Dalton native J.R. Martinez’ dancing journey begins tonight with the season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” at 8 p.m. on ABC.

The results show will premiere Tuesday, also at 8 p.m.

Fans of Martinez can vote to help keep him in the competition by phone or on the Internet. Phone lines, text votes (AT&T customers only) and online voting open at the beginning of each show. Phone and text lines stay open until 30 minutes after the end of the show in the local time zone. Online voting remains open until 11 a.m. Eastern the next day. The phone numbers for each dancing couple are provided during the show.

A 2002 graduate of Dalton High School, Martinez is known nationally as a motivational speaker. A U.S. Army veteran, he was driving a Humvee in Iraq in 2003 when its left front tire struck a land mine. The explosion caused severe burns to more than 40 percent of his body. Martinez endured 34 months in the hospital and 33 surgeries, including skin grafts and cosmetic surgery.

Martinez has played the character of “Brot Monroe” for the past three years on the ABC soap opera “All My Children” and he credits fans of that show with getting him interested in appearing on “Dancing with the Stars.”

He is paired with professional Karina Smirnoff, and their first dance is scheduled to be the Viennese waltz. Among the celebrities he will be competing with are U.S. women’s soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo, actor David Arquette, TV show host and inquisitor Nancy Grace and pro basketball player Ron Artest.

In an interview posted on the show’s website (http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/), Martinez said he wanted to be on the show for two reasons, “to put the moves my mother taught to the test!” but also because “the platform DWTS gives me is unbelievable, and I’m hoping to be a source of inspiration to other vets, people with disfigurements, and other viewers, and to share that life is/can be precious; positivity is powerful.”

Asked what dance style he thinks is most “him,” he said, “ Hip hop.”

He mentioned as dancing inspirations Michael Jackson, former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (a previous DWTS winner) and fellow soap stars Cameron Mathison, Susan Lucci and Aiden Turner, who have appeared on the show.

Asked “Is there a particular dance/dance style that you most fear?” he responded, “Waltz. Need I say more?”

Stay tuned!

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