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Karen Hauer
Born
Karen Vanessa Girez Kardenez Andreas

(1982-04-20) 20 April 1982 (age 43)
Valencia, Venezuela
Occupation Professional dancer
Years active 2009–present
Television So You Think You Can Dance
Strictly Come Dancing
Spouse(s)
Matthew Hauer
​
​
(m. 2000; div. 2009)​
​
​
(m. 2015; div. 2018)​
Jordan Wyn-Jones
​
​
(m. 2022; div. 2024)​

Karen Hauer (born April 20, 1982) is a professional dancer from Venezuela and America. She is known for her amazing Latin dance skills. Karen is also a World Mambo Champion. Many people know her from the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing. She has been a professional dancer on the show since 2012. This makes her the longest-serving professional dancer on Strictly Come Dancing! Karen also appeared on the American TV show So You Think You Can Dance. She was also a main dancer in the live show Burn the Floor.

Karen Hauer's Early Life and Dance Career

Karen Vanessa Girez Kardenez Andreas was born in Valencia, Venezuela. When she was eight years old, she moved to New York. This is where she started dancing.

She studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. Then, she went to the High School of Performing Arts, also known as "The Fame School." There, she focused on ballet and modern dance. When she was 19, she began studying Ballroom and Latin dance.

In 2008, Karen was named the World Mambo Champion. In 2009, she became the Professional American Rhythm Rising Star Champion.

So You Think You Can Dance

In 2009, Karen Hauer tried out for season 6 of the American TV show So You Think You Can Dance. She first auditioned with her husband at the time, Matthew Hauer. Matthew was eliminated earlier, but Karen made it to the top 20 dancers.

Here is how Karen performed on the show:

Week Partner Style Music Choreographer(s) Results
1 Kevin Hunte Cha-Cha "Push It"—Glee Cast Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin Safe
2 Kevin Hunte Hip-Hop "Ice Cream Paint Job"—Dorrough Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo Safe
3 Kevin Hunte Hustle "Come To Me"—France Joli Maria Torres Bottom 3
4 Kevin Hunte Broadway "If My Friends Could See Me Now"—Christina Applegate Spencer Liff Bottom 3
5 Victor Smalley Tango "Montserrat"— Orquesta del Plata Tony Meredith and Melanie LaPatin Eliminated
5 Victor Smalley Hip-Hop "Moving Mountains"—Usher Laurie Ann Gibson Eliminated

Strictly Come Dancing

Karen Hauer joined Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer in 2012. She has been on the show for many years. This makes her the longest-serving female professional dancer in the show's history.

Her Journey on Strictly

  • 2012: Karen's first partner was singer Nicky Byrne. They made it to the quarter-finals.
  • 2013: She danced with TV chef Dave Myers. They were voted off in week 7.
  • 2014: Karen partnered with TV star Mark Wright. They reached the final and finished in 4th place.
  • 2015: She danced with broadcaster Jeremy Vine. They left the show in Week 8.
  • 2016: Karen was paired with singer Will Young. He left the competition after Week 3. That year, Karen also won the Children in Need Special with taekwondo athlete Lutalo Muhammad. She danced with chef Ainsley Harriott for the Christmas special.
  • 2017: She partnered with TV chef Simon Rimmer. They finished in 11th place.
  • 2018: Karen danced with actor Charles Venn. They reached the quarter-finals.
  • 2019: She was partnered with comedian Chris Ramsey. They made it all the way to the semi-final!
  • 2020: Karen danced with Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing. They reached the final for the second time.
  • 2021: Her partner was actor Greg Wise. They were eliminated in Week 4.
  • 2022: She was paired with comedian Jayde Adams. They left the show in Week 5.
  • 2023: Karen partnered with comedian and DJ Eddie Kadi. They were eliminated in Week 5.
  • 2024: She danced with footballer Paul Merson. They also left in Week 5. Karen also performed a fun Charleston with Josh Widdicombe in the 2024 Christmas special.

Highest and Lowest Scores

This table shows Karen's best and worst scores for different dance styles on Strictly Come Dancing.

Strictly Series Results

This table shows Karen's partners and their final place in each series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Series Partner Place Average
Score
10 Nicky Byrne 6th 26.6
11 Dave Myers 10th 18.3
12 Mark Wright 4th 31.7
13 Jeremy Vine 9th 20.3
14 Will Young 13th 29.3
15 Simon Rimmer 11th 18.5
16 Charles Venn 6th 29.7
17 Chris Ramsey 4th 26.2
18 Jamie Laing 2nd 32.0
19 Greg Wise 12th 23.0
20 Jayde Adams 27.4
21 Eddie Kadi 25.0
22 Paul Merson 18.6

Dance Tours and Other Work

Karen Hauer also performs in dance tours and other professional shows.

  • In 2018, Karen and Kevin Clifton went on a UK tour together.
  • In 2023, Karen announced she would be teaching and performing with Gorka Márquez at 'Dancing with The Stars Weekends' in 2024.
  • She has performed many times on the Strictly Come Dancing Live! tour.
  • In 2020, her 'Firedance' tour with Gorka Márquez was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal Life

Karen Hauer is also a certified Personal Trainer. She loves health and fitness. In 2019, she started her own online fitness program called 'Hauer Power'.

Karen has been married three times. Her first husband was her dance partner, Matthew Hauer. Her second husband was fellow professional dancer Kevin Clifton. They were married from 2015 to 2018. Her third husband was Jordan Wyn-Jones. They got married in 2022 at Chewton Glen.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Karen Hauer para niños

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