Denise Lewis on Greene's Dancing With The Stars chances

Wed 01/10/2008 15:45

Former Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis believes just because Maurice Greene comes from a track and field background he will not necessarily prosper on US hit TV show Dancing With The Stars, spikesmag.com reports.

Lewis memorably proved she had rhythm by finishing runner-up on the 2004 UK version Strictly Come Dancing and the following year, two-time World 110m hurdles champion and fellow athlete, Colin Jackson also proved a hit on the dance floor by enjoying a run to the final.

Greene, the 2000 Olympic 100m champion, has survived the cull of the first two weeks of the US show but Lewis believes you need more quality than merely coming from a track and field background to thrive at dancing.

"It depends which athletes because it is a big generalisation to say all athletes can dance," Lewis told spikesmag.com. "Some people have a little bit more grace than others. If we take a generic athlete like Mark Foster [the swimmer] at the moment he is doing okay [on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing] but he still looks very awkward."

When asked is dancing an innate skill? Lewis replies: "Yes, you've got to be in tune with the music and know how to move to certain beats. You've got to be able to hear and feel the music." Lewis was a childhood tap and ballet dancer.

However, Lewis, who is expecting her third child in three weeks, argues athletes do possess certain qualities which are important to dancing success. "Having the [athlete's] mentality of being used to training and discipline and peaking specifically are important," she explained. "You have to remember you are out of your comfort zone when that music starts. It is like giving a live performance, you make mistakes there for the nation to see and athletes are used to peaking for the big occasion. Rehearsing is a little like training and if I could give him [Greene] any advice I would tell him to keep rehearsing. I think that's where some people find it difficult because it [dancing] is very taxing on the body, particularly the feet."

Lewis, however, was keen to see if Greene, 34, would maintain track and field's excellent record in TV dance shows. "I haven't seen him, so I can't pre-judge him," she added. "He has a cocky confidence and although he might be a little self-conscious it will be interesting to see how he gets on."