{"id":835491,"date":"2026-09-03T22:06:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835491\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T22:06:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:06:11","slug":"jenna-dewan-defends-her-right-to-dance-with-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/835491\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Dewan Defends Her Right to Dance With the Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JENNA <\/p>\n

\n Photo: Andrew Eccles\/Disney\n <\/p>\n

I know from years of watching Dancing With the Stars<\/a> \u2014 and So You Think You Can Dance, for that matter \u2014\u00a0that the Argentine tango is one of the hardest ballroom styles to tackle. It requires flawless technique, precise movements, and the very important mandate that you not whack your partner in the balls with a crystal-studded heel. It is so intimidating, in fact, that even longtime professional hip-hop dancer Jenna Dewan<\/a>, best known for her starring role in the aughts dance film Step Up, is claiming amateur status.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the 45-year-old confirmed<\/a> she\u2019s competing in the upcoming 35th season of DWTS alongside three-time Mirror Ball champion Val Chmerkovskiy. While the news was mostly met with excitement, some fans<\/a> found it unfair<\/a> that a woman skilled enough to dance backup for Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake was going up against true\u00a0beginners like, say, Connor Leavitt. But in an interview<\/a> with Entertainment Weekly later on Wednesday, Dewan defended her right to compete on the series because she does \u201cnot know how to ballroom dance.\u201d \u201cLet\u2019s be clear,\u201d she told the outlet. \u201cIt\u2019s two different languages.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s parts of my dance training that\u2019s helpful, obviously,\u201d she went on. \u201cI\u2019ve learned choreography, I can perform, but there is a certain sense of unlearning for me. It\u2019s a brand-new technique, and it almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of \u2014 I don\u2019t want to say bad habits \u2014 but just habits of the style that I\u2019m used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dewan added that her experience doing body-rolls in the back of Mandy Moore music videos and getting lifted<\/a> by Channing Tatum<\/a> actually makes her more nervous to perform. She finds ballroom stylistically \u201creally foreign,\u201d adding, \u201cIt\u2019s not like you\u2019re giving me a style that I\u2019ve done \u2014 I can go out there and do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

If viewers still have a problem with her participation, they can take it up with Dewan\u2019s partner and 20-season veteran Chmerkovskiy, who told EW it\u2019s \u201cna\u00efve to think that this show is just about dance.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about the human experience and the human journey and how much you\u2019re willing to reveal yourself; dance is a vehicle for us to find out more about these people,\u201d he said. \u201cBut, totally, she comes in with incredible talent and with great talent comes incredible expectation.\u201d<\/p>\n

I guess we\u2019ll have to see how she fares with the foxtrot. Something tells me if Charli D\u2019Amelio and Whitney Leavitt figured it out, Dewan will be just fine.<\/p>\n

Stay in touch.<\/p>\n

The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Notice<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n