Keo Motsepe

Last updated

Keo Motsepe
Keo Motsepe on RealTVfilms.jpg
Motsepe in 2015
Born
Keoikantse Motsepe

(1989-11-24) 24 November 1989 (age 34)
OccupationDancer
Employer ABC
Television Dancing with the Stars

Keoikantse Motsepe (born 24 November 1989) is a South African dancer. His dancing styles are Latin and Ballroom. [1] He is known for being the first black professional dancer on the ABC show Dancing with the Stars .

Contents

Life and career

Motsepe started his career at 11 years of age by entering into in a competitive dance scene representing his country. In 2012, Motsepe joined the cast of Burn the Floor. In 2014, it was announced that Motsepe would join the cast of pro dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

Dancing with the Stars

In season 19, Motsepe was paired up with Olympic athlete Lolo Jones. They were eliminated during the first week of competition, finishing in 13th place.

In season 20, Motsepe was paired up with model Charlotte McKinney. They were eliminated in the third week of competition, finishing in 11th place.

For season 21, he paired with Grammy Award-winning singer Chaka Khan. They were the first couple eliminated on the second week of competition, finishing in 13th place.

For season 22, he was partnered with Full House and Fuller House actress Jodie Sweetin. [2] The couple was eliminated in the eighth week of competition, despite being at the top of the leader board that week. They placed 6th overall. In a surprise challenge, judge Bruno Tonioli worked with Sweetin and eventual-winner Nyle DiMarco and their professional partners. During the sequence, the two celebrities swapped partners, seeing DiMarco and Motsepe dance the tango in ballroom hold, with both men shirtless, and Motsepe lift and twirl DiMarco. This was the first same-sex dancing included in the show's franchise world-wide. [3]

He returned to season 23 but as a troupe member.

For season 24, he returned as a pro dancer and was partnered with actress & comedian Charo. They were eliminated in the third week of competition, finishing in 11th place.

Motsepe returned for season 25 and is paired with Shark Tank panelist, Barbara Corcoran. They were the first couple eliminated on the second week of competition, finishing in 13th place.

For season 26, he was partnered with former Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch Daigle. They were eliminated on the third week of competition and finished in 4th place, tying with Chris Mazdzer and Mirai Nagasu and partners Witney Carson and Alan Bersten.

For season 27, he was paired with Harry Potter actress Evanna Lynch. The couple made it to the finals where they finished in 3rd place, marking Motsepe's best so far and also his first time in the finale. [4]

Motsepe appeared in season 28 as a pro dancer, but was not paired with a celebrity. He returned to compete again on season 29 where he is partnered with actress Anne Heche. They were eliminated in the fourth week of competition and finished in 13th place.

SeasonPartnerPlaceAverage
Score
19 Lolo Jones 13th22.0/40
20 Charlotte McKinney 12th23.3/40
21 Chaka Khan 13th14.0/30
22 Jodie Sweetin 6th24.5/30
24 Charo 11th23.3/40
25 Barbara Corcoran 13th15.5/30
26 Jennie Finch Daigle 4th22.0/30
27 Evanna Lynch 3rd26.7/30
29 Anne Heche 13th18.0/30

With Lolo Jones

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Tell Her"6655Eliminated

With Charlotte McKinney

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Jive / "Shake a Tail Feather"6556No Elimination
2 Cha-Cha-Cha / "California Gurls"7676Safe
3 Rumba / "Empire"6556Eliminated

With Chaka Khan

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha / "I Feel for You"544No Elimination
2 Foxtrot / "Chicago (That Toddlin' Town)"555Eliminated

With Jodie Sweetin

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Tango / "Confident"767No Elimination
2 Samba / "Bun Up the Dance"777Safe
3 Foxtrot / "Rise Up"878Last to be called safe
4 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Try Everything"76/717Last to be called safe
52 Paso Doble / "Under Control"98/939No Elimination
6 Contemporary / "Try"988Safe
7 Quickstep / "For Once in My Life"
Team Freestyle / "End of Time", "If I Were a Boy" & "Crazy in Love"
8
8
9
8
9
9
Safe
8 Jive / "Something's Got a Hold on Me"
Team-up Dance (Argentine Tango) / "Habanera"
10
10
10
10
10
94
Eliminated

1 Score given by guest judge Zendaya.
2 For this week only, as part of "America's Switch Up", Sweetin performed with Valentin Chmerkovskiy instead of Motsepe. Motsepe performed with Kim Fields.
3 Score given by guest judge Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
4 Due to Tonioli being the judge coaching Sweetin's team during the team-up dance, the viewers scored the dance in his place with the averaged score being counted alongside the remaining judges.

