Rumba
Stylistic origins	Afro-Cuban music
Cultural origins	Cuba
Typical instruments	congas
Mainstream popularity	1940
Derivative forms	Columbia - yambu[disambiguation needed ]
Fusion genres
son montuno – guaracha – mambo – Afro-Cuban jazz – chachachá – guajira
Regional scenes
Cuba and rest of the world

Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no religious connections.^[2] Rhythmically, Afro-Cuban folkloric rumba is based on the five-stroke pattern called clave and the inherent structure it conveys.^[3] Carlos Vidal Bolado (better known simply as Carlos Vidal) was the first to commercially record authentic folkloric rumba (Ritmo Afro-Cubano SMC 2519-A and 2520-B, circa 1948).^[4]

The term spread in the 1930s and 1940s to the faster popular music of Cuba (the Peanut Vendor was a classic), where it was used as a catch-all term, rather like salsa today. Also, the term is used in the international Latin-American dance syllabus, where it is a misnomer: the music used for this slower dance is the bolero-son. Ballroom rumba, or rhumba, is basically son and not based on the authentic folkloric rumba. Similarly, the African style of pop music called African Rumba or soukous is also son-based.

The term is also used today for various styles of popular music from Spain, as part of the so-called Cantes de ida y vuelta, or music that developed between both sides of the atlantic. Flamenco rumba is a genre that is entirely different from Cuban rumba.

Types[link]

• Cuban Rumba, percussion, song and dance styles that owe their origin to African slaves in Cuba.
• Rumba (dance), international dance styles that correspond to slower Cuban music, such as the bolero-son.
• Catalan Rumba (rumba catalana), is a genre of music that developed in Barcelona's Romani community.
• Flamenco Rumba, a style of flamenco music from Spain also known as Gypsy Rumba or Rumba Gitana.
• African Rumba, Inspired by the Cuban son, a style of music that originated in Congo, and evolved into soukous music.

History[link]

Cuban music is diverse in styles and background that comes from several cultures. In this area of Cuban music, Rumba is a generic term covering a variety of musical rhythms and associated dances. In this style, that includes a combination of both music and dance, vocal and rhythmic improvisation is both involved ^[5] This includes a smooth combination of music, dance and poetry to produce a unique sound and dance ^[6]

Rumba has also been described by some as a folkloric music and dance complex combination. This may because of the influences rumba has from the music and culture presented by Africans who were brought by the Spanish colonizers to Cuba to be slaves. The mixing of these two cultures, among others that later came into the culture, created a deeply rooted people.

While the syncopated rhythms are clearly of African origin, the musical framework is largely based in the music traditions of Spain. The various styles of rumba derive their melodies, patterns and instrumentation from seguidillas, copla, peteneras, jotas, soleares, malagueñas, isas, folías and their related dances.

The Africans brought over to be slaves had a history and culture that later merged with the other cultures they had been pushed into. The African origins of Rumba can be traced to two secular dances of the Bantu origin. The two influences and roots for rumba in particular being from the “Yulea” and “Makuta” styles of dancing ^[6] There are numerous other African influences in the rumba that helped shape it into what it is today but those are the main influences that are noticeable today in the styles of dance.

People of African descent in Havana and Matanzas originally used the word rumba as a synonym for party.^[7] “[Over time] rumba ceased to be simply another word for party and took on the meaning both of a defined Cuban musical genre and also of a very specific form of dance . . .”.^[8] The old use of the word is still alive in Colombia, where ir de rumba means to go out at night.

In rumba there is a dance move where the couple dancing move together and almost meet at the navel and then separate. This is similar to a dance move that the Sara people of Nigeria do while dancing. In this move done, that is similar to steps in the rumba, while dancing the Sara people has a row of boys and a row of girls. The row of boys and row of girls stand across from one another and then they move together to touch than separate from one another, then the two rows repeat this move again. This move brought by the slaves made its way into rumba and has become a part of the Cuban culture since it was more openly accepted as a dance and art form ^[9]

Emerging in the mid 19th century from the marginal neighborhoods of Havana and Matanzas, this percussion based music and dance was not widely accepted. As an energetic Afro-Cuban dance, Rumba was often suppressed and restricted because it was viewed as dangerous and lewd. Because of this, when it first emerged it was done in private.

