Karina's new dance studio, Karina Smirnoff Dance, now open in Woodland Hills, CA helps engaged couples prepare for their first dance while they have lots of fun keeping their romance alive through the wedding planning process.

Karina Smirnoff’s Wedding Words of Wisdomtm   - Live to love and love to live.

According to Karina, dancing is medically proven to produce happy hormones.  Dancing is Karina’s passion and she uses it to tell a story, a form of self-expression.

Karina’s advice about the first dance… You are in the bubble. That bubble only includes you two. You have given people an opportunity to witness that special moment. You can't possible be nervous and afraid ... because this is about you. And the other people are just there, honored to be sharing your special moment with you. Remember that you're dancing together for each other. Nobody else. And everyone else is grateful to be witnessing that special moment of love.

In her new dance studio, Karina Smirnoff Dance, Karina creates a sense of family and community, a place for couples to gain confidence  for their wedding dance, a place for new moms to nurture their bodies and spirits and a place for young kids to learn the discipline and determination of dance, whether to become professionals or simply to maintain a healthy life.

Karina Smirnoff shares her thoughts on dance....

Life is a dance and dance is life. It is a wedding of movement to the music. An art skillfully created into something beautifully pleasing to the eye. Dance is the most ancient form of communication and throughout history has stirred emotions, inspired nations, ignited imaginations, and captured hearts and souls.

For the past seven years, Karina Sminoff has made her mark on primetime television, as one of the professional dancers on ABC's top rated program, Dancing with the Stars. She came to the series during season three with a plethora of accomplishments including five U.S. National Championships, the U.S. Open, the Asian Open and the U.K. Open. Smirnoff was even ranked number two in the world. In June 2009 she made her Broadway Debut in the show Burn the Floorwhich opened to rave reviews and sold out performances.

Smirnoff's skills are not merely physical. She studied diligently at Fordham University in New York and earned two degrees - a B.A. in Economics and in Information Systems Programming.

In December 2010, she released her first fitness DVD, Shape up with Karina Smirnoff. The dance inspired DVD focuses on toning, strengthening & muscle confusion; all with the goal of achieving a dancer's body.  Karina has recently opened her first dance studio in Los Angeles, incorporating competitive and social classes, as well as a scholarship program directly related to her charity Dance Intervention - A division of Alternative Intervention Models.