Dancing with the Stars finalist suspended

Tamati Coffey's dance partner Samantha Hitchcock has been suspended from formal competition by ballroom dancing's governing body. Photo / Neil Mackenzie

Samantha Hitchcock will be partnering TV weatherman Tamati Coffey in the Dancing with the Stars final this week, while she is suspended from formal competition by ballroom dancing's governing body.

The New Zealand Dance and Dancesport Council has deregistered Hitchcock and national ballroom champions Timur and Yulia Mullayanov .

The council says Hitchcock and the Russian-born Mullayanov siblings, who have now been stripped of their 2008 title, breached the rules governing amateur dancers in New Zealand by helping prepare young dancers for competitions at the Colleen Murray Dance Centre in Christchurch.

Hitchcock lamented the council's actions which she said prohibited talented amateur dancers from passing on their knowledge to youngsters.

"It's a real shame," Hitchcock told Sunday News. "This whole situation is a perfect example of the way New Zealand is staying back in the dark ages. New Zealand will continue to be a small pokey country in dancing if the current people controlling the sport continue to hold this attitude."

Sunday News said amateur dancers were allowed to teach social dancers but the trio, none of whom were on the centre's payroll, broke their sport's rules when they started passing on their skills to other registered (competitive) dancers while they were still competing as amateurs themselves.

"We never realised we were doing anything wrong," Yulia Mullayanov said.

Council president Grant Macown said today that it had received complaints from other competitors about Hitchcock and the Mullayanovs teaching.

"Amateur dancers can't teach and compete. There has got to be a level playing field," he said.

The trio were suspended from competition for six months, as a result of a disciplinary hearing late last year and could apply for registration again at the end of May.

"It's a shame this has come out in the public arena now, but I guess it is for effect," Mr Macown said, referring to Tuesday's grand finale of Dancing with the Stars.

Coffey and Hitchcock take to the floor against Olympic boardsailor Barbara Kendall and Jonny Williams in the TV One show.

- NZPA