Is Derek Done Dancing?

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

02 Apr 2008 08:02 AM

Forget about Jessica Simpson... my boy Derek Hough was taken to the hospital for a real emergency.

Luckily, it wasn't serious enough to keep him from standing by his partner Shannon Elizabeth last night on Dancing with the Stars' results show, but still...

According to news reports, DWTS pro Hough injured his neck while he was rehearsing a routine with his sister Julianne and fellow Dancing pro Mark Ballas. Show producers say an ambulance was called and Hough was taken away on a stretcher as a precaution and sent to a nearby hospital for tests. Fortunately, doctors say the 22-year-old blonde only sustained a strained neck and he was given the okay to compete in next week's dance-off.

I'm glad to hear Hough is on the mend, though, if he was forced to sit out a few weeks I bet ousted pro Jonathan Roberts (he's the one who was paired with Monica Seles and when they got the boot last week he taught Steve Guttenberg the "man-go") would have happily stepped in to assist.

If you are a loyal Dancing fan and swear you can kick it better than Adam Carolla then Cheryl Burke wants to hear from you.

The two-time DWTS champ is following in the footsteps of other pro dancers (and celebrity contestants) on the show by opening her own dance studio in her hometown of San Francisco next month.

Drew Lachey's former partner (in perhaps more ways than one)is calling her new venture "Cheryl Burke Dance" and says the studio will be open to anyone who wants to learn how to shimmy and shake like her (despite their age or skill level).

Burke says opening a dance studio in her own backyard is a way for her to "give back to a city that has supported me throughout my career."

Even if you have no intention of signing up for classes, if you are in the San Francisco area on April 4th I would seriously consider heading over to Burke's studio. The 23-year-old dancing powerhouse announced that her former two-stepping partners Lachey and Emmitt Smith along with former Dancing contestant Jerry Rice, host Tom Bergeron and Burke's current star partner, Cristián de la Fuente will all be on hand for the studio's gala grand opening.

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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