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Dancing Queens’ Sabrina Strasser Clashes with Partner: Their Relationship, Explained
They may be deadly on the dance floor, but the drama between partners Sabrina Strasser and Stanislav Kochergin continues off the floor, too.
Sabrina Strasser and her long-time dance partner, Stanislav Kochergin, fight for first place on the dance floor each Pro-Am competition on Dancing Queens — but the fighting usually doesn’t end there.
Their regular bickering is as much part of the dance couple’s signature as their flawless dance moves.
“Stas and I fight like husband and wife. It’s a power struggle all the time,” Sabrina said. “He doesn’t think of me as an equal and that causes problems for us because I do.”
Sabrina Strasser's Relationship with Stas, Explained
In the ballroom, Sabrina and Stas are a force to be reckoned with, often taking home top honors at competitions across the United States, but the drama has taken its toll at least once, eventually forcing the pair to take a year-and-a-half break from each other.
“From the minute we met, Stas promised me, 'I will make you a champion,' and to this day, I’ve won every major competition at least once,” Sabrina said in Dancing Queens. “But it just came to a point where we had to stop dancing before I stabbed him in the eye with the heel of my shoe.”
By the time Dancing Queens premiered, Sabrina and Stanislav — who she calls “Stas” — reconciled as dance partners but their latest run has definitely not been drama-free.
Tension reached an all-time high at a competition in Atlanta when a flustered Sabrina suddenly stopped dancing during a singles competition after making a misstep during the jive.
“I am so pissed how Stas is leading me right now,” she’d later explain. “He’s dancing so fast that I can’t even catch up. I’m not sure what he’s thinking.”
They pulled it together enough to finish out the round in front of the judges before squaring off outside the ballroom as the other Dancing Queens cast members and their partners watched in stunned silence.
“Don’t even give me sh-t right now!” Sabrina told him. “I don’t understand, you’re yanking me! I can’t even stay on my two feet!”
“Calm down!” Stas replied.
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“You throw me in the corner to do kicks off the stage,” Sabrina continued.
“Calm down,” Stas continued to urge her. “Calm down right now.”
As the professional dancer in the partnership, Stas has earned his own titles and trophies and runs the Canadian dance studio Dance With Us, something he’s quick to remind Sabrina of during the heated fight.
“First of all, respect [the] professional who is dancing beside you,” he told her. “First of all. And when you respect me, we will talk.”
“I’m respecting you, but you started yelling at me!” Sabrina responded.
A frequent complaint of Stas’ during their many rehearsals is that Sabrina won’t let him lead her in their routines and wants to do things her own way.
In Atlanta, Stas told Sabrina he felt like she was quick to blame him, adding “Blame yourself sometimes, at least.”
Sabrina admitted she was “slipping” during the jive, but still contended that Stas had used too much of his strength so that she couldn’t control her movements.
The pair got it together enough to continue to the open finals, where they placed second, but it was obvious that tension still remained.
“It was not our best dance. Your brain was not here,” Stas told her after the disappointing finish.
“OK, I’m going to stop you,” said Sabrina, who skipped her daughter’s gymnastic competition with her family to attend the competition. “It’s 10:30 p.m. at night, I miss the girls, I felt guilty, like, whatever.”
Sabrina’s struggle to fit in dance among her commitments to her husband, Ronnie, and two young daughters is a constant struggle for her during the show.
The heated exchange between Stas and Sabrina was just par for the course for these two, but their lengthy dance partnership is also built on a lot of respect.
In April, Sabrina took to Facebook to wish Stas a happy birthday, sharing a photo of the pair together smiling.
“Happy birthday to you Stas!!” she wrote. “Even after 12 years dancing together, the best is yet to come!! Wishing you only health, happiness and success!!”
She also penned an open letter to her dance floor partner complete with a photo of the two battling it out on the dance floor.
“Dear Stas, While it looks like I’m yelling at you in this picture (actually, it could be) And knowing that in fact, that is our reputation, one should know that I only have gratitude and the utmost respect for you,” she wrote. “Three years ago, I thought our partnership was over, meanwhile it just took a massive turn which allowed us to continue our journey. I want to take a moment to recognize that without you, my dreams would not have been possible.”
Sabrina acknowledged that not everyone in their lives has agreed with their decision to “document our personal experiences” on Dancing Queens, but she said she felt “indebted” to the pro for his willingness to take a chance on the show.
“It takes courage, risk and loyalty to do this with me and for that I am forever grateful. I couldn’t imagine doing this with anyone else,” she wrote in May. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope tonight and the for the next 7 weeks, you reap the benefits of a true champion.”
Later that month, Sabrina shared a short video of the two in rehearsals writing, “Werkkkinggg hard!!” proving that despite the battles, these two are still committed to their quest to be the best on the dance floor.
