Karina Smirnoff

Infobox Actor
name = Karina Smirnoff


imagesize =
caption =
birthdate = March 13, 1978
location = Kharkiv, Ukraine
height = 5' 5"
deathdate =
birthname = Karina Smirnova
othername = Karyna Kylkova
Karyna Smirnoff
Karyna Smirnova
homepage =
notable role = Link's Pouty Dance Partner in "Shall We Dance?"
•Herself in the reality show "Dancing with the Stars"

Karina Smirnoff (born March 13, 1978) ( _ua. Карина Смирнова) is a world champion professional dancer from Kharkiv, Ukraine. She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Smirnoff has taken the title at the UK Open, is a three times champion at the US Open, two time champion at the Asian Open, five time champion at the Dutch Open, five time US National Professional Champion, ranked 2nd in the World, and took second at the British Open Blackpool Dance Festival. She is "the first woman to ever make the British Professional Final with three different partners." [cite web | last = Ballas | first = Corky | coauthors = Didio Barrera | title="Open British Professional Latin Championship" | publisher = dsninternational.com | date = September 1, 2002 | url = http://www.dsninternational.com/members/pages/body/090102blackpool-latin-pro.html |accessdate = 2007-09-02]

Biography

Smirnoff was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine in 1978. When she was five years old, she began taking ballet lessons, followed by gymnastics, aerobics, figure skating, ballroom dancing and piano. Eventually she chose to pursue ballroom dancing. In 1992, Smirnoff emigrated to the United Statescite web | last = Kim | first = Steve | title="'The Pretty Boy' Dances with the Stars" | publisher = maxboxing.com | date = September 8, 2007 | url = http://www.maxboxing.com/Kim/Kim090807.asp |accessdate = 2007-09-08] and subsequently became a U.S. citizen. Once in the U.S., Smirnoff took time off from studying dancing for school. She attended Christopher Columbus High School in New York and the Bronx High School of ScienceFact|date=July 2008 before going to Fordham University, during which time she picked up her interest in dancing again. Has made numerous candid appearances on reality shows such as "Dancing with the Stars", and "Chelsea Lately", featuring Chelsea Handler.

Smirnoff graduated from Fordham University with a double major in economics and information system programming.cite web | title="Karina Smirnoff Bio"| publisher = McDonald’s Electronic Press Kit | date = November 20, 2006 | url = http://mcdepk.com/worldchildrensday2006/mediadocs/bio_KarinaSmirnoff.pdf | accessdate = 2007-09-09|format=PDF] During her academic studies, Smirnoff's goal was to go to law school and become an attorney; however, she found a dance school in Brooklyn, New York and over time dancing became her profession. [cite web | last = Figueroa | first = Tracy Jo | title="Karina's Early Dance Days" | publisher = | date = January 11, 2005 | url = http://ballroomblogger.blogspot.com/2005/01/karinas-early-dance-days.html |accessdate = 2007-09-08] Early in Smirnoff's dancing career, Roman Nabatov and she competed as an amateur couple for USA. They ended their dance partnership in January 1997. [cite web | last = | first = | title="Dance Couple Profile of Paul Killick & Karina Smirnoff" | publisher = DancesportInfo | year = 2007 | url = http://dancesportinfo.net/Couple/49911/Details.aspx | accessdate = 2007-09-09] 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. [cite web | last = | first = | title="Dancers Details: Karina Smirnoff" | publisher = DancesportInfo | year = 2007 | url = http://dancesportinfo.net/Dancer/1005826/Details.aspx |accessdate = 2007-09-09] From January 2001 to September 2005, Karina 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 many top titles and high ratings together. [cite web | last = | first = | title="Couple results: Slavik Kryklyvyy & Karina Smirnoff" | publisher = DancesportInfo | year = 2007 | url = http://dancesportinfo.net/Couple/3402/Results.aspx
accessdate = 2007-09-09] Smirnoff is currently dancing with Dmitri Timokhin for Russia as of October 2005. They won first place at the 2006 Grand-Prix Dynamo in Moscow, Russia. [cite web | last = | first = | title="Couple results: Dmitri Timokhin & Karina Smirnoff" | publisher = DancesportInfo | year = 2007 | url = http://dancesportinfo.net/Couple/34115/Results.aspx |accessdate = 2007-09-09]

"Dancing with the Stars"

She 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. Karina returned on the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and "Hannah Montana" star. [cite web |title=The Stars Align for a Fourth Season of ABC'S Hit Alternative Series, "Dancing with the Stars" |publisher=ABC Television Network |date=2007-02-21 |url=http://www.abcmedianet.com/ams/assets/both/2007/02/20/022107_01.html
accessdate=2007-02-27] The couple 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 16th, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition. She returned for Season 6, partnered with singer Mario. In Season 7, she is partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito.

Performances

With celebrity partner Mario:

Personal life

She was the project manager/director of Tornado Dance's international professional ballroom dancing event entitled "Day & Night." [cite web |url=http://dancingevents.net/main.html |title=Day & Night |accessdate=2007-02-28 |format= |work= ] This event was held on November 18, 2006 at the Hollywood & Highlands Grand Ballroom. She also performed on the 2007 ALMA Awards telecast on June 5th.

Smirnoff was romantically linked with former dance partner Mario Lopez from Dancing with the Stars, but on June 4, 2008 Smirnoff confirmed their split. [cite news|url=http://www.celebuzz.com/mario-lopez-karina-smirnoff-split-s21431/|title=Mario Lopez and Karina Smirnoff Split|publisher="Celebuzz.com"|date=2008-06-05]

Smirnoff guest starred in the Hannah Montana episode "Everybody Was Best-Friend Fighting," playing fortune teller "Madame Escajedo." [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1817835/ Karina Smirnoff on IMDB] ] She also had a small part in the movie "Shall We Dance?".

References

External links

* [http://www.learning2dance.com/site/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=karina&x=0&y=0'Take a Free Online Dance Lesson With Karina NOW.]
* [http://www.corky.com' Karina's Dance Coach]
* [http://www.fateater.com' Karina's Diet Page]
* [http://www.dsninternational.com/members/pages/body/030117Slavik-Karina.html Interview with Slavik Kryklyvyy & Karina Smirnoff]
* [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0611/10/lkl.01.html Transcript of interview on CNN Larry King Live]
* [http://video.accesshollywood.com/player.html?dlid=44965 Access Hollywood Interview with Mario Lopez & Karina Smirnoff after the season 3 finale (with Smirnoff crying)]
* [http://www.dancesport.uk.com/video/hw089.htm Slavik Kryklyvyy & Karina Smirnoff - Innovation]
* [http://www.dsninternational.com/members/pages/body/040611Muchado.html Much Ado About Nothing!]
* [http://a.abc.com/primetime/dancing/bios/3/karina_smirnoff.html Dancing With the Stars profile]
* [http://www.dancing-times.co.uk/d-today200503/dancetoday200503-1.html On the Big Screen: interview with Slavik Kryklyvyy & Karina Smirnoff]
* [http://www.learning2dance.com/site/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=slavik]

Persondata
NAME= Smirnoff, Karina
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Smirnova, Karina; Kylkova, Karyna; Smirnoff, Karyna
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Dancer
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH= Kharkiv, Ukraine
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=