Pavel "Pasha" Kovalev (; born 19 January 1980) is a Russian professional Latin and ballroom dancer.
Kovalev started dancing at the age of eight, and in 2000, moved to the United States with his professional dance partner Anya Garnis. In 2007, the couple competed on the third season of the American version of So You Think You Can Dance,Pasha Kovalev on his journey from Siberia to Strictly Come Dancing Liverpool Echo 22 March 2013. and they have since participated in the eight subsequent seasons as either choreographers or All-Star partners to the contestants.
Between 2011 and 2012, Kovalev moved to the United Kingdom to take part in the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer. After finishing runner-up on both the ninth and tenth series with celebrity partners Chelsee Healey and Kimberley Walsh, he went on to win series twelve with his partner Caroline Flack. Despite facing backlash over her past dance experience and landing in the bottom two three times, he and his celebrity partner, Ashley Roberts, eventually finished as runners-up on the sixteenth series, even becoming the highest scorers in the show’s history – with an average of 36.9 – and holding the record until the twenty-second series, when they were topped by Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, who achieved an average of 37.3; they also broke the record for the most perfect scores – with a total of five – which they still hold. Kovalev announced that it was his final series on the show as he had decided to "go to the west end" after " 7 series ".
Early life and competitive career Kovalev began dancing at the age of eight. Until 2000, he competed with partner Anya Garnis in the Amateur Latin category in Russia.
After moving to the US, Kovalev and Garnis turned professional, and from 2002 started competing in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Their competitive achievements include being finalists in the US Open from 2002 to 2006.
So You Think You Can Dance In 2007, Kovalev and Garnis auditioned for season 3 of the US reality show So You Think You Can Dance. Garnis made it to the Top 12 stage, whereas Kovalev made it all the way to the Semi-Finals. The pair have since participated in all following seasons as either choreographers or as All-Stars.
Season 3: Contestant
Although originally he only attended the audition to support Anya Garnis, he was asked to audition as well and together with Garnis became one of the 20 contestants chosen to compete in the show's third season from June to August 2007.
After making it all the way to the semi-finals, Kovalev was eliminated on 13 August, in the last round before the final, losing out to the two remaining male contestants, contemporary contestants Danny Tidwell and Neil Haskell. Sabra Johnson, the remaining female contemporary contestant, went on to win the competition. Kovalev and Garnis both later took part in the So You Think You Can Dance Tour.
WeekPartnerStyleMusicChoreographer(s)Results1Jessi Peralta Smooth Waltz "Come Away With Me"— Norah Jones Tony Meredith Safe2Jazz"Stiff Jazz" – dZihan & KamienTyce DiorioBottom Three3Cha Cha"Let's Get Loud" – Jennifer LopezTony MeredithMelanie LaPatinSafe4Sara Von GillernWest Coast Swing"The Rockafeller Skank" – Fatboy SlimBenji SchwimmerHeidi GroskreutzSafe5Jazz"Body Language" – QueenMandy MooreSafe6Lauren GottliebHip-Hop"Fuego" – PitbullShane SparksSafe7Sabra JohnsonBroadway"A Wild Wild Party" – The Wild PartyTyce Diorio SafeQuickstep"Mr Pinstripe Suit" – Big Bad Voodoo DaddyTony MeredithMelanie LaPatin8 Lacey SchwimmerHip-Hop"In The Morning" – Junior BoysDave Scott TOP SIXSmooth Waltz"A Daisy in December" – Winifred Horan & Mick McAuleyHunter Johnson
Seasons 4–11: Choreographer
On Season 4, Kovalev assisted Mia Michaels on a Contemporary routine, and he and his partner Anya Garnis choreographed a Cha-Cha routine performed by Courtney Galiano and Gev Manoukian.
On Season 5, Kovalev and Garnis choreographed a Samba for Evan Kasprzak and Randi Evans.
On Season 6, he and Garnis returned to So You Think You Can Dance to lead the choreography rounds during the auditions, and later that season choreographed a Jive for Russell Ferguson and Mollee Gray.
