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He somehow found himself in a rough part of town. "I don't know where it was. It wasn't Chicago…," he squints his eyes and strains to think. "But it was pretty rough, with bikers and all. And there were these two huge burly guys," he continues, using hand gestures to depict the enormity of their size, "and they were arguing over who they thought should have won [Dancing with the Stars]. It was pretty funny."

Nick Kosovich, the self-deemed diplomatic dance partner to the not so tactful Tatum O'Neal on season two of ABC's hit dance reality, Dancing with the Stars, grins and laughs lightly at his story.

Calm, cool, and completely collected, this American style Smooth champion is dressed slickly in all black, with a silver, black-trimmed, Bluetooth headset phone clipped to his right ear. His skin is tan-but not that eerie orange color that many competitors suffer from-just naturally bronzed and toned. His long, lean, yet masculine physique confirms his dance profession. He stands tall with perfect ballroom posture, yet he's not the slightest bit cocky.

Another busy workday has come to a close. Nick rests in a corner of Manhattan's Latin and Ballroom costume shop, LeNique, which he owns with his wife and partner, Lena Bahcheva. He sits back comfortably in a chair-right ankle crossed over left knee-amongst glittering gowns, Swarovski-stoned bracelets and competition photos of LeNique sponsored couples, including his close friend and Stars competitor, Tony Dovolani.

"He was the best man at my wedding," says Nick of the American Rhythm champion and Stars finalist who danced with long-legged, wrestling beauty, Stacy Keibler. "He's a good friend."

The completely engaging celebrity dance competition, Dancing with the Stars, whisked American TV watchers right off their feet last winter. The reality show's ratings soared to new heights as 27.2 million viewers tuned into the finale, allowing the ballroom competition to easily beat out heavy hitters like the Turin Olympic Games, which only raked in 14.9 million viewers on the same night. Everyone, it seemed-even burly bikers-became a fan of partner dancing and got behind their favorite celebrity week after week.

And it wasn't just by voting. There was serious betting and loads of money involved, too.

"They had odds on [the winner] in Vegas," says Nick, in his Australian accent, raising his thick brows to stress his point. "They were betting on the show and Tony and Stacy were the favorites. So a lot of people lost a lot of money," his tone remains serious for only a moment before he cracks a smile. "But then you know people in Vegas… They'll bet on anything."

For anyone not familiar with Nick's stellar resume on ABC.com-which lists titles such as World American Ballroom Champion (2005), two-time U.S. American Ballroom Champion (2004/2005), and two-time U.S. Classic Showdance Champion (2003/2005)-it is even more refreshing to see that off the floor he is just a regular guy, with a wonderfully witty sense of humor and extreme passion for dance.

And even though Nick is best recognized from Stars' second season, he has been involved in the show since before season one. "I was pitching [the idea] to some producer friends way before the show started in the U.S.," says Nick, who was quickly recruited by ABC producers for the new series.

Nick, like many others, has been anxiously waiting for the popularity of ballroom dance to quickly grow from the large, yet tightly knit ballroom community, and become a wildly exciting part of American pop culture. "It's long overdue for our industry," Nick continues. "Unfortunately it's at the end of my career that I'm seeing it all start to happen…" his words trail off as he laughs. But after a long and successful competitive dance career, he's thrilled to see the change nonetheless. "Of course I want to see the industry do well."

And so I got canned…

And Nick does intend to stick around in the blossoming business of reality ballroom TV, be it as a dancer, judge or costume designer, all three of which initially linked him to Dancing with the Stars.

"I was initially, for the first couple of months, more of a consultant for [the show]," adds Nick, who was originally slated to dance on season one until he learned that his unknown celebrity partner (they really do keep it a secret right up until the first videotaped meeting) suddenly backed out of the competition.

"I got the call: 'We need you to fly to Jacksonville, Florida to meet your celebrity,' Nick recalls. "Ok, I'm ready to go… And then they rang back and said, 'No, it's fallen through.'"

And he never even got her name.

But things seemed to turn around when Nick was asked to judge the series, only two weeks before season one premiered.

