Miss Foxtrot

It's already unbearably hard, but like in the best joyous way. So my partner Pasha and I have been rehearsing every day and I think I told you this last time, but you know, when I watched the show, I'm like, oh my gosh, they must have been rehearsing this forever. It's perfect. And you don't you get you know, a certain amount of days for the first dance, and then five days for every week after. You get to practice and it's like, what, so you learn a new dance

and we're doing the foxtrot. I can't say anything else but that is our technical dance is the fox Trot, and it's it's been a lot. They play your song and it's a minute of the song. Now, when I first heard about this, I was like, gosh, they're only playing a minute of our song and he's like dancing for a minute. It's a lot. It's a long routine. I was like, really, oh my gosh. I just had no idea going into it. I was just a fan,

you know, just a viewer. But it's a it's a long routine, and it's also getting to know each other. I mean, it's so commendable these dance pros. Like I feel like I'm a big fan of the show, so like I know all of them, like seeing them every week, I know all of them. Oh my gosh. Uh you know what I mean. You see them every week and you get so invested with them and their celebrities each season. But I gotta say, just like now being on the other side of it, working with my partner, he I mean,

his work ethic is insane. And I said to him the other day, I said, I appreciate you because I thought I had good work ethic, but yours is next level upon level upon level upon level, and keep in mind his wife, Danny, is also a dance pro. She is dancing with Dwight Howard this season, who is the tallest man I've ever seen in my life. I think he's seven feet. They have a daughter who's just over a year, and they're doing all of this. I'm like, oh my god. I used to be like, oh my god,

I'm doing so much. I have five kids, look at all my pickups and drop offs, and now I see what they do and I'm like, shut up to myself, like this is nothing. But then you add all this dancing stuff and it's a lot again. But anyway, every season, when a dance pro gets partnered with their celebrity partner, they can't just come in with like one main teaching technique. This is my opinion from what I've seen. Pasha had to do with me, because everybody is different, everybody learns differently.

And the thing that's been the most challenging for me, and I knew this going into it, and I'd said it like I've always said, like when I had to do any choreography and movies or TV shows, like it would take forever, Like the dance steps wouldn't click, and it was the same with this. He would show me a dance move and I could do it, but then I couldn't remember it. So I could remember it, but I couldn't remember if he added another one on. It's

like what is that game? Like Simon says like yeah, no, so yeah, if you into it, I'd be like, wait, what's the first one? Again? It was just it's interesting to see how they have so much on their plate that they come in and they have to each season be like okay, well because, for instance, from watching the show, I know he had Ariano Maddox last season, who is amazing and she picked up the steps really quick. So

I'm like, oh my gosh. I just rewatched the season premiere yesterday of Dancing with the Stars season thirty two, just for a little refresher course. And I called Pash afterwards and I was like, I shouldn't have watched that, and he's like why, and he's like, no, no, no, no, it's good to watch, so you know, so you're prepared, you know what's going to happen, he thought. I was like, I was like, no, I tanked myself. I'm spiraling and

he's like no, no, no, no, it's good. So now you know, and like just a refresher on and there's the audience and the judges and where everything is. And I was like, oh no, no, no, that didn't tank me. I was like, what tanked me? Is you saying how fast Ariana picked up the dance moves and how good she is? And all I could think is oh, poor Pasha. He called me. He's like, oh my god, are you kidding? And I

was like, yeah, welcome to my brain. So the way that was best, I think for him to teach me was not like all the moves, so the whole one minute song, but we would break it up into like three parts and I would learn them and some days we would work on just one part and some days we'd try to put two words together. Anyway, I'm very excited because my dance moves are finally clicking into my brain, which is good. Pasha says that my strength, thanks are

my arms, my posture and my hands. Said, no one ever, this is so crazy, you guys. Posture. I was told my whole life side bad posture. I'm not kidding you guys, because I did. I was told I literally I have bad posture, like I walk around like turtle girdle, like I don't know, Like we look out look at pictures and stuff, but this I don't know. Once I started dancing, I was like, well, here I am. I'm an actress playing the part of a dancer. I stand up straight.