Kovalev was announced as an "All-Star" for both Season 7 and Season 8 of the show, performing all the Latin and Ballroom dances with the female contestants, including winners Lauren Froderman and Melanie Moore.
For Season 9, the following year, he returned to choreograph a Cha-cha routine for contestants Janelle Issis and Dareian Kujawa on the third week of live shows.
Finally, on 16 July 2014, Kovalev returned with Garnis to choreograph a new Jive routine for contestants Bridget Whitman and Emilio Dosal during Season 11.
Strictly Come Dancing
In September 2011, Kovalev joined BBC's Strictly Come Dancing as the new professional dancer of its ninth series, replacing Jared Murillo who had left after only one series with the BBC programme. He has since reached the finals three out of five series, finishing runner-up on his first and second series, and winning on his fourth.
Statistics and Strictly records
Kovalev was the second Strictly professional dancer to reach the finals four times (after Kevin Clifton) as the winner of Series 12 and the runner-up of Series 9, Series 10 and Series 16.
Along with his Series 12 partner, the late Caroline Flack, and Series 16 partner Ashley Roberts, Kovalev holds the record for the longest consecutive run of perfect scores, after scoring a 40 for each of their last four dances. Flack and Kovalev were also the first to receive a perfect score for all three of their dances in the final. With Roberts, Kovalev holds the record for most maximum scores of 40, by any couple, with five. Kovalev also holds the record for most perfect scores, with a total of 13. Series Celebrity partner Dances Highest Lowest 10s 40s Score average Place9Chelsee Healey16 402718135.25 2nd10Kimberley Walsh152620334.6011Rachel Riley630200025.3311th12Caroline Flack16402723435.131st13Carol Kirkwood722130018.0010th14Naga Munchetty425230023.7512th15Chizzy Akudolu221160018.5015th16Ashley Roberts16402932536.942ndTOTAL824013941332.27 Key Winner of the series Runner-up of the series Non finalist First elimination of the series Participating
Kovalev has received the highest score in the history of Strictly Come Dancing for nine of the show's eighteen dance styles - eight of which except for the Rumba achieved perfect scores - and was the first Strictly professional dancer to receive a perfect score for the Paso Doble and also for the Tango. Furthermore, he has received a ten from at least one of the judges for all of the show's dance styles, except the Waltz.
The dance styles for which he holds the record for the highest score ever awarded are the Paso Doble and the Rumba, with Series 9 partner Chelsee Healey; the Charleston and the Tango, with Series 10 partner Kimberley Walsh; the Salsa, the Cha Cha Cha, the Charleston and the Showdance, with Series 12 partner Caroline Flack; and the Jive, the American Smooth, the Salsa, the Showdance and the Charleston with Series 16 partner Ashley Roberts. Kovalev and Walsh also received the only perfect score for the Series 10 Fusion dance, dancing to a mashup of the Cha Cha Cha and the Tango.
Highest and lowest scoring performances per dance Dance Partner Highest Partner Lowest American SmoothAshley Roberts 40 Carol Kirkwood 17 Argentine Tango Caroline Flack 39 Chelsee Healey 35 Cha Cha Cha 40 Carol Kirkwood 16 Charleston Kimberley WalshCaroline FlackAshley Roberts Naga Munchetty 24Contemporary Ashley Roberts 39 Foxtrot Chizzy Akudolu 16 Jive 40 Kimberley Walsh 34 Paso Doble Chelsee Healey Rachel RileyCarol Kirkwood 22 Quickstep 39 Carol Kirkwood 17 Rumba 13 Salsa Caroline FlackAshley Roberts 40 Rachel Riley 20 Samba Ashley Roberts 37 Caroline Flack 32 Showdance Caroline FlackAshley Roberts 40 Chelsee Healey 36 Tango Kimberley Walsh Naga Munchetty 25 Viennese Waltz 39 Carol Kirkwood 21 Waltz Caroline Flack 31 Naga Munchetty 23 Scores earned on Christmas or any other specials are not included; Green and Red numbers indicate the scores that were the best and worst per dance in Strictly history; Kovalev received an additional perfect score (40) for a Fusion dance of the Cha Cha Cha and Tango with Series 10 partner Kimberley Walsh.
