‘Dancing With the Stars’ tour coming to Glendale

Harry Hamlin’s agents were against his being on the ABC reality show “Dancing With the Stars.” Their argument, he says, was that many celebrity reality shows come across as the last grasps at stardom.

Hamlin, the actor best known for his stint on “L.A. Law,” followed his agent’s advice for the first two seasons of “Dancing With the Stars.” But he changed his mind after his wife, actress Lisa Rinna, competed during the second season of the show. He decided to compete on the show for its third season.

He didn’t win, but he had a great time. So he signed on to be part of “Dancing With the Stars — The Tour” and is dancing around the country in a show that comes Friday to the Valley.

The celebrity cast varies a little from stop to stop, but those in Friday’s lineup also will include Joey McIntyre, Drew Lachey and Joey Lawrence. They will join professional dancers Cheryl Burke, Kym Johnson, Louis Van Amstel, Edyta Sliwinska, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff.

The TV show averaged more than 19 million viewers each week and was consistently among the top five mostwatched shows on television.

Burke teamed with singer Drew Lachey and retired football player Emmitt Smith to win the second and recently concluded third seasons on “Dancing With the Stars.”

“It was exciting to dance with them,” Burke says during a tour practice break. “They were two guys who wanted to win from the beginning.”

They were also two guys not known for their dance skills. However, Lachey showed off some footwork as a member of 98 Degrees.

And Smith certainly danced his way through many a defensive line as a running back with the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals.

Burke will be partnered with Lachey during the tour (Smith isn’t on the tour). She says the secret to dance, like any other challenge, is mostly mental.

“If you believe in yourself, you can go far. In the case of celebrities, their instinct is not to dance. It was my job to make them feel comfortable,” Burke says. “I know it sounds corny, but it is a great feeling helping turn someone with no experience into a dancer.”

To Hamlin, winning wasn’t important, but learning to dance was a personal challenge.

“I never agreed to do the show as a competitor. I knew I had no chance in hell of me winning. I am 55. What I wanted was to get into physical shape,” Hamlin says during a break from tour rehearsals.

“I had seen Lisa do it and seen what that challenge had done for her spirit and her body. It was a very transformational moment for her. Having seen that, I thought maybe I could use that myself.”

There was only one negative. As an actor, Hamlin has dealt with reviews of his work from critics. On “Dancing With the Stars” he faced the show’s panel of judges each week and heard criticism directly.

Despite that, Hamlin didn’t lose his enthusiasm because he always had wanted to learn to dance but had never taken the time.

He has been working fairly steadily as an actor in movies and on TV for 30 years.

He quickly learned the downside of waiting so long to take the dance floor.

“My body has never moved that way in 55 years. Trying to sway your hips and move was a real challenge,” Hamlin says. “I think my body is more suited to the smooth dances.”

Hamlin has been getting help from his touring partner, five-time national champion Karina Smirnoff.

“She is so good that she makes everything look so effortless. I can tell you if I was her and had a partner like me, I would be frustrated. But she has just been so helpful,” Hamlin says.

'Dancing with the Stars - The Tour'

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Where: Jobing.com Arena, 9400 W. Maryland Ave. Glendale

Cost: $48.50 to $95

Information: (623) 772-3200 or www.glendalearenaaz.com