‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Dancers
The professional dancers of “Dancing With the Stars” brought their moves to New York City as excitement builds for the return of the popular ballroom competition and the reveal of this year’s celebrity contestants.
The dancers appeared in New York City ahead of the Season 35 premiere, giving fans a glimpse of the performances and choreography that will soon take over the ballroom.
The professional dancers have become major stars in their own right throughout the show’s run. Each season, they are tasked with taking celebrities from a wide range of backgrounds and teaching them the techniques needed to compete against the other couples.
Who Is Competing This Season?
The new season features a diverse group of celebrities from entertainment, sports, television, food and social media.
Among this year’s contestants are Jenna Dewan, Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr., Tatyana Ali, Tyler Cameron, Giada De Laurentiis, Taylor Hanson, Guillermo Rodriguez, Maura Higgins, Ciara Miller, Connor Wood, Jackson Olson, Ezra Frech, Amber Glenn, Sarah Jane Nader and Matt Olson.
The cast brings together performers with extensive experience in front of an audience and contestants who are stepping onto a competitive dance floor for the first time.
Familiar Faces Return To The Ballroom
Several veteran professional dancers are returning for another season, including Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Daniella Karagach, Alan Bersten and Witney Carson.
Carson enters the new season as the reigning champion after winning Season 34 alongside Robert Irwin.
This season will also feature new additions to the professional lineup, giving the ballroom a combination of familiar faces and dancers looking to establish themselves with the show’s massive audience.
New Partnerships Bring New Challenges
The celebrity and professional pairings will be one of the biggest storylines once the competition begins.
Among the announced partnerships are Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy, Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa, Harry Shum Jr. and Jenna Johnson, Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, Guillermo Rodriguez and Witney Carson, and Ezra Frech and Daniella Karagach.
The partnerships are particularly important because the professionals must design routines around their celebrity partners’ individual abilities. A celebrity with previous dance or performance experience can have a very different starting point from someone who has never competed in ballroom dancing.
A Historic Partnership
The season will also feature Sarah Jane Nader and professional dancer Hailey Bills, marking another same sex partnership in the show’s history.
Bills is among the dancers entering a new chapter with the main series after previously being part of the “Dancing With the Stars” franchise.
The partnership adds another layer of representation to a show that has increasingly featured contestants and professionals from a variety of backgrounds.
The Professionals Take Center Stage
While the celebrity contestants receive much of the attention during the competition, the New York City performance was a reminder that the professional dancers are the foundation of the series.
Their performances require extensive training, complicated choreography and significant physical preparation. They must also balance their own performances with the responsibility of preparing their celebrity partners for live television.
For viewers, that combination is part of what makes the show more than a traditional dance competition. The professionals are simultaneously performers, choreographers, teachers and partners.
When Does Season 35 Premiere?
“Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 is scheduled to premiere with a two night event on September 15 and September 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.
The series will once again feature Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough as hosts, with Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough returning as judges.
As the professional dancers take their performances around New York City and the country, attention is now turning toward the ballroom, where 16 celebrities will begin the journey toward the Mirrorball Trophy.
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