This has been a crazy week. And, when I say crazy I don't mean in a negative way but rather in an unexpected way, filled with adrenaline, new challenges, emotions and adventure.
Sunday, February 17thOkay, so I have to admit, I'm nervous. When I agreed to join the cast of the hit ABC show "Dancing with the Stars" I thought it would be an incredible challenge to learn how to dance. And, I do LOVE challenges. Yes, it looked good on paper but now that the time has actually arrived, I've got a case of the butterflies. Today I meet my dance partner for the first time and I feel about as confident as a 15 year-old going on his very first date. It should come as no surprise that Chile isn't known for its spectacular dancers. Delicious sea bass and amazing wines, yes. Dancers? Not so much.
So who will I be paired with? Will she like me? Will I be able to do this? As I enter the dance studio and wait for her inside, I could feel my heart pounding as I stare stone-faced at the door, waiting, waiting and waiting until…
Finally, the door swings open and in walks two-time "Dancing with the Stars" champion, Cheryl Burke! She's flashing that wonderful smile and soon after that the butterflies disappear. I felt relieved and secure knowing I'm in good hands and will be following her fancy footsteps. Gracias a mi angel de la guardia! Here's to new beginnings…
Monday, February 18thNot surprisingly my feet are feeling a little sore from yesterday's rehearsal but Cheryl says the pain will pass soon enough. Today I fly to Chicago to tape an episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" with my fellow "Dancing with the Stars" cast mates, who I'll be meeting for the first time on "Oprah." It's still surreal wrapping my mind around the fact that I'm actually going to appear on "Oprah." Me, a kid from Santiago, Chile, some 9,000 kilometers away, on "Oprah".
Tuesday, February 19th It was great time meeting my cast mates at last. Everyone was incredibly nice. The guys immediately bonded together as Adam Corolla told jokes that kept us all laughing. The show was a lot of fun and the entire cast did promos after the show with Oprah. (Check out the "official" cast picture with Oprah.)
Thursday, February 21Next stop was Miami where I was a presenter at the 20th Anniversary of "Premio lo Nuestro", the biggest music awards show on Spanish-language TV. A Who's Who of the Latin music world, which included Enrique Iglesias, Juanes, and Ricky Martin, converged on the American Airlines Arena to celebrate this milestone. It was a fun night catching up with some old friends. I want to give a special "thank you" to all of the fans who turned out to give me wonderful words of congratulations and encouragement as I begin this DWTS adventure.
But don't think it was all fun and games. Cheryl also made the trip to Miami so we had rehearsals EVERY day.
Rehearsals are getting progressively tougher with each passing day. With more steps and more "sections" to learn I'm giving 200% to do my very best. It's my good luck that Cheryl has the patience of a saint. We're having a great time!
Sunday, February 24thIt's Oscar night and I'm finishing out this first whirlwind week as a bunch of us were invited to attend the Elton John Oscar party! We had such a good time—the perfect way to end this first week.
A good friend once told me a couple of years ago... "Shoot for the stars because when you fall and you WILL, you'll still be in the clouds and that's a pretty cool place to be." Today, as I write this, I feel like I'm in the clouds...only I'm dancing!!!