Number of tens received per dance between series 9 and 16 Dance 10s Dance 10s Dance 10s Dance 10s Dance 10s American Smooth 11 Argentine Tango 3 Cha Cha Cha 4 Charleston 25 Foxtrot 7 Jive 15 Paso Doble 5 Quickstep 7 Rumba 3 Salsa 12 Samba 1 Showdance 15 Tango 4 Viennese Waltz 3 Waltz 0 10s earned on Christmas or any other specials are not included; Kovalev received 4 additional 10s for a Fusion dance of the Cha Cha Cha and Tango with Series 10 partner Kimberley Walsh.
All marks received per dance between series 9 and 16 Dance 10s 9s 8s 7s 6s 5s 4s 3s 2s 1s American Smooth (danced 6 times)7643021100 Argentine Tango (danced 2 times)3410000000 Cha Cha Cha (danced 9 times)40612733010 Charleston (danced 7 times)18601210000Contemporary (danced 1 time)3100000000 Foxtrot (danced 6 times)4622333100 Fusion* (danced 1 time)4000000000 Jive (danced 5 times)11720000000 Paso Doble (danced 6 times)6451521000 Quickstep (danced 7 times)5746032100 Rumba (danced 4 times)31030002110 Salsa (danced 6 times)8453121000 Samba (danced 4 times)11061000000 Showdance (danced 4 times)11500000000 Tango (danced 6 times)4396110000 Viennese Waltz (danced 5 times)3337211000 Waltz (danced 4 times)0037510000TOTAL (66 dances)96785148191914420 Marks earned on Christmas or any other specials are not included; * This style of dance was introduced for one series only and was performed as a mashup of the Cha Cha Cha and Tango on Week 10 of Series 10, receiving a perfect score from the judges.
Series 9: Chelsee Healey
In the ninth series, his first, Kovalev was partnered with Waterloo Road actress, Chelsee Healey.
The couple received the-then only perfect score ever awarded for the Paso Doble and made it all the way to the finals, finishing as runners-up to Harry Judd and his partner Aliona Vilani.McFly's Harry Judd wins Strictly Come Dancing The Telegraph, 18 December 2011
Week Dance / Song Judges' score Result HorwoodGoodman(Grey*)DixonTonioliTotal1Waltz / "See the Day"767727No Elimination2Salsa / "Higher"778729Safe3Cha Cha Cha / "Beggin'"688830Safe4Quickstep / "Sing Sing Sing"999936Safe5Tango / "Love Potion No. 9"789832Safe6Charleston / "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue"99*9936Safe7Foxtrot / "Doesn't Mean Anything"9810936Safe8Samba / "Spice Up Your Life"899935Safe9Argentine Tango / "Una Musica Brutal"899935SafeSwing Marathon / "Chattanooga Choo Choo"Awarded6JudgesPoints4110Jive / "I'm a Believer"910101039Safe11American Smooth / "Time After Time"8910936SafePaso Doble / "Malagueña"101010104012Jive / "I'm a Believer"910101039RUNNERS UPShowdance / "One Night Only"999936Rumba / "Because of You"910101039Quickstep / "Sing Sing Sing"910101039 Green number indicates Chelsee & Pasha were at the top of the leaderboard. Red number indicates Chelsee & Pasha were at the bottom of the leaderboard.
Series 10: Kimberley Walsh
For the tenth series, it was revealed that he would be dancing with Girls Aloud singer Kimberley Walsh.Strictly Come Dancing 2012: Kimberley Walsh and Pasha Kovalev in training The Telegraph, 21 September 2012
The couple received the first perfect score ever awarded for the Tango and made it all the way to the finals, finishing as the runners-up to Olympic gymnast Louis Smith and his partner Flavia Cacace.Girls Aloud star finishes runner up Mirror Online, 24 December 2012
By coming second, Pasha became the first male professional dancer to reach two consecutive Strictly finals, and the third professional dancer to do so overall after Lilia Kopylova and Aliona Vilani.