"I thought about it and I said, yeah, why don't I give it a shot." Nick quickly left his home and business in New York and flew to LA for a week of on-camera training for his new role.

"We trained everyday, watching TV shows that had already run in England (Strictly Come Dancing) and some in Australia, and actually commenting on them," Nick continues. "It was an audition process, but it was more of a training process."

They then shot the season one pilot the Friday before the live show aired. All of the professional dancers were there in bright costumes, while eager amateurs served as stand-in celebrities. The full orchestra played and they danced and were judged as if it was a real show. And everything seemed to be going great.

"Everyone was very happy and I thought, 'Ok, it looks like I got the job as a judge,'" says Nick, smiling. But then came another quick and disappointing blow. "ABC decided to use the [original judging] lineup they had in London." Nick takes a serious tone as he explains how current judge, Len Goodman-who was not present for the pilot due to travel problems-was already contracted to do the show. "They just needed someone as a backup to stand in and shoot that promo," Nick adds in a quiet voice, seeming slightly saddened. But his lightheartedness makes joking come easy. "So I got canned!" he says, bluntly. His words, though direct, come with a genuine smile. "First things were looking good, and then they were looking bad. And then they were looking good again, and then they were looking bad."

Do they Make Dance Shoes for Size 18 feet?

But even though Nick was not hired to judge, he did learn a thing or two about dishing good on-camera commentary. "You've got a very limited amount of time so you have to come up with very quick sound bites," says Nick. And while the judges, he claims, were not spoon-fed mandatory remarks to tell the celebrity contestants, Nick quickly points out that show producers certainly "selected judges that have, clearly, three different personalities, and are from three different walks of life."

Yet, when asked specifically whether the judges were instructed to comment more or less harshly on dancing that was good, bad, entertaining, or clearly not up to par, Nick only furrows his brows playfully and in a teasing voice, says, "I'm not privileged to that information! I wasn't one of the judges!"

But that doesn't keep him from commenting honestly on the notoriously not-so-talented Master P.

"The guy did not take it seriously. [He was] by far the worst dancer and should have been out the first show," says Nick. "No disrespect to him, but the only thing that kept him was the public vote. Kenny [Mayne] was a better dancer." He pauses a moment to laugh. "And Kenny was pretty bad. But he was a lot of fun and we were all very sad to see him go."

Still, P's presence on the show suggests a very significant, yet somewhat unfortunate reality of reality television. "Although the controversy was good for TV, it took away from the reality of it being a dance competition," says Nick. "I think that when they kept Master P that actually fazed some of the celebrities a little bit. They were thinking, 'Oh my God, we're going to get ousted by Master P? When this guy can't even dance?'"

And what about P's refusal to wear proper ballroom shoes even when his generous partner, Ashley DelGrosso, bought him a stunning pair as a gift?

Nick can only joke. "Hey, if the guy's got size 18 feet, or whatever he's got, and granted any dance shoe manufacture will make shoes that big… I'm [still] sure he's not in a position where he couldn't afford to have a pair of shoes made for him."

But joking and judging aside, Nick did find his niche on season one in costuming. He and Lena designed all the menswear and a few of the ladies' costumes. And while heavily involved behind the scenes, Nick also found himself pulled into ABC editing rooms to discuss dance styles, view tapes, and serve as a valuable "dance expert" to the producers.

"They would have a cutaway of a specific dance where they would say, 'this is the samba, these are the botafogos,'" says Nick. "And they needed a dancer there to tell them what was what."

But Nick's role changed dramatically when he met Tatum.

On Taming Tatum

"She was a good student," says Nick, attempting an unbiased description of his celebrity partner who was the youngest actress ever to win an Oscar for her role in Paper Moon. "She was on time. She was punctual. She was very determined and a hard worker." But anyone who watched the show knows that Tatum was not the easiest person to work with. And Nick easily attests to this.

"In five or six weeks, spending five or six hours a day together, I certainly got to see the many different sides of Tatum O'Neal," he says. "We got along pretty well, but we had our bad days. Fortunately, a lot of those bad days they did not tape… We were lucky, or I was lucky," he says with a smile.

