On April 17, professional ballroom dancer Tony Dovolani (best known from the reality dancing competition "Dancing with The Stars") chatted with this journalist about his new gig, where he is guest hosting the male revue Chippendales in Las Vegas. "I am working like crazy, and preparing for this show. I was out of shape," he said with a laugh. "This Christmas and New Year's was really good. I splurged and then I quickly realized that I needed 2.5 months to get myself ready," he said.
In order to prepare for this gig, Dovolani noted that "once the contract was done," he hit the gym twice a day, and he still taught dance classes for nine to 10 hours a day.
"It has been a hectic schedule, but it has paid off," he said. Dovolani's limited engagement runs from April 19 to May 27, for six weeks only in Las Vegas. He praised all of the male performers of Chippendales as "Adonises" standing next to him. "They are Greek gods. They have treated me really well, and they have been really welcoming," he said.
Choreography
Dovolani shared that the show will feature his own choreography. "The opening of the show is so high-powered. I showed up to rehearsal and they were very attentive and into it. We worked together for three hours, and they were very excited. The dancers I worked with all come from dance backgrounds," he said. "Everybody that was watching us in our rehearsal told us that they were blown away.
It was really great to see that embracement of my talent, and the marriage between Chippendales and me."
Charity
Dovolani shared that he is donating a portion of his salary to his charitable organization, the Tony Dovolani Foundation: Golf for special needs Children."Chippendales is a great brand, and it allows me to give back to my cause," he said.
His son, Adrian, who was diagnosed with autism at 18 months, has served as a major inspiration for Dovolani and his family. "When he hugs you, you feel like he's hugging you with his heart. He has changed our life forever in a positive way. He has made me a better person. Having a special needs child really has opened my eyes to a lot of wonderful things in life that previously I may have overlooked.
It is a really great opportunity," he said.
Cruise
On his plans for the future, he revealed that he will be doing a cruise to the Caribbean. "It is going to be a lot of fun. The fans are always reaching out to me to do fun things together, so I thought a cruise would be a great idea, where I can teach everybody how to dance. My wife will be coming along and we're going to have a great time," he said. In the future, he noted that he would love to return to "Dancing with the Stars" as a judge or even as a guest dancer. "I am hoping one day all of the original dancers with have a reunion on that show," he said.
