What We Know About New Dancing With The Stars Pro Koko Iwasaki

Dancing With the Stars season 31 will feature many exciting changes, and one of them is the addition of a new professional dancer, Koko Iwasaki. On September 19, the show will make the unprecedented move from ABC to the streaming service, Disney+. Hosted by Tyra Banks and Alfonso Ribeiro, season 31 welcomes back judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli, and Derek Hough.

The Dancing With the Stars cast has been announced, and there are many familiar faces among the professional dancers. Reigning champion Daniella Karagach will dance with Joseph Baena. Other pairs to watch include Sasha Farber and Selma Blair, Witney Carson and Wayne Brady, Cheryl Burke and Sam Champion, Mark Ballas and Charli D’Amelio, and Artem Chigvintsev and Heidi D’Amelio. Also in the cast are Alan Bersten and Jessie James Decker, Emma Slater and Trevor Donovan, Britt Stewart and Daniel Durant, Pasha Pashkov and Teresa Giudice, and Louis van Amstel and Cheryl Ladd. Other duos are Peta Murgatroyd and Jason Lewis, Gleb Savchenko and Shangela, Brandon Armstrong and Jordin Sparks, and Val Chmerkovskiy and Gabby Windey. The newest dancer, Koko, will be partnered with Vinny Guadagnino of Jersey Shore fame.

According to the Dance & Co. website (a dance studio she once worked at), Koko was born Koine Iwasaki in Kanagawa, Japan. She moved with her family to the United States when she was two years old. Koko began dancing at age two-and-a-half in South Florida, and stayed with the same studio for 18 years. While she was there, she trained in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop, but she did not know ballroom dancing. She became a professional dancer at age 16. When she joined So You Think You Can Dance season 14 at age 21, she met Kiki Nyemchek, her current boyfriend, and he taught her all about ballroom dancing. Now, she is “obsessed” with that dance style. The 25-year-old Dancing With the Stars pro said that when she was 6-years-old, she went from liking dance to wanting to dance for the rest of her life. She shared, “Dance makes me feel my most self, it makes me feel alive, and it gives me a purpose.”

Koko was the runner-up on So You Think You Can Dance season 14. Her genre was contemporary. She is now an all-star and mentor on the show. She has also worked with famous artists, including Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Jason Derulo, Becky G, Luis Fonsi, and Camila Cabello, and has danced in Luis and Maluma’s world tours. In addition, Koko has performed in dance tours, such as So You Think You Can Dance,and a tour with Maks Chmerkovskiy, Val, and Peta from Dancing With the Stars season 31. As well, she has appeared on television shows such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Lip Sync Battle, The Masked Dancer, and Empire.

She has performed at the Grammy Awards, Billboard Awards, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. In her personal life, Koko has talked about loving nature, and she spends lots of time outdoors. She also loves to meditate. However, most of all, Koko loves to cook. Both of her parents are chefs, so she has learned from them. Koko and Kiki have a dog named Shumai.

After 30 Dancing With the Stars seasons, it will be nice to see Koko bringing some new energy and talent to the ballroom. Her pairing with Vinny, who previously competed on The Masked Dancer, should be fun and exciting. Koko will be a welcome addition to the Dancing With The Stars family.

Dancing With the Stars season 31 premieres Monday, September 19 on Disney+.

Source: Dance & Co.