"Initially the musical instruments of rumba consisted of regular household items: the side of a cabinet functioned in the role of the present-day tumba or salidor (primary supportive drum), while an overturned drawer served as the quinto (lead drum) and a pair of spoons played the cáscara part on whatever was available"—Peñalosa (2010: xiii).^[10]

In the 1920s and 1930s the intellectual movement known as Afrocubanismo gave roots to traditional rumba ^[11] When this afrocubanismo movement came along it helped open the doors to African rooted dancing and ways of expression. Rumba became more accepted among Cubans and was a recognized cultural expression that identified as a part of the Cuban people. It also provided the means at that point of public expression for those without representation in the media, the Afro-Cubans. Before that time the whites had most, if not all, of the control over any means expression, culture, and so on ^[12] Rumba forming and for once being able to be expressed openly gave some of the control back to the Afro-Cubans. For the rumba, an expression place for the free and enslaved blacks to congregate was also established. The enslaved blacks’ still being able to attend only after their work was done; the free blacks having fewer restrictions ^[9]

Afro-Cuban rumba, developed in rural Cuba, is still danced in Havana, Matanzas and other Cuban cities as well as rural areas, especially those with a significant or predominant African community, although now it is infused with influences from Jazz and Hip hop.

Cuban Rumba can be broken down into three basic types: Yambú, Columbia, and Guaguancó. Yambú is the oldest and slowest style that exists. Then there is the most popular style; Guaguancó. This style can be heard in songs such as "Quimbara" by Celia Cruz. Guaguancó is also a couple’s dance that is a symbolic game of flirtation that is sexually initiated.

"The male periodically attempts to “catch” his partner with a single thrust of his pelvis. This erotic movement is called the vacunao (‘vaccination’ or more specifically ‘injection’), a gesture derived from yuka and makuta, symbolizing sexual penetration. The vacunao can also be expressed with a sudden gesture made by the hand or foot. The quinto often accents the vacunao, usually as the resolution to a phrase spanning more than one cycle of clave. The vacunao is not used in yambú. The classic phrase “En el yambú no se vacuna.” (‘In yambú there is no vaccination.’) is commonly heard during yambú performances. Holding onto the ends of her skirt while seductively moving her upper and lower body in contrary motion, the female “opens” and “closes” her skirt in rhythmic cadence with the music. The male attempts to distract the female with fancy (often counter-metric) steps, accented by the quinto, until he is in position to “inject” her. The female reacts by quickly turning away, bringing the ends of her skirts together, or covering her groin area with her hand (botao), symbolically blocking the “injection.” Most of the time the male dancer does not succeed in “catching” his partner. The dance is performed with good-natured humor—Peñalosa (2010: xiii, xvi).^[13]

“I was born in the neighborhood called Simpson. You had rumba for lunch and rumba for dinner . . . so, you had to learn rumba . . . Young and old, with great respect, and consideration. It was a whole way of life. [In other words, we’re born with the rumba] and we will die with the rumba”—Chachá Vega.^[14]

Yambu is a couple’s dance as well, however it is much slower paced. Columbia is a fast and highly acrobatic solo dancing that is performed by a male dancer. The main thing that separates these three types of rumba is choreographical differences and the pace of the music ^[6]

A Cuban Rumba song often begins with the soloist singing meaningless syllables, which are called 'diana(s)'. The male dancer and singer then may proceed to improvise lyrics stating the reason for holding the present Rumba ('decimar'; span.: to make ten-line stanzas), or instead tunes into a more or less fixed song such as: "Ave Maria Morena" (Yambú, Anónimo), "Llora Como Lloré" (Guaguancó, S. Ramirez), "Cuba Linda, Cuba Hermosa" (Guaguancó, R.Deza), "China de Oro (Laye Laye)" (Columbia), "Malanga (Murió)" (Columbia)".

