As track records go, Cheryl Burke‘s is great: Of the four times she’s competed on Dancing With the Stars, she has partnered two of her partners—Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith— to wins. Season 6 matches her up with Chilean-born actor Cristian De La Fuente, who was admittedly somewhat challenged in the hip action department before she got her hands on him. “Cheryl is an expert in fixing hips. She’s a great partner,” he said at the L.A. rehearsal studio where the pair worked on their cha-cha before the show’s season premiere.
Chatting for a few pre-practice minutes, the San Francisco native, 23, dished about her latest leading man, the competition and her winning strategy.
Hollywood.com:How does Cristian compare to your previous partners?
Cheryl Burke: I love him. He’s great. He works hard, he’s funny and he’s great at picking up choreography. He’s got a lot of charisma so I know when he’s on the floor he just has to smile. He has a lot of what Emmitt Smith had. Drew was very technical. He picked up steps fast. Cristian does that and has charisma like Emmitt. He’s got the best of both. And he’s not a bad dancer. But it’s different when it comes to ballroom dancing. There are so many rules. Before he learned the technique it was a little awkward. I had to teach him to move his hips. But he gets it now. He has so much natural movement and I want to bring that out more.
HW: At 6’2” he towers over you.
CB: I put him in low heels so he’s not that much bigger![PAGEBREAK]
HW: You’re rehearsing like five hours a day, right?
CB: Yeah. We’ve only had two days off when he went to Chile for a couple of days. We’ve been practicing every day and we’re moving onto our second dance. He hated the quickstep in the beginning. There’s nothing sensual or sexy about the quickstep. But it’s like a musical comedy and you kind of have to think of it as that, and he used his acting skills in that dance.
HW: Which dances do you think he’ll do well with?
CB: I think the mambo will be really good. I think he’ll be really good at the Latin dances. I think he’ll learn to appreciate the waltz even though it’s really slow. He can bring a character to each dance. I think the Latin dances will be his strength, though.[PAGEBREAK]
HW: Hélio Castroneves won Season 5. Can Cristian make it two Latin men in a row?
CB: Hélio just had to smile and you fell in love with him. Cristian is the same way. You don’t expect it from him but he’s so funny and down to earth and I think people will see that.
HW: Who do you think is the biggest competition?
CB: I think the women are going to be strong this season. Of the men I think Mario is going to be competition for Cristian. I think Marlee Matlin is going to do great, Kristi Yamaguchi as well. It takes years and years to be able to be a ballroom dancer and for the actors that do our show, what they’re good at is exactly what Cristian is. He’s good at acting and can incorporate it into ballroom dances. It will take away from some of his weaknesses and will make it so entertaining. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: How is he taking to the flashy costumes?
CB: I think he’s fine. I’m not putting any rhinestones on him yet. Maybe Week 3.
HW: Have you learned any Spanish from him?
CB: I took a lot of Spanish classes when I was in school so it’s starting to come back a little bit.
HW: In the midst of the competition you’re opening a dance studio in San Francisco. You began ballet lessons at age 4, ballroom at 11. Have you always wanted your own place?
CB: Yeah, since I was a little girl, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do it. I’m very excited.
HW: How much time will you get to spend there?
CB: Not that much, but that’s where my mom comes in. Hopefully there’s not going to be a summer [DWTS] tour and I’ll be able to be there. It opens on April 4 and I’m dragging Cristian with me. [PAGEBREAK]
HW: You’ve made it to the winner’s circle twice. What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned on the show that you tell him?
CB: Sometimes people can get too competitive. They want to be a professional dancer. But your goal is not to be a professional dancer, it’s to be the best possible dancer you can be and I think he understands that. This experience is going to be once in a lifetime and you really have to enjoy it. Ballroom dancing is really difficult but when you can find the fun in it it’s amazing.
