Las Vegas Weekly

September 24, 2008 · 10:12 AM

A rhumba with a view: Kardashian reveals fancy footwork behind the scenes on Dancing With the Stars

By Robin Leach

Photo: ABC TV

Kim Kardashian cuts the rug with partner Mark Balas.

Realty TV performer Kim Kardashian has shot to stardom with her sexy exploits on E! Entertainment’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians -- and now the entire family are rooting for her success on ABC’s hit Dancing with the Stars series.

Last night (Tuesday) was the second of the three-night premiere for the seventh season. Kim, with defending champion Mark Balas on his third season, as her partner, scored 18 out of a possible 30 for the mambo. Our other favorites, Vegas resident Toni Braxton, notched up 23 votes out of 30 and regular Vegas visitor Lance Bass scored 21 –- both dancing the challenging quickstep. Caustic comic Jeffrey Ross and his partner, Edyta Sllwinska, were the first couple to be kicked off the show and its possible low-scorer Cloris Leachman with only 16 points might get booted tonight (Wednesday).

Photo: ABC TV

Lance Bass scored a 21 on Wednesday.

Kim is keeping a diary while she’s footloose and fancy-free on the dance floor. She’s juggling an incredibly hectic schedule with the practicing and rehearsals running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, plus her first feature film Desperate Movie is completed, she’s on a new series Beyond the Break, plus filming The Kardashians. She’ll also zip in and out of Vegas on Oct. 24 to celebrate her birthday at the LAX nightclub in the Luxor.

Here are Kim’s musings: Mark and I still rehearse every day, for at least 5 hours a day, so I’ve been feeling better and better about my abilities. We’ve put so much into this! So, I’m totally excited for everyone to watch. Friday we did our first camera blocking, so we rehearsed on the stage for the first time in front of all the cameras, all the producers, some of the other dancers and crew. And for the first time, I feel like we didn’t know what we were doing! I don’t know if it was because we were on stage for the first time, in front of so many people, or what, but I just felt scared. Mark keeps assuring me it’s normal to mess up the first time on stage rehearsal and feel nervous, but I was really surprised! We know the routines by heart! So we’ll continue to work and work and work … This weekend, my best friend got married, so I rehearsed with Mark Saturday morning until right after lunch and then I went to get ready for the wedding—I am looking forward to a night off from filming, too! We’ve been filming for third season of ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ as well, so that has been tough! Sunday Mark and I rehearsed all day, really working out any final kinks in our routine—I want it to be automatic when I get on the stage, I want to know it so well, so by heart, that I can let go and have fun when I’m out there. I hope my nervousness today on stage was just for today! Of course, I’m a little nervous—I’ve never done anything like this before! Monday morning is here!! OMG!! Today is the day! I am getting ready to leave—I have to be on set by 7:50am! I am so excited and getting some butterflies in my stomach—so I will have a good breakfast and get to the stage and look forward to seeing Mark! I hope you all watch and love what we’ve worked so hard for! If you like what you see, please vote for us!!!

Photo: ABC TV

Former Flamingo headliner Toni Braxton scored a 23 on Wednesday.

UPDATED AFTER FIRST SHOW: I just loved watching everyone dance! I came in sixth place according to the judges with a score of 19. Mark and I danced the fox-trot to the “Pink Panther” theme song, so we thought black-and-pink costumes were very fitting. On the 2nd show we do the mambo!“

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