And for Nick, luck came in the form of not having a full-time camera crew tracking his every move. Nick and Tatum rehearsed mostly in Manhattan at the Arthur Murray on 57th Street and at Dance New York on 54th Street. And as luck would have it, they were nowhere near the full-time crews stationed in LA where the show was taped.

But even though Nick and Tatum had their share of quarrels, Nick certainly developed a new appreciation for his partner during the show. "In some way the show was a humbling experience," he says. "Especially in the respect of me having Tatum.

"I'm a pretty diplomatic person and I think the producers, in selecting me to dance with Tatum, already knew that," Nick adds. "I certainly received a lot of accolades from some of the producers for handling certain situations," he says, hinting to disputes that were caught on tape. But times spent off the dance floor and away from cameras were the most heartfelt.

From quick lunches between practice to social outings and even AA meetings Nick really has seen all sides of Tatum's busy life. "It was very much an eye opener," says Nick when discussing a Beverly Hills AA meeting he attended with Tatum. "I got to meet some very interesting people with certainly interesting stories about celebrity lifestyles and struggles with drugs and alcohol. I certainly took on a different respect for Tatum."

But with all the demands placed on his shoulders to work and dance around the clock, it became even more challenging for Nick to be excited about dancing with his new partner.

"Having to spend so much time with a person, and not necessarily wanting to, but having to because it was a working situation" made things difficult for the professional dancers, he claims. Rushing through choreography for the additional group performances and professional showdances that took place on the show also increased stress levels. "It was all thrown together really quickly," Nick says about the live performances he did with professional ten-dancer, Andrea Hale (Kenny Mayne's partner) and the group numbers he performed with the other professionals.

But Nick is still a huge fan of the major strides the show has made in its second season. "I totally think this season was so much better than last season, but we (the dancers) were expected to do so much more," says Nick. "I knew we needed to put a lot of work into what we were trying to do. But are we making lots of money out of it? No. Still, are there a few who possibly could? Maybe."

Wishful Thinking and Mating Rituals

And that brings us to the idea of our favorite Latin and Ballroom pros reaching this new height of celebrity in the media. But despite being recognized for his involvement in the show, Nick still remains realistic about being a star.

"I don't think of myself as a celebrity," he says sincerely. "I think of myself as a dancer doing the job." But his humble thoughts have not kept his wife from buying him a t-shirt with the words, "Future Celebrity" plastered across the chest. And Nick wore it with pride to the Dancing with the Stars wrap party. "It was a funny joke," says Nick and everyone got a kick out of it.

With the Stars' second successful season complete and talk of season three on the rise, Nick hopes to see the show grow and develop even more. "The show has longevity," says Nick. "I think that as far as dancing being in the movies and on television and in print, it's always been there. Yes, it's a bit hotter right now, but the biggest difference is that the show has come at the right time because I think people want to see a change," in reality TV and in dancing.

And that change involves sharing the true joy of movement and partnership with individuals across the country as they tune in to watch celebrities with little to no dance training-and sometimes, sadly, no rhythm-put their all into learning a completely new style of dance.

"For me there is no greater thing than ballroom dancing," says Nick. The sincerity in his voice only strengthens the content of his words. "Learning how to hold your partner and how to move with your partner is the basic communication between two people. It is also, historically, the mating ritual."

Oh, really?

"Yes. There is this whole natural aspect to it," Nick continues. "Of course, music helps. It also teaches manners-what's proper and what's not-and allows an environment for you to do something with your partner and be able to enjoy something and share something together which you don't always get in many other sports."

And if Nick ever has the opportunity to choose his dream celebrity partner, he chooses none other then the exceptionally talented and incredibly popular talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. "You're not going to get anyone more influential and powerful in this country on television, and I think she'd be great," says Nick.

But as names of next season's possible celebrity contestants start to fly-and Nick prepares to meet his new partner next week-we can only wait and see if his wish will come true. And as for the rapid growth and rising popularity of ballroom dance in the mainstream media, we can only look forward to the best.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this to happen!" says Nick, excitedly, as he flashes his immediately contagious smile.

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For more about Nick, visit the DWTS website.

Visit Nick's shop, LeNique.

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© 2006 NYUSABDA. All rights reserved.