Post by MFWalkoff on Sept 19, 2018 6:04:36 GMT
Danelle Umstead
Season 27
Paired with Artem Chigvintsev
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At the age of 13, Danelle Umstead was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a genetic eye condition where the retina progressively degenerates and eventually causes blindness. She has no central vision and is losing her peripheral vision. Currently, her spotted vision limits her sight to less than five feet without any detail. Her father, Peter, first introduced her to adaptive skiing in 2001. Skiing not only gave Danelle her life back, it also led to meeting her husband Rob while skiing in Taos, New Mexico in 2005. Her severe vision requires her to ski with a guide, a job in which Rob has taken on since the summer of 2008. As her guide, Rob skis a few feet in front of Danelle and acts as her "eyes" on the course. As Team Vision4Gold, Danelle and Rob have won 3 Paralympic Bronze Medals, 4 World Championship Medals and over 50 Alpine Skiing World Cup medals. Danelle and Rob made history at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games as the first husband and wife visually impaired ski race team to compete and medal for Team USA. They earned Bronze Medals in both the downhill and super combined events in Vancouver and ended that season with the overall and Super G World Cup titles. The duo also earned a Bronze Medal in the super combined at the 2014 Sochi Winter Paralympic Games.
Artem Chigvintsev
Artem Chigvintsev was born in the military town of Izhevsk in the former Soviet Union, where he often skied cross-country to school across the harsh Russian landscape. At 13, Chigvintsev discovered his passion for dance when his parents enrolled him in classes at the local dance academy. He quickly displayed prodigious talent and knew that in order to fulfill his potential he needed to leave Izhevsk for greener pastures.
First in Moscow, then in Germany and England, Chigvintsev honed his craft until he earned a spot in 2010 as a professional dancer on the U.K. smash hit Strictly Come Dancing, which he won with celebrity partner Kara Tointon. After four successful seasons on the show, he jumped at an offer from the producers of Dancing with the Stars to come to Los Angeles in 2014 and begin his new journey in the U.S. He has been paired with a series of buzzworthy partners on DWTS, including iconic actress Lea Thompson, superstar songbird Patti LaBelle, starlet Mischa Barton of The O.C. fame, America's sweetheart Maureen McCormick, and most recently, Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan.
In his downtime, he loves to cook and is passionate about motorcycles. Staying in shape is also a major priority for Chigvintsev, who enjoys hiking and outdoor activities.
Dancing with the Stars Season 27 Cast Revealed - ABC.com