Pasha Kovalev

(When asked what inspired him to audition for So You Think You Can Dance) Pasha: My dance partner saw on the TV that auditions were going to happen and asked me if I wanted to participate. At the time, I was recovering from illness. I had real serious health issues at that point, so I said that I don't know if I will get strong enough. But she said, "Let's just try it," so we went, and now I'm on the show.

(When asked what the hardest part of So You Think You Can Dance was) Pasha: Preparation, practicing ... interviews. Probably to be able to stay focused, making sure that no matter what happens, to be positive and very open to everything. A lot of times we tend to doubt ourselves. When you start doing something you've never done before, it's easy to have doubts. You just got to stay away from the doubts and do your thing.

(When asked if he was hoping to be a celebrity) Pasha: A celebrity, no. Maybe more known in the dance world, that would be good. The main purpose is to just improve myself, just to get better in a different variety of dances, not just the ballroom. I really want to develop myself as a dancer.