Rumba is now most commonly performed at informal fiestas or just in the street when the mood arises. Percussions and vocal sections make up rumba’s musical ensemble ^[6] This African derived rumba dance and music also inspires poets and in turn they also inspire the dance and chants. Some poets, including Carmen Cordero and Maya Santos Febres, have said that a “poetic portrayal of dance maintains its meaning as a vehicle of resistance.” This could be taken as pushing for change and acceptance ^[15] These ideas go well with the expression associated with the rumba when it first emerged and when it became more widely accepted by all Cubans.

See also[link]

• Conga line

References[link]

External links[link]

• Basic Steps of Rumba Dance

Michael Malitowski is a ballroom dancer, the former professional World Latin Dance Champion, with his partner Joanna Leunis. Michael (christened Michał) was born 28 May 1980, in Zielona Góra, Poland. His partnership with Leunis has, since 2002, resulted in a string of victories, culminating in the world Latin championship in 2008.^[1][2] Before that, he won the Polish Latin dance championship four times with Iwona Golczak.^[3][4]

References[link]

This article about someone associated with the art of dance is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Joanna Leunis, born 22 May 1981 in Rocourt, Liège, Belgium, is a professional ballroom dancer. With Michael Malitowski, she is a former professional World Latin Dance Champion and International Latin American Dance Champion; the couple represented Poland until 2011, representing England from then on. As a young person of 8, she suffered from a blood disease similar to leukemia, but recovered after over a year in bed.^[1] She is a well-educated woman who speaks French, English, Dutch and German, and is working on learning Italian. She has training in ballet, tap and standard ballroom as well as latin dances. She had several partners before Malitowski: at 18, she won the World Amateur Latin Championship, with Slavik Kryklyvyy.and later on she won the WDC World Professional Latin Championship for 2 consecutive years (2008-2009)and now she enjoys her victory in last years competition in Blackpool 2011 and WDC World European Championship (Professional division)2011.And now she won in Uk Professional Latin Championship 2012. She is looking forward for the WDC World Professional Latin Championship 2012 that will be held in Innsbuck, Austria and get back her crown as the world Champion.

Her record in partnership with Malitowski includes wins in all the most important latin dance championships.^[2] As competition dancers, they specialise entirely in the latin dance events.

References[link]

Kellie Pickler
Background information
Birth name	Kellie Dawn Pickler
Born	(1986-06-28) June 28, 1986 (age 25)
Origin	Albemarle, North Carolina, United States
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2005–present
Labels	BNA / 19 Recordings
Website	Official Kellie Pickler Site

Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music artist and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist, releasing her debut album, Small Town Girl, later that year. To date, it has sold over 800,000 copies. The album, which was certified gold by the RIAA, produced three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts: "Red High Heels" at number fifteen, "I Wonder" at number fourteen, and "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" at number sixteen. She released her self-titled second album in Fall 2008 and has produced the singles "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" at number twenty-one, "Best Days of Your Life" at number nine (which she co-wrote with Taylor Swift and her first Top 10 hit), "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" at number fourteen, and "Makin' Me Fall in Love Again" at number thirty. In 2012, she was ranked as the 14th best American Idol alumna.^[1]

Early life[link]

Pickler was born at Stanly Memorial Hospital in Albemarle, North Carolina,, a small town near Charlotte, to Cynthia Morton and Clyde "Bo" Raymond Pickler, Jr. Her mother left when Kellie was 2. Her mother returned and took custody of Kellie for two years.After this the court returned Kellie to her grandparents when she was 12, as her father was in and out of jail during her childhood. From this age to adulthood she was raised by her grandparents.^[2] She cites the major influences in her life as her grandfather, Clyde Raymond Pickler, Sr., a former electrician, and grandmother Faye Pickler.^{[citation needed]} Pickler graduated in 2004 from North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina. She was a cheerleader and beauty queen. She sang "On the Side of Angels" by LeAnn Rimes at her high school graduation.

