Choreographer Carrie Ann Inaba has been a prominent figure in the dance industry since the early 1990s, having performed on the live sketch comedy series In Living Color, and touring with Grammy-winning pop sensation Madonna.  More recently, she has gained much fame as one of the staple judges on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, and is now gearing up to appear on its spin-off, Dance War, with fellow choreographer Bruno Tonioli and music celebrity Drew Lachey.

Inaba's fame and popularity are well-deserved, but the 38-year-old makes it a point not to get too caught up in her celebrity, nor take it for granted.

“I always tell people that this recognition is quite relative.  They say ‘Oh, you're doing so well now,' but I'm a believer that I'm here today, but I could be gone by tomorrow,” Carrie Ann Inaba told Bankrate.com.  “There's a day this will all end, but I'll still be me. I don't get too wrapped up in it.  In this business, I'm an independent contractor whether I'm on a No.1 show today or not, so I'm always going to have to make sure I have a roof over my head and food on my plate.”

However, judging by the direction her career is taking, it seems Carrie Ann Inaba doesn't really have too much to worry about just yet.  Early next year, she'll be going up against Tonioli on Dance War, where they will each be coaching and choreographing a team to become the ultimate performance group.

The show will be another opportunity for Inaba to showcase her talent in dance, an art form that she says serves as a tool for self-expression.

“It's a heightened sense of being alive for me when I dance,” she said.  “It's about letting my emotions go, letting all the stress of the day go and being completely in the present.  It's just you and the music when you dance.”

Catch Carrie Ann Inaba on Dance War, premiering January 7 on ABC.


-Lisa Claustro, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Bankrate.com
(Image Courtesy of starbulletin.com)