Karina Smirnoff

Karina Smirnova, Карина Смiрнова; born January 2, 1978  is a Ukrainian American professional ballroom dancer.

She is a five-time U.S. National Champion, World Trophy Champion, and Asian Open Champion. Smirnoff has won the title at the UK Open, is a three-time champion at the US Open, two-time champion at the Asian Open, five-time champion at the Dutch Open, and five-time US National Professional Champion. She has been ranked second in the world[citation needed], 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".

Dancing with the Stars

Smirnoff 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. Smirnoff returned to the show on March 19, 2007 for Season 4, this time partnered with Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and Hannah Montana star. The pair 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 16, 2007, Karina and Floyd were the fourth couple eliminated from competition and came in 9th place. She returned for Season 6, partnered with singer Mario and finished in 5th place. In Season 7, she was partnered with chef Rocco DiSpirito and they were the fourth pair to be eliminated with a finish of 9th place for the second time.

For the eighth season, Smirnoff's partner was Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak. They were eliminated in the fourth round on March 31, 2009, along with Holly Madison and her partner Dmitry Chaplin.

For the ninth season, she was partnered with singer Aaron Carter. They were eliminated on November 10, 2009, placing fifth.

In the eleventh season, she was partnered with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, from MTV's reality TV show Jersey Shore. They were eliminated in the fourth week.

In the twelfth season of Dancing with the Stars, she has been partnered with the original Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio. They were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Smirnoff spoofed her role on Dancing in Hannah Montana, playing a fortune teller who predicts to a disbelieving Cyrus about his appearance in a dancing competition.

Biography

Smirnoff was born Karina Smirnova in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union on January 2, 1978. When she was five years old, she began taking ballet lessons, followed by gymnastics, aerobics, figure skating, ballroom dancing and piano. She chose to pursue ballroom dancing. In 1992, Smirnoff emigrated to the United States, and is reportedly a naturalized United States citizen.

Education

Smirnova attended Nerinx Hall in St. Louis, MO and Christopher Columbus High School in New York and the Bronx High School of Science[citation needed] before going to Fordham University, during which time she picked up her interest in dancing again. Smirnoff graduated from Fordham University with a double major in economics and information system programming. During her academic studies, Smirnoff's goal was to go to law school and become an attorney. However she later came across a dance school in Brooklyn, New York, and after some time there dancing became her profession.

Career

Smirnoff has made numerous candid appearances on reality shows such as Dancing with the Stars, and Chelsea Lately, featuring Chelsea Handler

Early in Smirnova's dancing career, she and Roman Nabatov competed as an amateur couple for USA. They ended their dance partnership in January 1997 Smirnova 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 Smirnova,in July 1999, entered a professional dance partnership, representing the U.S.A; the partnership ended in December 2000. From January 2001 to September 2005, Smirnova 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 Smirnova earned numerous top titles and high ratings together.

Her last professional partner recorded in competitions was Dmitri Timokhin representing Russia in October 2005. They won first place at the 2006 Grand-Prix Dynamo in Moscow. They finished dancing together in June 2006.

Smirnoff was the project manager/director of a dancing event entitled "Day & Night", held on November 18, 2006 at the Hollywood & Highlands Grand Ballroom.

She is featured in a nude pictorial in the May 2011 American issue of Playboy magazine.