Gleb Savchenko and Shangela at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Photo by Denise Truscello.
Professional ballroom dancer Gleb Savchenko of “Dancing with the Stars” chatted about his latest endeavors.
DWTS Live 2024 Tour
Most recently, Savchenko was a part of the DWTS Live 2024 Tour, and he loved being a part of it. “The tour was great; I had a blast,” he said. “We did 74 shows in many cities with tons of fans. Everybody had a blast because it was such a great tour, and it was sold-out.”
On January 16, 2024, he performed at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville on Long Island. “The Tilles Center show was awesome,” he exclaimed. “Every show was different due to the different places that we go to but we just love our fans, and their energy. I do feel the most comfortable when I am on stage; that’s for sure.”
Celebrity guest host at the Rio in Las Vegas
Savchenko has temporarily traded his ballroom dance shoes for the bowtie and cuffs for a limited engagement with the Chippendales as their celebrity emcee at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
This limited engagement runs through May 12, 2024. “Las Vegas has been great,” he said. “I just opened the show, and it is something very different than I have ever done before. The show is amazing, and it has been a different creative process.”
Joining the ‘World Tour’ cast for July shows in Atlantic City
In addition, Savchenko will join the “World Tour” cast of Chippendales as a celebrity guest host for six shows this summer (from July 18 to 21) at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“I am looking forward to Atlantic City in July because it will be held in a bigger venue, so that will be a lot of fun,” he said. “There will be a lot of fans there, so I cannot wait.”
Speaking of his dedicated fans, Savchenko expressed his appreciation to them. “Thank you to the fans for giving me so much love, and for being very supporting of anything that I do, and for coming to the shows. Everything I do, I do for my fans because without them, I am nothing. I just love them and they are awesome,” he expressed.
Working with Oscar winner Mira Sorvino as his celebrity partner on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
In the 32nd Season of “Dancing with the Stars,” which ran from late September to early December 2023, Savchenko was paired with Academy Award winner Mira Sorvino (“Mighty Aphrodite”), where they finished in 10th place. “Mira [Sorvino] is so sweet,” he said.
“I love Mira she is continuing to dance,” he said. “I love all my celebrity dance partners; they are all amazing in their own right.”
Working with Shangela on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Savchenko also had great words about working with Shangela as his dancing partner on “Dancing with the Stars,” where they finished in fourth place. “Shangela was awesome to work with. She has been very supportive and she has always been rooting for me,” he said.
“It was very rewarding to work with Shangela. We broke the rules and we made history together. She is very smart and has such positive energy and such a big heart. I just love her. Shangela is very creative and very intelligent,” he added.
Future plans
On his future plans, he shared, “I am very excited to go to Hong Kong to see my girls in July after the Atlantic City shows for a few weeks, and that is going to be a lot of fun.”
Great American Family films
This past October, Savchenko starred in the Great American Family rom-com “Swing Into Romance” alongside Danica McKellar and David Haydn-Jones. Bradley Walsh directed it from a screenplay by Marcy Holland. “That was another experience that was absolutely incredible,” he said.
“Danica McKellar is a wonderful actress and an amazing teacher and acting coach. Danica coached me for this movie, and she is just awesome,” he said.
Being a part of Great American Family
“The Great American Family network was awesome to be a part of and a great experience,” he said. “It was a lot of hard work, and definitely something that I’ve never done before. I enjoyed it because it was fun and rewarding.”
Choreography a new holiday movie for Great American Family
Savchenko will serves as a choreographer for the forthcoming Great American Family holiday movie “A Royal Christmas Ball,” which will star Danica McKellar and Oliver Rice. “Choreographing this is awesome,” he said.
“Right now, Danica is shooting another movie, which I choreographed,” he said. “Danica is an amazing dancer. She shoots a lot of movies about dance, she acts in them and performs in them. She is such a hard worker and a talented person. I have so much love for Danica and her family.”
“There is music and there is a different vibe for the movie,” he noted. “It’s a little bit different than choreographing for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ because this involves cameras. A lot of creativity goes into it and I working with Danica, who is a great partner. Overall, it is such a smooth ride.”
‘Salsa in the Sky’ event at Edge NYC
This past September, he shared that he enjoyed doing a “Salsa in the Sky” dance event at the Edge NYC on the 101st floor at Hudson Yards. “That event at the Edge NYC was fire,” he exclaimed. “It was so awesome. The energy in the room was electric.”
“I turned my simple salsa dance class into a Latin party by the end of that event, so that was awesome,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Savchenko said, “Self-love.” “In order for us to give love and share love, you need to find yourself and you need to understand who you really are and you need to be happy with yourself,” he said.
“Lately, I have been into meditation very heavily, where I meditate each morning for an hour,” he added.
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “My biggest achievement in life is my two kids. I love both of my girls. I’m a dad and they are such good kids. Also, success means being professional in my work. I just love working and I love doing things, and I am always hustling for the next project.”
To learn more about professional dancer Gleb Savchenko, follow him on Instagram and visit his YouTube channel.