Putting in the work. When discussing season 31 of Dancing With the Stars, Val ChmerkovskiyHis partner was praised Gabby WindeyThey opened up about how they work together.
“She’s a great student. She knows how to take direction and she doesn’t take things personally. With me, I think that’s, like, the biggest thing. There’s a very — and I wouldn’t say it’s a thin line — I think it’s a very clear difference between being hard and demanding accountability when it comes to the work that we do on the show. Regarding [to] me, at least,” Chmerkovskiy, 36, exclusively told Us WeeklyTuesday, September 27, 2007. “I try to not to venture into being a dick as much as I can. I do have dick moments, but she thankfully is patient enough to understand that.”
According to Windey (31), DWTS pro and a DWTS pro, the communication skills of Windey has helped the partners make significant progress during the competition. “I’m the first to say that the patience that you want from me when it comes to teaching you how to dance [is] what I would love back,” he continued. “I have moments [that are] not my best moments, but once those moments pass I’ll be the first to make them right. [So] Gabby has been wonderful to work with and I’m only as good as my partner.”
Gabby Windey, Val Chmerkovskiy ABC/Andrew Eccles
The Ukraine native, who previously won two seasons on ABC’s ABC ballroom dancing series, offered fans a glimpse of his dynamic with Windey. (The pair scored 28/40, 32/40 in the first two weeks.
“We laugh about it [but]She calls me a short king. We joke around about the height challenge, especially in the ballroom dances,” he shared with Use. “We talked about the physical challenge of our height, but slowly that just starts to disappear. I feel it even in our couple [of performances so far]. It was challenging for me because there’s also an aesthetic that I enjoy in my dances. I enjoy being, like, significantly bigger in size where here I just have to carry myself as that regardless.”
Chmerkovskiy added: “But you could feel it in the dancing. It’s becoming much more together and we could still create that speed and power. The real challenge has been her schedule. She’s wrapping up The BacheloretteWe missed two days last week due to this, which was quite a challenge. But she’s fully focused on the competition and I’m excited.”
The choreographer said that he was in a better spot than in years before when it comes to his participation in the series. “I’m in such a different mental place than I was if you asked me this question, like, five years ago,” he admitted. “I would’ve given you a little bit more bravado [in my]Answer [years ago]. But I definitely feel like it’s a different type of season for me. It definitely is a new feeling for me.”
Chmerkovskiy, who is about to have his first child with his wife Jenna Johnson, noted that he is making more of an attempt to be “grateful” for his journeys both in and out of the DWTS ballroom.
“Eastern Europeans, we are very superstitious people. We knock on every piece wood we can see whenever we have any good things in our lives. It’s like we have to whisper our blessings just in case, you know?” he added. “So I feel very lucky. I have a wonderful partner. She’s wonderful to work with and she’s loved by a lot of people. She can dance and I believe I have every tool I need when it comes to shows like this. Dancing With the Stars. So I hope not to mess it up.”
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Christina Garibaldi reporting
