1210 carrie ann

Until a few weeks ago, I watched “Dancing With The Stars” on ABC-TV on Mondays, and was amazed at the different dance steps and routines of the Stars and their professional dance instructor-partners. It made me think back to a time when I was light on my feet and could dance a few steps .... okay, maybe two ..... well, one that I was really comfortable doing ..... okay, so it was the Cha-Cha. And if I got lost in the music, I’d either run into my partner, step on her feet, or both. It wasn’t pretty (and it happened more often than I care to remember).

When it comes to dancing, I have two left feet (I can’t even get the Macarena right). I think that’s why I’m so entertained by watching others dance. The fluidity of the movement is very entrancing. I watched DWTS with interest but found myself wondering about the judges and their qualifications.

Particularly that of Carrie Ann Inaba (top pic), who seemed to be the most critical voice of the three judges. So I did a little research.

Did you know that she one of the original FLY GIRLS on Fox’s “In Living Color” (second pic)? She was born in Hawaii in 1968 of a Japanese father and a Chinese/Irish mother, and started dancing at the age of 3. While attending UCLA as a dance major in 1990, she got the Fly Girl gig. She performed on Madonna’s “Girlie Show Tour” in 1993, where she gained notoriety as the topless pole dancer (sorry, G-rated pic not available) that opened each show, and she was one of the Fook sisters (with Diane Mizota) in “Austin Powers: Goldmember” (third pic) in 2002. Her credentials are amazing.