So I did, and he says it looks good and I have good arm moves, good thing for nails. But yeah, it's all about my arms and that's good because maybe you won't look at my feet. My feet are doing okay, you know what, you know what, you guys. I'm surprising myself through this journey. I really really am, because obviously you know, I said no, no, no, no no, I'll never be good enough to do this show. And then I said yes to the show because it's new me,

new chapter facing my fears. And I know it's only been like two weeks, but I'm really surprising myself with how much I can sustain. I asked Pasha the other day. We were training in one of the rooms and they have you know that you've seen on the show The Dance Studio every season, and it has all of the Mirror Ball winners, not all of them, but across one wall because obviously there's thirty two. That'd be a lot of photos on that wall, and it wasn't big enough.

But and I was just looking up looking at all of them, and I said to Pasha, has an average Joe or Jane ever won? And he's like, what does that mean? And I was like, you know, someone normal like me? And he's like, you're normal. I'm like no, no, no, okay, wait me, let me find another word. And I was like, well, and I said, I just feel like everybody who has one has had some sort of you know, movement training

in their life. Like you know, obviously athletes have won, but any actors that have won, if you like look at the resume or whatever, look back, you know they had dance experience in training, you know, as a kid or something like. I don't feel like anyone has ever come into this competition that has zero movement skills and has won it. Food for thought. But wouldn't that be cool? Because I know when I watched this show, I'm watching

it as you know, the average Jane out there. I don't like not in my head like oh, I'm a celebrity and like, oh, I know all those celebrities on there. I truly go into the mind of a viewer, Like I'm a fangirl, right and when I'm watching, I'm just like, oh my gosh, I probably think what everyone thinks, like I wish I could be that girl, like, oh my gosh, that looks so amazing, and that'd be really cool if some person, that some unlikely person want it. I'm not

gunning for you to vote for me. That's not why I'm doing this right now. I mean, if you like what you see, please vote for me. It would be cool. I don't know anyway. I'm done with my rants? Is that a ramts? So I really am enjoying the process of my dance clothes. Just like to tell you the things that I really enjoy. Everybody else comes to rehearsals and training with workout clothes on. I don't own workout for obvious reasons. You may know of that. But I

got leg warmers for days. Let me just tell you I have a leg warmer collection. I think I've talked about it before. If I haven't, I don't know why I haven't. So out of storage, you know that the storage I found a box of leg warmers and forty two of them because I collect leg warmers, and I've collected them, and that was just one box. They're not including my current situation of leg warmers or other boxes of leg warmers. Just one box had forty two that

was from like just one decade. But yeah, since I was twelve, I've been collecting leg warmers. That sounds weird, collecting leg warmers. I'm a leg warmer hoarder. Well, I like to be the first for something cool. No, I got obsessed with watching like Fame and Flash Dance when I was a kid, And I think I've talked about this, but I would set up my boom box, my cassette player and put my cassette tape in from Flash Dance.

And my parents own a beach house and during the summer we would go there when we weren't Vegas, so Vegas beach house and it's in Malibu and there's it's on a private, beautiful beach, stars all around us, like on every side, like when I was a kid, Like the Bridges were on one side, Lloyd Bridges and Bow Bridges and Jeff Bridges, the whole family, and there was I'm blanking some huge football player on the other side of us. And then down the beach like the Jacksons

grew up there. It was like literally like this is when I was a baby, like the Jackson five, Like, I mean, it was like crazy, so but it's twelve. I would go out onto the deck and I would put on Flash Dance and put on my leg warmers, and I more than that. I mean I had clothes on, but the key points here are put on Flash Dance, put on leg warmers, and I would dance across the

beach deck. Usually just on a weekday because it was like really like everyone was at work because it was all like famous people on the beach, so they were all like filming or something I don't know. On weekends, like all the kids and teens would comes, so I wouldn't do it. But during the week it was pretty yeah, it was pretty quiet, so I felt like I could just like pretend to be a dancer, pretend to be

in flash Dance. But anyway, that started my love of leg warmers and now putting it all together, it's all coming full circle. Set of pirouet Do I talk dance now? Is that right? I am able to wear my leg warmers and I wear them every day because now you know me, tradition. I like tradition, and I get superstitious, so I'm like, okay, okay, legwarmers, gotta wear my leg warmers. So I wear my leg warmers every single day. And

