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Bass Hitches On 'Dancing' Star

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By WALT BELCHER wbelcher@tampatrib.com

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 15, 2009

Updated:

Lance Bass says his recent gig on "Dancing With the Stars" put him back in the spotlight and gave him a "little taste" of what it was like during 'N Sync's glory days.

"Prior to 'Dancing,' I had mostly been working behind the scenes as a producer; it was fun to have an audience again," he said during a recent telephone interview.

After winning over millions of new fans thanks to the ABC reality competition, he's itching to try a solo singing career.

But before he hangs up his dancing shoes, he's on the road with the "Dancing with the Stars" stage tour.

Bass, Cody Linley, Toni Braxton and Maurice Greene from the show's seventh season and Marlee Matlin from the sixth will be performing at the Forum on Thursday night with professional dancers Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Mark Ballas, Derek Hough, Kym Johnson, Lacey Schwimmer, Edyta Sliwinska, Karina Smirnoff and Fabien Sanchez.

The 29-year-old says he danced when he was on the road in 2001 with the boy band, but it was nothing like the moves he had to make on "Dancing." And at one point during the season, he had to dance with a broken toe. "It was painful," he recalls.

'N Sync, formed in Orlando in 1995, sold more than 56 million records before it disbanded in 2002 and its members - Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Bass - went their separate ways.

Fatone's appearance on "Dancing" in 2007 revived his career. Bass became a crowd favorite, too, finishing in third place with partner Lacey Schwimmer.

Model/actress Brooke Burke won and former NFL standout and ex-Tampa Bay Buccaneer Warren Sapp came in second.

Bass says Sapp was great and they became friends off camera. "He talks tough but he's a lot of fun and that big guy can move."

Neither Sapp nor Burke is on the tour.

"It's more about letting the professional dancers show what they can do," Bass says. "Because we're not in competition now, we all just go out there and perform and have fun. I'm in six numbers."

He says that on television viewers only see a fraction of the dances. "I love to watch the professionals on this tour because they are incredible, the best of the best."

The show runs about two and a half hours. At some performances, Bass has broken into a little of 'N Sync's "Bye Bye Bye" and audiences howl when he declares his love for Cloris Leachman, this year's oddball celebrity dancer.

After the tour ends in February, Bass will head back to his Lance Bass Productions. He recently produced an ABC Family network romantic comedy, "Lovewrecked," starring Amanda Bynes, Chris Carmack, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Jonathan Bennett.

He also wants to record an album "just for fun."

EVENT PREVIEW

Dancing With the Stars

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday

WHERE: The Forum, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa

TICKETS: $52.25, $67.75, $97.75, and $127.75 plus service charges; call Ticketmaster at (813) 287-8844 or (727) 898-2100

INFO: Call (813) 301-2500 or go to www.stpetetimesforum

.com

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813 259-7654 or wbelcher@tampatrib.com.

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