With Charo

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
InabaGoodmanHoughTonioli
1 Salsa / "Cuban Pete"6555No Elimination
2 Paso Doble / "España cañí"6676Last to be called safe
3 [5] Foxtrot / "Chapel of Love"6666Eliminated

With Barbara Corcoran

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Salsa / "Money Maker"545No Elimination
2 Tango / "Whatever Lola Wants"656Eliminated

With Jennie Finch Daigle

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Foxtrot / "All-American Girl"777Safe
2 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Do It Like This"
Team Freestyle / "Instant Replay"
6
9
7/71
9/101
6
9
Safe
3 Viennese Waltz / "The Rest of Our Life"
Cha-Cha-Cha Dance-Off / "Dance"
7
No
7/82
Extra
7
Points
Eliminated

1 Score given by guest judge Rashad Jennings.
2 Score given by guest judge David Ross.

With Evanna Lynch

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Goodman Tonioli
1 Foxtrot / "Do You Believe in Magic"756Safe
2 Samba / "Can't Touch It"
Jive / "Heat Wave"
8
8
8
8
8
8
Safe
3 Viennese Waltz / "Hedwig's Theme"999Safe
4Trio Salsa / "Black Magic"888Last to be called safe
5 Jazz / "When Will My Life Begin?"888No Elimination
6 Tango / "Disturbia"10910Safe
7 Rumba / "Every Little Thing"
Team Freestyle / "9 to 5"
10
10
10
9
10
10
Last to be called safe
8
Semi-finals
Contemporary / "Stand Up for Something"
Foxtrot / "Rewrite the Stars"
10
10
10
9
10
9
Safe
9
Finals
Tango / "Disturbia"
Freestyle / "It's Oh So Quiet"
10
10
10
10
10
10
Third Place

With Anne Heche

Week #Dance/SongJudges' scoreResult
Inaba Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Don't Start Now"666No Elimination
2 Foxtrot / "Counting Stars"666Safe
3 Quickstep / "Zero to Hero"555Bottom 2
4 Paso Doble / "Rise"777Eliminated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheryl Burke</span> American dancer, model and television host (born 1984)

Cheryl Burke is an American dancer, model, and television host. She is best known for being a professional dancer on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She was the first female professional to win the show and the first professional to win twice and also consecutively. She has participated in 26 seasons. She came in second on the NBC series I Can Do That. She replaced Abby Lee Miller on Dance Moms in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Dovolani</span> Albanian-American ballroom dancer, instructor, and judge

Driton Dovolani, commonly known as Tony Dovolani is an Albanian-American professional ballroom dancer, instructor and judge. He is known for his involvement in the American version of Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Dovolani also portrayed Slick Willy in the hit film Shall We Dance? and spent time coaching actress Jennifer Lopez.

Louis van Amstel is a Dutch-American ballroom dance champion, professional dancer, and choreographer who appears on the American reality television series Dancing with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karina Smirnoff</span> American professional ballroom dancer

Karina Smirnoff is a professional ballroom dancer. She is known as a professional dancer on Dancing with the Stars, where she won the thirteenth season with army veteran and soap opera star J. R. Martinez. She has also won two runner-up titles, a semifinal title, and several quarterfinal titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maksim Chmerkovskiy</span> American dancer

Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy is an American Latin–ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is widely known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars, on which he first appeared in season two. In his 17 seasons as a competing pro on the show, Chmerkovskiy made it to the final round five times, with two runner-up and two third-place finishes. On May 20, 2014, Chmerkovskiy, paired with Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis, won his first Dancing with the Stars title. Chmerkovskiy has also starred in the Broadway productions of dance shows Burn the Floor and Forever Tango.

Valentin Aleksandrovich "Val" Chmerkovskiy is a Ukrainian-American professional dancer, best known for his appearances on the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars, which he won three times. Chmerkovskiy is a two-time World Latin Dance Champion and a 14-time U.S. National Latin Dance champion.

Daniella Brittany Karagach Pashkova is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. She began her career in dancesport and rose to prominence as a contestant on the second season of World of Dance with her husband, Pasha Pashkov.

