Copyright Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Gleb Savchenko was recently featured on Season 34 of the show and partnered with Hilaria Baldwin before they were eliminated in Week Four of the competition. That result left some fans divided. Baldwin has since made headlines discussing her experience on the show and what she had to face with online trolls while she was a contestant. But this isn’t the first time one of Savchenko’s dancing partners made headlines. In Season 33, he was partnered with model Brooks Nadar. The two began dating while working together. When their relationship ended, Nadar’s sister claimed it was because he cheated. Savchenko denied that, and now in a new interview with Covers, shared with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, the dancing pro is being asked about his time on the show and dealing with celebrity partners. Savchenko discusses how much work goes into competing on ‘DWTS’ Savchenko spoke about just how difficult it really is to perform on a show like DWTS. “Listen, Dancing With The Stars is freaking hard — I don’t think people understand how hard it is,” he said. “This show and Strictly Come Dancing [U.K. version] is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. “When you’re in it, your mind locks in. When I danced with Shangela, for example, each week I took it like my last one. I remember the semi-finals — I don’t know how I squeezed out that Quickstep because we only rehearsed two days that week and it was two dances. “It’s really hard, it’s hard on your body and mental health, especially being a pro. You want to be able to teach your celebrity not just the steps, but how to connect. That’s very important. If a pro dancer doesn’t know how to lead their partner, it’s very difficult to do anything. On top of that, you want to learn all the different styles as well.” Savchenko continued, “Pros pretty much do everything. We have a wardrobe department, music team, creative team, and we have these weekly meetings where we all get on Zoom and decide what we’re doing. In this meeting, the pros have to pitch everything — that’s a collaborative exchange of thoughts and ideas together. “When we land on something, then I go to the studio, work with my music and concept, then have to come up with the choreography. I prep everything prior before teaching the celebrities. I work three or four days before teaching a new dance.” Savchenko also says it’s tough having to deal with certain partners Savchenko also talked about how tough it is for the pros to deal with some of their celebrity partners. “It’s f****** hard!” he declared, before adding, “It’s part of your job and you have to suck it up and do your job. That’s when you become a good pro, because you cover all the minuses and bring out all the pluses, then let the public and judges decide. There’s nothing you can do. “We’re dealing with humans — as a pro, you’re almost like a therapist and life coach at the same time. You are everything to them. I brush my partner’s shoes and put on their shoes, making sure her hair is fine. All those things are on me.” He added, “My job is to make your experience the best experience of their life because it happens only once. That’s why on top of being a tough coach and delivering the product, my priority is for you to come off the show and be happy and grateful. I want to stay friends with my partner for the rest of their life — I’m on good terms with everybody.”