She worked as a waitress at a Sonic Drive-In franchise and, in 2005, she made an appearance on WSOC-TV's Gimme the Mike! Charlotte contest. She finished in second place. She participated in the Miss America circuit and won the "Miss Stanly County" pageant at age 17 and subsequently competed for Miss North Carolina 2004. She dropped out and later focused on paralegal studies.^[3]

[edit] American Idol

The 19-year-old Pickler auditioned for American Idol in the fall of 2005 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She sang both Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and Martina McBride's "A Broken Wing". The judges sent her to Hollywood. Pickler advanced through the semi-final rounds in February. On March 9, she reached the Top 12.

Pickler was among judge Simon Cowell's favorites. He once predicted Pickler would be in the final three, and said he preferred her over the previous season's winner, Carrie Underwood.^[4] Recognized for her "quirky" personality and Southern charm, Pickler gained attention on the show by saying that she had hardly ever performed before real audiences, and by mispronouncing words.^[5] She was compared to Jessica Simpson in a March 27 story in US Weekly magazine titled "Kellie: The Next Jessica Simpson", due to her "sweet Southern style and ditzy demeanor". Pickler has stated several times that she was not heavily exposed to modern pop culture.

Performances and results (during voting weeks)[link]

[edit] Post-Idol career

Kellie Pickler and members of her band Ryan Ochsner, left, and Joshua Henson perform for U.S. service members during the first stop of the 2008 USO Holiday Tour on Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, Dec. 16, 2008.

After her elimination, she appeared in numerous shows promoting the TV show and performed the song "Walkin' After Midnight" in some of her appearances.

On May 6, 2006, she returned to Albemarle, North Carolina, for a parade and a reunion with her father. She received a key to the city from the mayor of Albemarle. The mayor also proclaimed the day as "Kellie Pickler Day". Pickler also received numerous awards from local and statewide government officials praising her accomplishments as a contestant on the American Idol television show.^[6]

Pickler pursued her recording aspirations in Nashville, Tennessee, shortly thereafter. On July 17, 2006, she signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/BNA Records. She later announced it herself on The View. She was part of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006, performing for three months in various cities. During that period, Pickler worked on her album in collaboration with top industry experts in different cities wherever the tour took her.^[7]

[edit] 2006–2007: Small Town Girl

Her first single, "Red High Heels", debuted on September 13, 2006, and its music video was officially released on October 20, 2006. It received a nomination for the CMT Video Awards for "Breakthrough Video of the Year".^[8][9]

Her debut album, Small Town Girl, released on October 31, 2006, topped Billboard's Top Country Albums and landed at number nine on Billboard Top 200 selling over 79,000 copies in its first week, making Pickler the highest-selling first-week sales for a new artist in 2006. The album includes five songs that Pickler co-wrote with songwriters Chris Lindsey, Aimee Mayo, and Karyn Rochelle.^[10][11][12]

On January 18, 2007, Pickler co-hosted The View and was presented with a gold record by Rosie O'Donnell, certifying that her album has reached the 500,000 sales mark. She also performed her second single "I Wonder", which is a personal song about her absent relationship with her mother, Cynthia Morton. It was the first performance of the song on national TV.^[13][14]

Pickler was nominated for "Top New Female Vocalist" for the 42nd Academy of Country Music Awards.^[15]

She was also part of Brad Paisley's "Bonfires & Amplifiers" concert tour from April 2007 through October as one of the opening acts. The tour was booked in at least 37 cities across North America including a couple of stops in Canada.^[16][17]

Pickler appeared in country music artist Brad Paisley's music video "Online" in 2007.^[18]

On September 2007, Pickler released a version of "Santa Baby" for a Christmas country compilation. A month later, at the ASCAP Awards in Nashville, Pickler received a songwriter award for co-writing her debut single "Red High Heels". She performed her second single, "I Wonder", at the 2007 CMA Awards. During the performance, she was visibly overcome with emotion and struggled to even finish the song before bursting into tears. The performance received a standing ovation. She was also nominated for the Horizon Award. The performance led her to receive 3 CMT awards the following April.