I get to be that girl. You guys like that girl and flashdance like girls in Fain, Like, oh, I get to do that every single day, and so blessed. I don't know where this will go, but the fact that I get to go in and rehearse with this incredible human that is so supportive and patient and kind and so talented. I adore Pasha so much and we're like the perfect fit. Yeah, I get to do this

every day. So as long as this goes on, I'm just going to be like, wow, so much gratitude that I said yes to this and get to go in and do this. And I wear like slip dresses. I wear things that make me feel cute. But I can work out because you know, I figure. I didn't figure. I just did it, and then I was like, oh, but it's a good idea. You know, you wear a dress on stage, so I might as well get used to it. But I just I don't know, work out

here wouldn't make me feel confident. I feel confident in my dresses and my little tank tops and I don't know leg warmers, So I wear what makes me feel good, and then I feel like I'm a better dancer. So the closer it gets to the actual day, the more real it becomes. I did my fitting yesterday for my dress, and that was really exciting. Daniella, the costume designer, is unbelievable.

She's amazing, and it's kind of full circle. She had worked a long time ago on Charms and so she knew my dad and so it's really cool and I adore her and secretly, like yesterday, had to go to my fitting and then like we just sit on the floor and play. Afterwards we were like making things and cutting up like lace and stuff, and I was like, oh, I just want to I can sit here and play with you all day because it's just my world in there.

But I did get to fit my dress and Daniella and I designed it together, which was really cool because you get to you're not just put into something on the show. You really get to be as hands on as you want to be. And you guys know, I love being hands on with everything that's in the world of creation. So with my dress, it starts with a creative deck, which god, I love a good creative deck. I'm sure some celebrities are like, oh cool, great, you know it's not their thing. But for me, you know,

that's where my brain and heart and soul lives. So I get to pick my song. Then what happens is when you pick your song, and the first one is kind of for each celebrity there anthem a song that really speaks to them and where you know they are now. And this song I picked, it's very personal and I hope you enjoy it. I don't think you'll really put together like foxtrot and this song, which is why I think it's rad because foxtrot, to me is something so traditional.

It's traditionally a ballroom dance, right, so all of the dances, technically, you're kind of taking them outside the box, which is such a cool world to be in right now, you know, doing that with current music and traditional dance. So the creative deck, you have a zoom meeting with the whole creative team, and justin that runs the creative team is

amazing and I'm such a huge fan. And yeah, so we do a zoom and call and they go through the deck, which is like a visual of the set of how it'll look and the color palette, and then like the transitions into movements through whether there's props or just color or lights or you know, change in things go into your wardrobe like an inspiration picture and then hair inspiration picture, makeup inspiration picture. And it was so cool to be a part of that process with them,

and the fact that they allowed me. I was so happy and felt so grateful, and they came into it with such cool ideas and I was like, wait, I was, like, I said to Justin, he's the creative director. I said, I'm a big Pinterest girl, Like, oh, it's my happy place Pinterest. I said, would you be offended if I made a pinterress board just to share with you? And

he was like, no, I love that. So I made it a Pinterest board for my song that I'm dancing too, and I shared it with him and it was awesome because it really helped him see where my vision was coming from. Since sometimes I'm not good with my I know, I talk a lot, but sometimes feelings and emotions I can't put into the right word, but I can put it into a picture very easily. So so yeah, I was able to share that and collectively we drew from both of ours everything that you're going to see. And

I'm super excited about it and my dress. So I tried it on yesterday the fitting, and then you know, we have to go through details like can you move in it? You know, because I'm going up and down and doing some doing some tricks. I don't know they're called tricks, but I'm doing some stuff, and you know, I have to see how my dress will move. And I also had to learn that a conventional fox trot dress is like a totally covered dress. It goes to your ankles, it swings around, and in my brain, I

was creating a dress for the Red carpet. So so yesterday we had to kind of alter it a little bit because Danielle my vision, like she executed it was amazing. But then in reality, once I really put married the two together in my head and showed Pasha, it was like, technically, a fox dress doesn't have a slit in it. I was like, I know, we're thinking outside the box, right, And I was like no, but it all kind of has to be cohesive or it doesn't work, you know.

