The Mirror Ball trophy is up for grabs and the pros are gearing up for the dance battles. There's less than a month to go and the 21st season of "Dancing with the Stars" is slowly taking shape with returnee Karina Smirnoff and her fellow professionals confirming their participation in the competition.

Smirnoff, who took a season off from the hit television competition, told Entertainment Weekly that she will be part of the reality show for the 21st season. The break was to pursue her other interests including her book "We're Just Not That Into You: Dating Disasters from the Trenches" and movie "Tango Shalom."

She may have kept herself busy with her other commitments but the 37-year-old star admitted she missed the dance floor.

"I was a little nervous about not dancing on the show at all last season. I was doing it for the last 10 years," Smirnoff said in the interview. "I had other things to do in my life, but not going back to the show felt like trying to see if I can walk on my own two feet! I've had obvious moments when I missed it."

The Ukranian-American dancer won the Mirror Ball trophy in the 13th season with actor J.R. Martinez, and she's waiting to see who she'll be partnered with for her comeback season.

"I'm excited and a little nervous," Smirnoff added. "Normally I can at least narrow it down a little bit, like whether it will be an athlete or an actor, but I have no idea."

Smirnoff will be looking at a competitive dance floor, with the show's long-time pros taking on this upcoming season.

Last season's champ Val Chmerkovskiy is set to return to defend his title, according to E! Online. Although he'll have to hit the floor with a different partner than Rumer Willis, Chmerkovskiy is ready to dominate once more.

"Dancing with the Star" casting director Deena Katz told E! that the winner is definitely looking forward to more saying, ""Three days after he won, he texted me like, 'Babe, I need another one.' I was like, 'You just had one!' And he's like, 'I need to do it again!'"

Another professional who is sure to provide good competition is Derek Hough, who fell to fourth place in season 20. There's no official word on his return, but showrunner Rob Wade talked to E! about the dancer's enthusiasm for the show.

"At the moment, he's been texting me giving song ideas. You take from that what you will," Wade said. "He's completely engaged. Derek's an amazing guy and it requires so much work, the show, and to really succeed on the show, you have to give it your everything. I hope Derek's back, he'll always be welcome to come back."

"Dancing with the Stars" Season 21 begins on September 14 on ABC.