In November 2007, Pickler appeared on a Celebrity Edition of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, playing for the charities of her choice (American Red Cross and the AARP's Grandparenting Program).^[19] Worth a guaranteed $25,000, she was asked, "Budapest is the capital of what European country?". She replied, "This might be a stupid question… I thought Europe was a country." She voiced that it might be a place where people spoke French, and then was repeatedly confused as to whether France really was a country or not. When told the answer was Hungary, she did not believe the host. She said, "Hungry? That's a country? I've heard of Turkey, but Hungry? I've never heard of it."^[20] Thanks to the classmate saving her, she was able to pass the $25,000 mark and went on to win $50,000 before walking away; had she not been saved, she would have left with nothing at all. While on her first USO concert tour in Iraq, Pickler met a few people from Budapest, Hungary, who presented her with a flag of their country.^[21][22]

[edit] 2008–2010: Kellie Pickler

While "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" was climbing the country charts (it eventually reached number sixteen), Pickler returned to the studio to record her second studio album for 19 Recordings/BNA Records. She performed the debut single, "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" at the ACM Awards on May 18, 2008 and received a good response from the audience. She was nominated for "Top New Female Vocalist", but the award went to Taylor Swift.

"Don't You Know You're Beautiful" was released to radio in June 2008 and was a Top 25 hit for Pickler, peaking eventually at number twenty-one. Her second album, Kellie Pickler, was released on September 30, 2008 and debuted at the top of the country chart, as well as number nine on the Billboard 200, selling over 43,000 copies in its first week. It matched the debuting spots of her first album, Small Town Girl.

On November 12, 2008, Pickler performed the second single off her album, "Best Days of Your Life" at the CMA Awards. She was also nominated for "New Artist Of The Year" for the second year in a row, but lost to Lady Antebellum. "Best Days of Your Life" made its radio debut in November 2008, and debuted at number 56. The song climbed very slowly up the chart, but ended up becoming Pickler's first Top 10 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. After nearly 40 weeks on the chart, the song peaked at number nine in August 2009. A music video was made by Roman White, featuring Taylor Swift, who co-wrote and sang background harmony vocals on the song.

Pickler was nominated for "Female Video Of The Year" at the 2009 CMT Music Awards for "Don't You Know You're Beautiful". She lost once again to Swift. She also presented the award for "USA Weekend Breakthrough Video Of The Year" with Idol judge Randy Jackson.

Pickler accompanied Swift on the first leg of her Fearless Tour 2009. In June, she launched her first ever headline concert tour in promotion of her self-titled album. On October 8, it was announced that Pickler will be part of the second leg of Fearless Tour.^[23]

"Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You", a re-recording from Picklers' first album Small Town Girl, was released as the album's third single on August 30, 2009. The song debuted at number 55 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and became her fifth Top 20 hit, peaking at number fourteen in February 2010.

On October 26, Pickler won the title of Country Weekly's poll of most beautiful woman in country music for the second year in a row. Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood were the second and third places, respectively.^[24]

"Making Me Fall In Love Again" was released as the album's fourth single on April 19, 2010. It debuted at number 53 and peaked at number 30.

[edit] 2011–present: 100 Proof

It was announced that Pickler's third album will be produced by Frank Liddell, known for producing country artist Miranda Lambert's albums.^[25] "Tough" was released on June 13, 2011 as the lead-off single to Pickler's third album, 100 Proof, which was released on January 24, 2012.

Personal life[link]

Pickler's father, whom she describes as an alcoholic and drug addict, served a three-year, nine-month prison sentence at Florida State Prison for aggravated assault and battery stemming from a 2003 stabbing incident.^[26] He was released on May 6, 2006, a week after her elimination from Idol.