So I had to let go of the red carpet dream and we're sealing that slit up a little bit because I'd prefer in the long run, beautiful, graceful movements, and that includes the dress and the weight of the fabric and when I spin, getting that air in the dress. So yeah, sorry, it's like a fashion tutorial suddenly anyway. So I haven't decided how I'm going to wear my hair yet. I just yesterday during rehearsal for the first time. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. My hair is a

hot fucking mess like it is. I don't know how people dance in extensions because I want to rip them all out. And I'm sweating. And I said to Pasha, I was like, you don't understand. I don't sweat, And He's like, what do you mean, Like you don't sweat, And I was like like often, I was like no, I'm like, I don't sweat, Like I've worn like deodorant like a handful of times, like I don't have bo

I don't sweat. I don't know, And you guys, I'm sweating like I am drenched head to toe I mean, I still don't smell but drenched head's toe for like four hours straight and I'm like, wow, who is this girl? This is crazy? And why SHA's so proud? He's like, and I'm like, I'm so so. I'm a sweaty mess, like you start to feel bad. They're used to this, like your dancers, and he's like, this is good, this is great. You're sweating, and I'm like, oh, yeah, we're

doing something right here. But yeah, my hair like not gonna lie. I haven't washed my hair since last week. I do shower daily, but I put my hair up because my hair is too hard, like with all these extensions I know I did to myself, you know, like suck it up, buttercup, you bottom, they're in your head. You know. I don't have to have extensions, but I like how they look. But washing them, oh my god.

If I'm gonna put an hour into blow drying these suckers, like uh uh, I'd rather put that hour into my rehearsal. So if anyone would like to offer to come over and wash my hair for me and blow it out, I wouldn't be mad, just saying, but yeah, dry shampoo. Thank God for dry shampoo. It's like, we're going life safer.

So but I wear my hair back in a ponytail or bunt, which everyone knows I don't like doing because I feel more confident when my hair's down and on my face, I know, but I wear it back because we're dancing and we're sweating and doing this. But yesterday I was like, oh, on the show, which we're four days out, I'm not going to have my hair back, Like there is going to be some version of my hair down, maybe half up. I don't know yet. I

haven't gotten that bar yet, just my Pinterest pictures. But I better start feeling what it's like if my hair does whip around to know if I can keep going. So I wore my hair half up half down yesterday for the first time, and it's like it's crazy and it looked okay, she did good. And I do come into rehearsal every day with my sugar free red Bull and Pasha promptly hands me water, purified water, not in plastic and guess what you guys dreaking? I know, I

know you just shook this episode, Like who am I? Like, I don't even know who I am anymore. This is like, yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna go full on out here and be like I'm Tori. I'm a water drinker now. But when you're dancing for four hours straight and like you've done your whole minute routine and then your partner's like great again, great again. In my dreams, I'm gonna have like hear him saying again again again in the cutest accent. But and you're sweating so bad and you're

just like trying to catch your breath. Guess what it works out people, you get thirsty. I thought there was something behind this. I for years said I just hate water. I don't like it. I don't know. Maybe no, maybe I'm allergic to it. No. I just wasn't breaking a sweat. I wasn't doing anything physical. Pretty simple. I am doing physical work, which is making my body respond. My butt's like wow, I was creeping halfway down the back of your thigh almost to your knee, and good for you, girl, Okay,

I'm feeling good now. And guess what, it's gotten higher. Like my body's responding. It's like thank you, thank you for doing something for me. And I'm sweating, and so I'm drinking water and I'm feeling okay with it. So I'm Tory, I'm a dancer, and I stay high traded. What about you,