Lights, camera, dance! From the studio of “Dancing With The Stars” comes a new competitive take to the dance floor as 12 aspiring dancers train and audition for a prized spot as a professional dancer in the flagship show, “Dancing With The Stars.” The series is hosted by none other than “Dancing With the Stars” Season 34 champion, Robert Irwin.
Unlike its Los Angeles-based flagship series, the new show was produced and filmed entirely in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, right down the road from the Australia Zoo where Irwin works. Featured participants will also be living in a house together while competing in the dance auditions.
Monday, July 13, was the series premiere of the new reality competition TV show. The dancers — Erik Linder, Natalie Jolley, Selena Hamliton, Tristen Sanders, Stephani Sosa, Briar Nolet, AJ Pritchard, Adele Zaikman, Allen Genkin, Nina Mayster, Benji Castro and Jake Monreal — were brought to the studio and greeted by Irwin.
This week’s first challenge was about the techniques, fundamentals and basics which set the tone. Men were dancing jive, a lively and fast-paced dance that emerged from African-American culture, and the women were dancing samba, a vibrant and rhythmic dance that emerged from Afro-Brazilian culture, with each performing an individual solo. They will then perform in front of the show’s judges: three-time Mirrorball trophy winner Mark Ballas, who actually teamed up in a dance with Irwin’s sister, Bindi Irwin, and her partner on “Dancing With The Stars” in 2015 and English champion ballroom dancer, “the Queen of Latin,” and Mark’s mother, Shirley Ballas.
The guest judge for the first episode, six-time Mirrorball trophy winner and television personality, Derek Hough, who surprised the room with a fiery jive entrance.
Dance shot by dance shot during rehearsals, each dancer is seen practicing their assigned routines. Competitors struggle to master the dances in time and backstories, ambitions and passions are shared. The scenes in the episode built an emotional connection with the audience as they place their bets.
When the time came to perform, the atmosphere shifted. If their costumes had a glimmer or shine, it wouldn’t be noticed by how electric they were dancing. Whoever they were before taking the floor left. From the moment the beat dropped, each performance captivated judges and their audience through musicality, flexibility and pure heat.
When each performance ended the judges not only gave their honest feedback to the dancers, but used their experience in the dance industry to point out their differences through the performances the audience probably wouldn’t have noticed until it was pointed out. Another highlight from the judges was their ability to express the emotions they felt during the performances. From a tingling up their spine to words that popped in their head. But when it comes down to the final decision of who gets eliminated, no one feels safe. No matter how good they are, the anticipation that’s built from their time rehearsing is felt. And it only continues to build.
The show’s strong opening is an upbeat and wild start to introducing a new generation of dancers to the world of “Dancing With The Stars.” Ahead of its premiere, Irwin described his time on “Dancing With The Stars” as a “life-changing experience” and commented the dancers “aren’t celebrity contestants that are giving it a go. These are the best in the industry. So it is hard. It is really, really hard.”
In an interview, Mark Ballas teased the show did “an amazing job of creating these challenges and obstacles that they would face as a pro on “Dancing With the Stars.”
“Dancing With The Stars: The Next Pro” airs every Monday at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.
Featured image: “135901_0545” by Walt Disney Television, CC BY-ND 2.0
Edited by James Sutton & Kester Kafeero
