-262-8100.