Heavy/ABC Emma Slater and Mauricio Umansky.
Emma Slater spoke out about her “Dancing With the Stars” partnership with Maurico Umansky.
In September 2023, the English-American choreographer, 34, and The Agency boss, 53, made their debut on the ABC celebrity ballroom competition with a jive that put them in jeopardy. Slater and Umansky were the second-lowest scoring couple on the DWTS season 32 premiere and narrowly missed going home.
For week 2’s Latin Night, Slater plans to ramp things up. But in a rambling Instagram story, she admitted that she has to be careful when working with the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star.
Emma Slater Was Concerned That Some of Her Dance Moves Were Too ‘Dangerous’ For Mauricio Umansky
For the second week of DWTS season 32, Slater and Umansky will perform a Salsa to the song “Quimbara” by Celia Cruz, Willie Colón, Johnny Pacheco Y Su Charanga, according to a press release from ABC. But while creating her choreography, Slater admitted she began to second guess herself.
In an Instagram story posted on September 28, 2023, Slater expressed concerns about how she may have been overthinking her creative process.
“Did I do too many salsa steps, did I do enough tricks or lifts, do I even need tricks or lifts, are they going to be right for us?” the pro dancer asked herself of her rehearsals with Umansky. “I feel like I’m drowning him with stuff,“ she admitted. “Do I need to make the dance move a bit more, how can I help him learn this, how can I help myself be a better teacher?
“By the way, Mauricio’s amazing, just the best mindset,” Slater clarified. “I’m the one that – and this is every season – I’m the one that overthinks. For instance, today I tried salsa tricks with Mauricio and it was way too dangerous. I’m not thinking, right? I came away and thought ‘Emma this is not great, not safe.’ I shouldn’t be trying to kill him on the dance floor, I should be allowing him to feel free and comfortable.”
Slater concluded that going forward she’s going to trust her process and not focus on what anyone else thinks about her choices or what they are doing.
Mauricio Umansky Says He Feels Like a Kid Again
At age 53, Umansky is at the older end for a “Dancing With the Stars” contestant. The oldest winner ever on the show was Donny Osmond when he was 51 years old.
After he danced the jive on DWTS premiere night, Umansky received just 15 out of 30 points – and a shady review from judge Derek Hough. “That reminded me of my dad dancing at my wedding,” Hough said, before adding, “But don’t get it twisted, he was ripping it! My dad is my favorite dancer. So take it as a compliment!”
Despite his average score on the dance floor, Umansky is proving that age is just a number. On September 29, the real estate guru, who is currently separated from his wife Kyle Richards, told TMZ that being on the celebrity dancing show makes him feel like a teenager.
“’Dancing With the Stars’ has been amazing. It’s been super therapeutic, it’s made me feel like a kid,” he said. “I feel like I’m 15 years old right now I’m having the time of my life. And it’s been really good for me to be dancing while dealing with all of the stress and everything I’m going through. ‘Dancing with the Stars’ actually could not have come at a better time.”
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