GET READY FOR A FRESH BALLROOM BLITZ 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' RETURNS WITH NEW CELEBRITIES.

Byline: Valerie KuklenskiStaff Writer

ONE-TWO-THREE, four-five-six.

It's waltz day on the very full dance cards of Lisa Rinna and Tia Carrere, two contenders on the second season of ABC's talent show ``Dancing With the Stars.'' The competition returns tonight after a surprising debut last summer that made being suave and sophisticated cool again.

In a second-floor dance studio in West Hollywood, Rinna, host of ``Soap Talk,'' is working out with her pro partner, Louis van Amstel. In the reality contest's first run, van Amstel was paired with ex-``Bachelorette'' Trista Sutter. They were the first couple to be cut from the show, despite van Amstel's pedigree as the 2000 U.S Professional Latin Champion, among other achievements.

But that was then. Now, less than a week before their debut, he and Rinna are ready to run through their waltz, one of the few dances they have been able to nail down since rehearsals began in November. Unfortunately, neither one has the music tape.

No matter. Van Amstel begins with an audible count of the 3/4 time, but soon it's unnecessary. They have the melody playing in their heads, and they are in sync as they spin and twirl. She kicks high and plunges into graceful dips.

After the imaginary music stops and they bow in the direction of the audience and judges, Rinna, in knit pants and a cropped top, plops on the floor and immediately starts stretching out her kinks. Ballroom dancing is a very graceful activity, but as these contestants will tell you, total immersion in it isn't for sissies.

``Constant soreness,'' she says, describing her body's reaction to this new passion. ``I get up in the middle of the night and I take Aleve, if that tells you something. I've been taking hot baths in Epsom salts, having massages and going to the chiropractor, doing Pilates.''

Netherlands native van Amstel says before ``Dancing With the Stars,'' he hadn't taught someone with virtually no dance experience.

``But I also have never had anybody with no dance experience that learns that quick as a nonexperienced dancer,'' he said. Somehow he seems to be paying Rinna a compliment.

Down the hall, Carrere (``Wayne's World'') is taking a spin with her partner.

``I think I've lost my inner-ear balance at this point, with all the spins and turns,'' she says. ``You do it three or four times in rapid succession, and you don't know which way is left and which is right.''

If Carrere also does not know up from down, who could blame her? She has lost some serious sleep since giving birth to daughter Bianca in late September. Three months later, when many new moms would be easing themselves back into an exercise routine, she has found a great postpartum workout in the arms of Maksim Chmerkovskiy, a Latin dance specialist who teaches competitive dancing.

Carrere said she was surprised to get a call in mid-November from the show, offering her a turn at the special stardom that comes with lots of rhinestones, sequins and feathers. She politely declined - new baby and all.

``I happened to be sitting at lunch with two tango dancers, which was the beginning of the end for me, because they said, 'Of course you have to do this. It's great, it's a great workout, and it'll ease you back into your body.'

``So I'm like, 'Maybe this idea has merit. This could be great,' as opposed to, 'What the hell am I getting myself into?' - breast-feeding and lack of sleep and memorizing and trying to make your body do things it's never done before.''

Russian-born Chmerkovskiy admits he's taking it easy on Carrere. ``We don't have any super spins and lifts and splits and drops and everything,'' he says. ``I never found that necessary to present a dance, you know?

``So I think she is doing better than I expected - let me put it this way.''

``And that's saying a lot,'' Carrere adds, ``because to him, a compliment is, 'Well, that's not disgusting.' ''

While Carrere, Rinna and eight other famous nondancers - Jerry Rice, Stacy Keibler, Giselle Fernandez, George Hamilton, Kenny Mayne, Master P, Tatum O'Neal and Drew Lachey - work up a sweat in the studios, the ``Dancing With the Stars'' producers may be mopping their own brows about now.

Giddy over the show's water-cooler success last year, ABC - the ratings- ravenous network known for overplaying ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' - has upped its order. The number of couples competing has grown from six to 10, making for a longer run (and tonight's premiere will be two hours long, so they don't have to waltz in double time). Following the ``American Idol'' model, the network has added a weekly results show on Fridays to reveal the voting outcome.

Further showing its confidence that the ballroom craze has not run its course, ABC has scheduled the new season to run into February sweeps and pitted it against NBC's heavily publicized attempt to revive its Thursday-night comedy block. And while they won't go head to head, ``Dancing'' in the coming weeks will vie with Fox's workhorse ``American Idol'' (Tuesdays and Wednesdays starting Jan. 17) and quirky new ``Skating With Celebrities'' (premiering Jan. 18 then moving to Mondays) for the loyal viewers of talent competitions.

``For us it's just important to get the show out there, make it really entertaining and give people back the show they loved in summer and just try to establish it in a really competitive slot,'' executive producer Conrad Green said.

Green said casting was a bit easier this time ``because it sounded like such a crazy concept the first time we did this - so many people thought it was a stupid idea.''

