Karina Smirnoff is a world champion professional dancer from a little city near Kiev, Ukraine. She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. She is currently a performer on the eighth season of the ABC series "Dancing with the Stars" with partner Steve Wozniak.
Karina Smirnoff graduated from Fordham University with an economics degree and specialized in information system management. Karina began taking ballet lessons at the age of five, and took up ballroom dancing at the age of nine. She moved to the United States when she was twelve and eventually became a U.S. citizen.
Karina has had several dance partners including Paul Killick and Louis Van Amstel, a fellow Dancing with the Stars professional competitor. In January 2001, Karina began dancing with Slavik Kryklyvyy, representing the USA. She gained several titles with Slavik, including 1st place at the UK Open 2005 and 2nd place at the prestigious Blackpool Dance Festival. The partnership terminated in September 2005. Karina is currently dancing with Dmitri Timokhin, with whom she recently placed 4th at the 2006 Blackpool Dance Festival.
Karina Smirnoff and her then partner Slavik Kryklyvyy choreographed the piece of Tango the movie Shall We Dance? where Jennifer Lopez gives Richard Gere a private dance lesson very late in the evening.
Karina Smirnoff watches the Ballas Hough Band after DWTS
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Official Karina Smirnoff Myspace Page's Friend Space (Top 9)
Official Karina Smirnoff Myspace Page has 814 friends.
hey karina... you are amazing:) thanks so much for the add. i really appreciate it. i am 14 and just getting started... so lucky to get to be living my dream. singing and meeting new people along the way, like you:) hope you check out my new video for the song "dream" by stephanie bentley. love to know what you think?