Mario plans to stay a quickstep ahead

By David Zurawik | Sun television critic

March 24, 2008

Baltimore-born R&B singer Mario says it's going to be all about the footwork tonight for him on ABC's Dancing with the Stars as he tries to remain the front-runner among celebrity men competing on the show.

"Being in the front-runner position puts pressure on me to do better and maximize my score - and that means improving on my footwork," the 21-year-old performer said in a Sun interview.

"I have to do a dance this week called the quickstep - and it's called the quickstep because it's pretty doggone quick. It's a lot more difficult than the cha-cha [the dance he did on the season premiere] for me. It's more formal, and the posture is more important - and then there is all that fast, fast footwork."

Mario says he's a little "anxious" about his performance tonight because he had a "short" week of rehearsal due in part to a wall-to-wall interview schedule after his knockout opening night performance on Stars and a cross-country trip to perform at a benefit concert in New York City.

Plus, he and partner Karina Smirnoff have been battling injuries. For him, a strained hamstring and groin. For her, a herniated disc in her neck.

"I'm well now," he said. "But she is still seeing a doctor. I think she'll be OK, though, because she has less bending and turning with the quickstep than she did with the cha-cha."

david.zurawik@baltsun.com