Pickler's mother was repeatedly charged with writing bad checks and was convicted in 1988 for passing a forged prescription for Valium at the Albemarle Wal-Mart, where she worked. The day after Pickler's second birthday, her parents split up. A year later, in July 1989, her mother vanished. When her father would get locked up, Pickler would live with her grandparents, outside Albemarle, which is 45 miles northeast of Charlotte. In 1992, her mother returned to Albemarle, but rarely made contact with her daughter Kellie. But in March 1995, with Bo Pickler in prison for armed robbery, her mother was granted custody. Kellie was in the fourth grade. "She got custody of me for two years," Kellie said in a February 2006 interview with The Observer. "During that time, she was physically and mentally abusive of me." In a 1997 court filing, Kellie's grandparents said her mother had moved to Union County with the girl and treated the child harshly. The court restored custody to the grandparents. Her mother vanished again, and Kellie hasn't heard from her since. In an April 2006 interview with NBC Kellie said "One thing that's so important in life is we learn to forgive others. I ask the Lord every day to forgive me for my sins and for things that I've done wrong. And who am I to not forgive someone for what they've done?" said Kellie. "I have forgiven her. I know that I haven't spoken to her in years and I probably wouldn't know her if I saw her. But she's my mother and she's a person. God tells us to love everyone. And I love her. She's my mother."^[27]

On February 26, 2007, she met her personal 'idol' and strongest influence, the country music superstar Dolly Parton. The surprise was arranged by Sony BMG Nashville chairman Joe Galante.^[28]

In 2007, Pickler was in a relationship with Nashville Predators player Jordin Tootoo and visited his family in Nunavut.^[29][30] Later that year, the two broke up.^[31]

Pickler's best friend has been Summer Miller, who Pickler met when they were teen pageant hopefuls.^[32] Pickler is close friends with American Idol fourth season winner Carrie Underwood, country pop singer Taylor Swift, the latter of whom co-wrote Pickler's second single "Best Days of Your Life" from her album Kellie Pickler,^[33] with her American Idol roommate Katharine McPhee, for whom she was a bridesmaid at McPhee's 2008 wedding and also with songwriter Aimee Mayo.^[34]

In June 2008, she joined close friend Carrie Underwood, a long-time vegetarian, in giving up eating meat. Pickler says she first decided to go vegetarian for health reasons, but a TV ad that vegetarian Pamela Anderson did for animal rights group PETA piqued her curiosity. "One night I couldn't sleep and I was up and just Googling random stuff and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA.' I saw all the videos and I just thought it was horrible. It's animal cruelty. A lot of it has to do with knowing what happens to the animals and it really bothered me and so I will not eat meat."^[35] In May 2009, it was announced that Pickler was nominated and won the title of "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" by PETA.^[36]

After two and a half years of dating, Pickler became engaged to songwriter Kyle Jacobs on June 15, 2010, the day of her late grandmother's birthday, after he proposed on a beach at sunset.^[37] Pickler and Jacobs eloped on January 1, 2011 in a "small, intimate ceremony on a private island in the Caribbean".^[38]

Philanthropy[link]

Pickler actively supports St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where she helps raise funds and gives kids special visits. She also participates in charitable events to help raise funds for various organizations. She has performed to help raise funds for the "N.C. Children's PROMISE" to benefit the Children's Hospital on Nov. 12, 2006,^[39] to help refurbish the Hurricane Katrina damaged NFL Youth Education Towns Boys & Girls Club of New Orleans on December 16, 2006,^[39] visited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on January 12, 2007,^[40] and visited Pennington Elementary School on February 1, 2007.^[40] “When you’re able to give back to your communities and organizations like St. Jude, it’s a great thing,” Pickler said. “It’s been a great experience, and I encourage anyone and everyone to help.”^[40]

Pickler was part of a Country and Western artist studded online auction for charity by Mario Magro: Kiss for a Cause Foundation Celebrity Auction held June 15–25, 2007, in support of orphaned and abandoned children. The event auctioned off celebrity lip prints and signatures pressed on the inside of Mario Magro Crystal Le Coop handbags at the 42nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.^[39]

In 2007 she appeared on a charity episode of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" On the episode, she missed a question about the location of Budapest, and in her conversation with Jeff Foxworthy revealed that she thought Europe was a country and was not sure about the status of France.

