From So You Think You Can Dance to Dancing with the Stars, reality dance competitions have become as common in American pop culture as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Mickey Mouse. And for good reason. The level of talent and artistry many of the professional and semi-professional dancers bring to the stage each week is nothing short of amazing. Tomorrow, ten of the world’s most accomplished professional dancers will take the stage at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre for a one-of-a-kind live dance competition.
Edyta Sliwinska, former Dancing with the Stars featured dancer and producer of Dancing Pros: Live, spoke to me about her career, the show, and the outstanding cast, including host Drew Lachey (former member of 98 Degrees and Dancing with the Stars Season 2 champion) and head judge Karina Smirnoff (former Dancing with the Stars featured dancer).
SH: How long have you been dancing?
ES: I’ve been dancing, oh my goodness, for probably 25 yeas. I started with ballroom dancing. But you train with everything along the way with your career. I started dancing in Europe. Ballroom dancing is a lot more popular there. In America you start in ballet classes. In Europe, it’s ballroom.
 SH: The cast of Dancing Pros: Live is outstanding. What’s it like working with everyone?
ES: They are incredible dancers. It’s incredible to see how they work. It’s a good mix of dances and styles. We have Ryan Dilello from So You Think You Can Dance and Chelsie Hightower from Dancing with the Stars. We have dancers from different entities. Paul [Barris] is a salsa world champion. There are two international champion couples who’ve traveled the world as well as the US finalist couple [Alexander Chernostiv and Regina Maziarz, 2012 US 10 Dance Champions]. It’s the best of the best competing against each other.
SH: Do they perform they same routines for each show?
ES: Live performance changes even if you dance the same routine, so it’s new every single time you step on the stage. They choreograph their own routines.
SH: What makes this show different and unique from other dance performances?
ES: The talent differentiates this show from all other shows. There are 10 individuals who are world-class dancers. It’s a level of dancers you don’t ever see except on television. And every person in the audience will have a remote voting device with which to choose the winner of the competition. No other live show has this type of audience participation.
SH: You’ve been dancing for a very long time. Is that still your main focus, or are you looking to move into more choreography and producing?
ES: Dancing is incredible, but unfortunately it’s a sport as much as an art, and there’s a limit to how much your body can handle. I want to give the spotlight to younger, more energetic dancers who are building their career. I’ve done my share of performing, and I’m gladly stepping back. Dancing Pros: Live is my third major production. Next I’m working on a live singing competition at a casino in Niagara Falls, the largest casino in Canada. Similar to Dancing Pros, there will be singers from different TV shows competing against each other. Eventually I’d love to be a part of a team that produces [live] shows that bring people joy. I love live stage, the entertainment you get in a theater.
Dancing Pros: Live, April 14, 7:30 PM, Berglund Performing Arts Center