On the other hand, the hard-earned successes of first-season champion Kelly Monaco and dance-off victor John O'Hurley may have intimidated some as the bar is raised for round two.

``All the people who are taking part in this show are very alpha, successful types by definition,'' Green says. ``So they're very competitive at heart. No one wants to be the first to go.''

If there is a third season - and right now it's looking good - Green's wish list of prospective dancers is interesting. ``Michael Jackson would be fun. I'd like to see him ballroom dance. I fancy Bill Gates doing it. Bill Gates and Bill Clinton I think would be two good ones. The people I like on it are the people you don't expect to be there.''

Indeed. As for the public's reawakening to the realm of ballroom dance, where couples pair up and - gasp! - embrace, Green has his own anecdotal evidence that something is definitely afoot.

``Some of the dance halls that we'd been practicing in (last summer) are much harder to get bookings in now since we started making this show,'' he says.

Valerie Kuklenski, [phone]

valerie.kuklenski(at)dailynews.com

DANCING WITH THE STARS

What: Ten couples - each pair a pro and an inexperienced celebrity - compete in the two-hour premiere of the ballroom dancing contest's second season. Viewers may vote by phone from the start of the show until 30 minutes after its conclusion, but only five votes per phone line will register.

Where: ABC (Channel 7).

When: 8 tonight.

The 'Dancing' steps they'll have to master

There's a lot more than style to the choreography on ``Dancing With the Stars.'' Here's a quick rundown of the rule book:

--Cha-cha: A cheeky, lively and flirtatious dance born in Cuba. It has a catch-me-if-you-can mood and is light and bubbly. It has a distinctive syncopation with five steps danced to four beats, hence the ``One, two, cha cha cha'' description.

--Fox trot: Named for actor Harry Fox, who created it in 1914, a very smooth dance with no jerkiness. It has many continuously forward or backward moving patterns and is called the Rolls-Royce of the standard dancing styles because of the smoothness that is required. Timing is very important. It should be slow, quick, quick, slow.

--Jive: A rhythmic and swinging dance influenced by boogie, rock 'n' roll, African-American swing and the Lindy Hop. Jive, with roots in Harlem, is the fastest of the Latin dances and should show lots of kicks and twirls by the woman. Although it might look like feet are going in every direction, the feet and legs should actually be under the body, and the knees should always be close together.

--Pasodoble: A favorite of John O'Hurley's in the first season, it recalls a Spanish bullfighting atmosphere. It is a dance for the man, allowing him to fill the space with strong poses and movements danced with pride and dignity. The woman can take the role of the matador's cape, the bull or even the matador at different times. Characteristics of the pasodoble are its marching steps and cape movements.

--Quickstep: A light, bright, twinkling and happy dance with tricky footwork originating in the 1920s. Over time, a faster version was born, absorbing extra elements of ragtime such as the Charleston. It's quite sporty in its delivery, as it is very springy and fast-paced. The basic feel is slow, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick. The majority of the slow should be taken on the heel; the majority of the quick should be taken on the toe.

--Rumba: Tells the story of love and eroticism between a man and a woman, premised on her effort to conquer him with her womanly charms. Incorporating all the elements of teasing and withdrawal, it is considered the most sensual of the Latin dances. The emphasis is on the body. Hip actions are produced by controlled transfer of weight from foot to foot.

--Samba: An all-out party dance with origins in Brazil's Carnivale. Comprising many different South American dances in one, it is very rhythmic with lots of hip action. The major characteristic is the vertical bounce action. Steps are taken on the ball of the foot.

--Tango: Seen as a sexy dance, it has its origins in commerce between Argentine gauchos and ladies of the evening. Gauchos chaps' hardened with wear, causing them to walk with flexed knees, which is reflected in the dance. At night, they went to crowded nightclubs and asked prostitutes to dance. Since the gaucho hadn't bathed, the lady would dance in the crook of his right arm, holding her head back. Her right hand was held low on his left hip, close to his pocket, looking for a payment for dancing with him. This should be a very level, flat dance with the knees always slightly bent.

--Viennese waltz: Developed in Central Europe from Austria's landler. The music of Johann Strauss and the famous ballrooms of Vienna popularized the faster version known as the Viennese waltz. The fast whirling of partners held as if in an embrace shocked polite society. On ``Dancing With the Stars,'' this will be a group dance, so the floor can get quite crowded. Watch for dirty tricks as couples try to box others in.

--Waltz: A sentimental and romantic dance whose basic components are walking steps and sidesteps, with rise-and-fall body-sway moves adding elegance. On ``Dancing With the Stars,'' the couples will do an ``American Smooth''-style waltz, which lets them break contact and allows more open movements, including under-arm turns. Think Fred and Ginger.

- Source: www.abc.go.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) On the cover: Lisa Rinna is paired with Louis van Amstel, who danced in last summer's reality contest.

(2) Tia Carrere and pro partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy take to the floor in tonight's ``Dancing With the Stars'' season premiere.

Box:

The `Dancing' steps they'll have to master (see text)