Mario doesn't miss a beat

By David Zurawik | Sun television critic

March 31, 2008

Last week, more than 21 million viewers tuned in to see Baltimore-born singer Mario and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, dance the quickstep on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. The Monday telecast was second only to Fox's American Idol in the Nielsen ratings.

Tonight, it's the tango for Mario, and he says he wishes he had more rehearsal time last week to work on the dance. Most of his week was spent in Florida performing at concerts and BET's Spring Bling rather than working out in a Los Angeles dance studio.

"Honestly, this is the week where I wish I had the most rehearsal time, because we're dancing the tango, ... and there is just so much I want to bring to the dance," the 21-year-old singer said in a telephone interview Friday.

"What surprised me about the tango is how theatrical it is. I'll be able to do some acting in this dance. I'll finally be able to pull from some different personalities to do this performance."

Mario's take on the essence of tango: "It's, like, very seductive, there's betrayal, and it's an assertive dance unlike the others. But at the same time, the posture and the form and the low knees - all of that stuff is the same. It's a definite challenge."

Keeping up with scheduling demands is getting to be a major challenge, too, he says: "In the last two days, I've had like maybe seven hours of sleep."

Smirnoff went with Mario to Florida last week to work on the tango.

"The good thing about Karina is that she is so dedicated to teaching me the steps that she's traveling with me," he says.

david.zurawik@baltsun.com