Professional dancing partner Tony Dovolani is thrilled about his long overdue Dancing With the Stars victory

and looks forward to season 16.

By rACheL sokoL

TONY dOVOLANIS AmAZing JouRnEY

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/OFFICIALTONYDOVOLANI

This time, Melissa and I had a great time from beginning to end, he says of his beloved partner. Shes family to me. It was a joy working with her everyday; and watching her grow into this wonderful young woman. Dovolani adds, Im so proud of her.

Maturity leads
Like Rycroft, Dovolani says on Season 8, his dance partner Rycroft was awkward and unsure, feeling scarred and hesitant from her time on The Bachelor. Now, he says, Rycroft is a married mother and the two have more in common, especially since Rycroft has come into her own. The two remained close friends since Season 8 and got along great this season there was no fightingbecause we knew what to expect from each other; and the show. But every life experience matures you, and thats partly why I think Melissa excelled this season. Plus, we brought it all to the table. They also supported each other through various injuries they endured during this physically-demanding seasonRycrofts neck, Dovolanis back Speaking of his backIm glad this season I didnt really take my shirt off this time around! Dovolani laughs, admitting his kids questioned him about that in the past. They love coming to the set, the show. They love Melissa, but theyre into gymnastics so they loved meeting (fellow contestant and Olympic gymnast) Shawn Johnson, too.

fter winning the glitzy mirror ball trophy he received with his Dancing With the Stars: AllStars (Season 15) partner Melissa Rycroft, Tony Dovolani is (still!) walking on air After a whirlwind season with the popular ABC dance competition; Dovolani retreated to his Connecticut home with his wife and kids.

During our afternoon phone chat on a rare day off for the Kosovo-born actor, who relocated to the United States as a teenager, Dovolani shared his excitement about his very first, well-deserved win. When he was previously paired up with TV-personality Rycroft back in Season 8, the duo made it to the finals but fell short of winninguntil now.

The journey
He called his Season 15 victory an incredible journey and acknowledged that runner-up Johnson, who won Season 8was so happy for us. Everyone was! I never made it this far on the show, so winning was a real triumph. Dovolani also confessed, I liked when the contestants bum-rushed me on stage when we won and lifted me on to their shoulders.

Sandy blew through his beloved East Coast, wrecking havoc in parts of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Thankfully, Dovolanis family was fine, but the superstorm made him (even more!) homesick, since he was out in Los Angeles for the show, at the time. Connecticut is a wonderful place to raise a family and I love New York CityI was just at the Albanian parade there celebrating the countrys 100th anniversary. I love the diversity in New York, and I missed it greatly during Sandy. One of the lower Manhattan dance studios Dovolani co-owns with his friends and fellow dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Valentin Chmerkovskiy lost power for a few days, but re-opened post-Sandy. Some of our dance instructors homes were badly affected, he recalled. It could have been worse at the downtown studio, thankfully there was no flooding, but New York is like a brother or sister to me; I understand what everyone went through during that storm. I have compassion for the families who lost their homes and businesses, he says. New Yorkers have an understanding with each other and are so strong, In Los Angeles, thats something I really miss about New Yorkersthat strength, that camaraderie. Dovolani teamed up with his friendsincluding Maksim and Valentin Chemerkovskiyto help raise money and goods for those in need, post-Sandy. Actress Kirstie Alleywho danced on the show sent a huge truck we filled with canned goods and water to parts of Brooklyn, to help the residents who needed it. So many of us pitched in to help her collect items. When asked why his assistance went unnoticed by the press, the humble dancer responded, I didnt want to draw any attention to myself. Im glad we did what we could without taking attention away from the Sandy victims.

Next steps
At press time, Dovolani is gearing up for Season 16 of Dancing with the Stars, working with the studios he coowns, and enjoying family time; East Coast style. Im excited to see snow, and just be with my wife and kids this winterwere all outdoorsy, he gushes. Theyre all just so cool.
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Pay it forward
As enjoyableand crazy!as winning Season 15 was, on a more serious note, Dovolanis wife and three children were home in Connecticut when Hurricane

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pHoto cREDit REutERs

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