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Allison Holker, New DWTS Pro: Why She Looks So Familiar

She’s got the right moves! Allison Holker, dancing with Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett, is DWTS‘ newest pro and one thing is for sure: She’s ready to hit the floor to win.

Prior to Holker’s Sept. 15 debut, Us Weekly gets to know the 26-year-old dancer who first made a splash on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance during seasons 2 and 7-10.

Related: PHOTOS: Meet the new DWTS cast!

1. Having experience as a sultry Devil Girl on VH1’s basketball drama Hit the Floor, Holker is ready to bring the heat to DWTS. As partner Bennett explains, the choreography pro has struggled to keep their moves PG. “Her and I border the line of ‘where does the appropriateness stop? What line can you go to for television?’ We’ll be in rehearsal and I’ll be like, ‘I don’t think we can do that on TV,'” Bennett tells Access Hollywood with a laugh.

Allison and Jonathan rehearsing
Allison Holker and Jonathan Bennett rehearse for their debut on Dancing With the Stars.

2. When she’s not dancing, Holker is a devoted wife and mother. Married to SYTYCD alum Stephen “tWitch” Boss since 2013, Holker is the proud mom of 6-year-old daughter Weslie. “She’s the light of my life,” the dancer gushed on Twitter of her daughter from a previous relationship. One thing Holker loves most about motherhood is seeing Boss bond with her daughter. “Their relationship is so beautiful, it makes me want to cry. She loves him so much, and he is such a good example of what a man should be,” Holker told Dance Spirit magazine in 2012.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebrities sound off on Twitter

3. So You Think You Can Dance isn’t the only time Holker performed for a national audience. In 2002, she danced for Earth, Wind and Fire during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Salt Lake City Olympics, and with her fellow Emmy-nominated choreographers at the 2013 Emmys hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. Holker also hit the road with Clay Aiken and was a featured performer in Christina Perri‘s “Jar of Hearts” music video.

Related: PHOTOS: Music video cameos

4. She and her celeb partner Bennett already have a DWTS couples nickname: “Team Joker,” as coined on Instagram by Holker’s husband and other fans. “I love my partner — Holker said on Twitter of Bennett after their participation was confirmed Sept. 4 on Good Morning America. Agrees Bennett: “From the moment we met each other, we were instantly obsessed. It’s genuine excitement and we have so much fun together!”

5. She has history with DWTS pro Derek Hough. Following her season 2 stint on SYTYCD, Holker juggled All-Star appearances on the FOX series while choreographing behind the scenes with Hough for DWTS. In 2013, the dance power duo earned an Outstanding Choreography Emmy nomination for their routines “Heart Cry” and “Stars.” Though they’ll be competitors on DWTS, Holker is excited to get extra hang time with her industry pal. “He is really the person that inspired me with all my choreography. He has been a huge mentor, muse of mine,” Holker tells Us. “I’m the most excited to compete against him!”

For much more from Holker — and to meet DWTS’ other new professional dancers Keo Motsepe and Artem Chigvintsev — watch the exclusive video above now!

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