She has participated in three USO tours. The first, in late 2007 and early 2008, took her to Iraq;^[21][39] the second, in December 2008, included stops in Germany, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, and England.^[41] In January 2010, Pickler made stops in Iraq and Kuwait on a 10-day tour with Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson. The three country stars "played remote bases on the front lines of the war zone, and the sound of gun fire became their frequent companion at night."^[42]

In early August 2009, Pickler participated in ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition's rebuilding of James Terpenning's family home in Beavercreek, Ohio. Pickler performed a free concert at the home, and helped during reconstruction.^[43]

Discography[link]

Albums

• 2006: Small Town Girl
• 2008: Kellie Pickler
• 2012: 100 Proof

Awards and nominations[link]

Tours[link]

• Still Feels Good Tour (2007) with Rascal Flatts
• Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour (2007–2008) with Brad Paisley
• Love on the Inside Tour (2008) with Sugarland
• Fearless Tour (2009–2010) with Taylor Swift
• American Living Unstoppable Tour (2010) with Rascal Flatts
• Nothing Like This Tour (2010) with Rascal Flatts

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kellie Pickler

• Official website
• Kellie Pickler at the Internet Movie Database
• Kellie Pickler at American Idol
• Kellie Pickler on Twitter
• Kellie Pickler on Myspace

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (December 2010)

Derek Hough
Derek Hough in 2009
Born	(1985-05-17) May 17, 1985 (age 27) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Occupation	Dancer, actor, singer-songwriter, musician, choreographer, director
Years active	2007–present

Derek Hough ( /ˈhʌf/; born May 17, 1985) is an American dancer, choreographer, musician and actor. A world champion in Latin American Dance, Hough has appeared since September 2007 (Seasons 5 - 11 and Season 13) on the hit U.S. television series Dancing with the Stars, where he is currently a three-time champion (with Brooke Burke, Nicole Scherzinger, and Jennifer Grey), one-time finalist (with Ricki Lake), three-time semi-finalist (with Jennie Garth, Joanna Krupa, and Maria Menounos), and a quarter-finalist (with Lil' Kim). Hough has earned three Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Choreography (2009^[1] and 2010 ^[2]) for his work on the show.

Prior to joining Dancing with the Stars, Hough starred as Ren in the 2006 original cast production of Footloose: The Musical at the Novelo Theatre in London's West End, as well as on the 2006 U.K. national tour. Hough's West End performance earned him a nomination as The Stuart Phillips London Newcomer of the Year in the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards.^[3] Hough made his Broadway debut on January 8, 2010, starring with Kym Johnson and Mary Murphy in Burn the Floor for the final four performances of the show's Broadway run. A founding member of the Ballas Hough Band (formerly Almost Amy), Hough shares lead vocals, plays guitar and has several songwriting credits on the band's self-titled debut CD, released by Hollywood Records in March 2009.

Early life[link]

Hough grew up one of five children in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City.^[4] He has four sisters, Sharee, Marabeth, Katherine and Julianne. His sister Julianne Hough is also a professional dancer and actress. All four of Hough's grandparents were dancers, and his parents met while on a ballroom dancing team in college, in Idaho.

When Hough was twelve, his parents sent him to London to live and study with dance coaches, Corky and Shirley Ballas. Hough's sister Julianne joined him in London several months later. Originally intending to stay for a year, Hough remained in London for ten years. (Julianne returned after five years.) The Ballases helped tutor the two Hough children alongside their own son, Mark Ballas, schooling them at the Italia Conti Academy. They received training in song, theater, gymnastics and many forms of dance, including jazz, ballet and tap. The three children formed their own pop music trio 2B1G ("2 Boys, 1 Girl") and performed at dance competitions in the UK and the U.S., and showcased UK television show.^[5][6]

Dancing[link]

He attended and subsequently taught at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Hough played the role of Ren McCormack in both the UK Tour and the West-End of Footloose the Musical, which ran from April until November 2006.