<i>Dancing with the Stars</i> (American TV series) season 12 Season of television series

Season twelve of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 21, 2011, on the ABC network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peta Murgatroyd</span> Australian and American professional Latin dancer

Peta Jane Murgatroyd is an Australian and American professional Latin dancer. She performed in the international tour of the dance production Burn the Floor, including its Broadway run. She is best known for her appearances on the American edition of Dancing with the Stars, which she and her partners have won twice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharna Burgess</span> Australian ballroom dancer

Sharna May Burgess is an Australian ballroom dancer who is best known for being a professional partner and troupe member on the ABC series Dancing with the Stars. She is the winner of season 27 of American television show Dancing with the Stars with her celebrity partner Bobby Bones, where she has also been a runner-up in several other seasons. She has also been a judge on the Australian version of the show since 2019, along with Craig Revel Horwood and Tristan MacManus.

Lindsay Arnold Cusick is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. She was a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance. She was a professional dancer and choreographer on Dancing with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Slater</span> British and American dancer

Emma Slater is a British professional dancer and choreographer. She is known for her appearances on Dancing with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witney Carson</span> American dancer and choreographer

Witney Capri Carson McAllister is an American professional Latin ballroom dancer and choreographer. She first gained attention in 2012, when the 18-year-old finished ladies' second runner-up in season nine of So You Think You Can Dance. Carson continued her professional dancing career in early 2013 as a troupe dancer in seasons 16 and 17 of Dancing with the Stars. She was promoted to professional partner in season 18. In season 19, she and her partner Alfonso Ribeiro were announced the winners on November 25, 2014, making her one of six professional dancers to win the mirror ball trophy within their first two seasons. For that season, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography. In 2019, she reunited with Ribeiro to co-host the reboot of Catch 21. Throughout her dance career, Carson has worked with dancers and choreographers such as Mia Michaels, Nappytabs, Travis Wall, Sonya Tayeh, Tyce Diorio, Mark Ballas, Derek Hough, and Stacey Tookey.

<i>Dancing with the Stars</i> (American TV series) season 18 Season of television series

Season eighteen of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 17, 2014, on the ABC network.

<i>Dancing with the Stars</i> (American TV series) season 19 Season of television series

Season nineteen of Dancing with the Stars premiered on September 15, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gleb Savchenko</span> Russian dancer, choreographer, and model

Gleb Savchenko is a Russian-American dancer, choreographer, and model, who is currently a professional dancer on the U.S. version of Dancing with the Stars. He previously appeared on the UK, Australian, and Russian versions of the show.

<i>Dancing with the Stars</i> (American TV series) season 22 Season of television series

Season twenty-two of Dancing with the Stars premiered March 21, 2016, on the ABC network.

Alexander Farber is an Australian and American professional dancer, known for his appearances as a pro and troupe member on Dancing with the Stars.

Jenna JohnsonChmerkovskiy is an American Latin and ballroom dancer and choreographer. She first gained attention in 2013, as she finished ladies' third runner-up on So You Think You Can Dance season 10. Johnson continued her professional dancing career on Dancing with the Stars, winning her second season with her partner, Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.

Alan Bersten is an American professional Latin and ballroom dancer. He was a contestant on the tenth season of So You Think You Can Dance and is currently a professional dancer and choreographer on Dancing with the Stars. He is the winner of season 28 of Dancing with the Stars with his celebrity partner, The Bachelorette star Hannah Brown.

References

  1. "Keoikantse Motsepe". burnthefloor.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  2. "Jodie Sweetin 1st Cast Reveal DWTS Season 22 - GMA". Youtube. March 2, 2016.
  3. Williams, Joe (May 10, 2016). "Dancing With The Stars features first same-sex dance routine". PinkNews . Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. Murphy, Desiree (September 12, 2018). "'Dancing With the Stars' Season 27 Cast Revealed -- Meet the Celebs and Their Pro Partners!". Entertainment Tonight . Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  5. "Dancing with the Stars".
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Dancing with the Stars (US) quarter-finalists
Season 22 (Spring 2016 with Jodie Sweetin)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Dancing with the Stars (US) last place
Season 19 (Fall 2014 with Lolo Jones)
Season 21 (Fall 2015 with Chaka Khan)
Season 25 (Fall 2017 with Barbara Corcoran)
Succeeded by