Design meets dance

Ireland made her debut as a dancer Monday evening as a contestant on this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC. Her partner is Tony Dovolani, who has appeared on the show for the past eight seasons and placed third last season when paired with reality star Melissa Rycroft.

Ireland said she decided to participate in the show because she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with a world-champion dancer, even though the thought of dancing terrifies her.

Additional, she felt the show was a great opportunity to support her charities including the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation, Feed the Children and Alliance for Christian Education. “Every penny goes to the charities that are close to my heart.”

More importantly, she said the members of her business family have agreed to match whatever she contributes.

It also provided her with a chance to share her passion for her family and her work with Dovolani.

As he is teaching her the finer points of ballroom dancing, she is sharing her wisdom about home decorating with him.

During last week’s home-furnishings tradeshow at World Market Center Las Vegas, Dovolani accompanied Ireland as they visited 10 showrooms that are part of the Kathy Ireland Worldwide business family.

In between visits, they rehearsed their routines and shopped for furniture and accessories for the home.

Dovolani and his wife, Lina, are about to purchase a new house and Ireland has been offering advice.

“She has designed so much — everything from A to Z as far as the home is concerned. We are so blessed to have her in our life,” Dovolani said.

Ireland said she was amazed at how different, yet similar their careers were.

“Our worlds are very different in some ways and in others they are very similar,” she said. “I was a big surprise to me at how much common ground we had.

“Tony is a designer. Everything he does has a design to it. As a choreographer, he sees the music and how the steps will match they rhythm. He also has to work with Emmy Award-winning costume designer Randall Christensen and knows what (costume pieces) needs to move with the dancer and how to see the sparkles and shine.”

Ireland also is designing for the show. She will create jewelry to match her dance costumes.

“Dancing was like a foreign language to me. He has worked so hard with me and really overcome any excuses why I thought this would never be possible,” she said. “He has such amazing teaching skills. He has taken elements of my business life and translated them into dance,” Ireland said.

“Kathy is a true professional,” Dovolani responded. “She is a great example of how a mom should conduct herself. I hope to show her passion for her family on the dance floor.”

They performed on the show Tuesday night, and two couples were set to be eliminated Wednesday, after press time.