Before this, Hough's theatre work included playing the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Millfield Theatre, and dancing in the company in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium.

Hough is a former IDSF World Youth Latin Champion (2002) for Poland with Aneta Piotrowska. He has won the LA Outstanding Dancer of the Year and the New York Dance Alliance Outstanding Dance awards.^[6]

Hough is one of Bruno Tonioli's panelists on BBC One's DanceX, the first episode of which aired on July 14, 2007.^[7] Hough choreographed and performed in Cheryl Cole's Parachute music video, after being introduced to her by Tonioli.

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

Hough made his first appearance on Dancing With The Stars in Season 4 (Week 6) as a guest instructor with Julianne and Apolo Anton Ohno. He then joined the cast of professional instructors in Season 5 of Dancing With The Stars and was paired with Jennie Garth. Hough and Garth competed in the semi-finals and were the ninth couple eliminated from the competition.

For Season 6, Hough was paired with actress Shannon Elizabeth. They were eliminated from the show in week 7.

For Season 7, Hough was partnered with model/TV host Brooke Burke. In rehearsal on October 4, 2008, Hough tripped and fell, hitting his head on the floor and momentarily blacked out. He was sent to the hospital, but sustained no injuries.^[8] Hough and Burke earned the mirror ball trophy and won Season 7.

For Season 8, Hough was paired with rapper Lil' Kim. They were eliminated from the show in week 9.

For Season 9, Hough was partnered with model Joanna Krupa. They were eliminated during week 9, the semi-finals, on November 17, 2009, finishing fourth.

For Season 10, Hough won with partner Nicole Scherzinger, the lead singer from the singing group Pussycat Dolls^[9] and former member of Eden's Crush.

For Season 11, Hough won with actress Jennifer Grey, known for her film roles on Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

For Season 13, Hough was partnered with actress and TV Host Ricki Lake, known best as the original Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray. Lake scored consistently high the whole season and shockingly ended up in third place.

For Season 14, Hough partnered with television personality Maria Menounos. In Week 7, the couple surprisingly earned the first 30 of the season and topped the leaderborad the first time the season. The couple made it to the semi-finals but were shockingly eliminated after they finished at the top of the leaderboard. Maria is the second celebrity in Dancing With the Stars history to be eliminated on a night where she came in first place with the judges. The first being Willa Ford in season 3.

Hough's current DWTS pro average is 26.21. Joanna Krupa's Argentine Tango is not included in his average.

He is the first professional dancer to ever win three Mirror Ball Trophies.

It was announced by Access Hollywood that Derek would not be returning to the 12th season of Dancing with the Stars to be a part of the film Cobu 3D but he did return for season 13. He has earned 18 perfect scores of 30s and 103 perfect 10s over the seasons.

Performance history[link]

Season 5: Celebrity partner Jennie Garth (Average - 25.7) Placed: 4th

Season 6: Celebrity partner Shannon Elizabeth (Average - 24.5) Placed: 6th

Season 7: Celebrity partner Brooke Burke (Average - 27.1) Placed: 1st

(*)Due to Len Goodman's absence in week 6 the 10 was awarded by stand-in guest judge Michael Flatley

Season 8: Celebrity partner Lil' Kim (Average - 25.8) Placed: 5th

Season 9: Celebrity partner Joanna Krupa (Average - 25.5) Placed: 4th

^* Due to Len Goodman's absence in week 2 the 7 was awarded by stand-in guest judge Baz Luhrmann.
^** Due to illness Derek Hough was unable to perform, Joanna Krupa performed this dance with Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Season 10: Celebrity partner Nicole Scherzinger (Average - 27.5) Placed: 1st

Hough won Season 10 of Dancing with the Stars on May 25, 2010

Season 11: Celebrity partner Jennifer Grey (Average - 27.2) Placed: 1st

Season 13: Celebrity Partner Ricki Lake (Average - 26.7) Placed: 3rd

Season 14: Celebrity partner Maria Menounos (Average - 26.8) Placed: 4th