Jenna Dewan is pushing back against criticism from fans following her casting on the 35th season of "Dancing With the Stars." Some viewers have accused the "Step Up" actress, who has extensive dance experience, of being overqualified for the competition.
Dewan, 45, explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that her background in hip-hop and contemporary dance does not directly translate to ballroom dancing, the primary style featured on the ABC show. "I do not know how to ballroom dance," Dewan stated. "Let's be clear. It's two different languages."
While acknowledging that parts of her dance training are helpful, such as learning choreography and performance skills, she emphasized the need to "unlearn" habits from her familiar styles. Dewan described the process as learning a "brand new technique" that is unfamiliar to her.
She noted that adapting to the ballroom-based competition has required considerable adjustments. "It almost threw me off initially because I had to unlearn a lot of – I don't want to say bad habits – but just habits of the style that I'm used to," she said. Dewan, who previously worked as a backup dancer for artists like Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, and Mandy Moore, admitted to feeling "a little more nervous" about adapting to the new genre.
"It's not like you're giving me a style that I've done – I can go out there and do that," Dewan commented. "It has its advantages, but it also has its challenges. But that was part of why I wanted to do it. I really wanted to challenge myself."
Dewan's "Dancing With the Stars" partner, Val Chmerkovskiy, also addressed the perceived advantage. He acknowledged Dewan's "incredible talent" but pointed out that expectations for her are significantly higher. "First of all, it's naive to think that this show is just about dance," Chmerkovskiy said. "It's about the human experience and the human journey and how much you're willing to reveal yourself."
Chmerkovskiy added that dance serves as a vehicle for viewers to connect with the contestants on a personal level, suggesting this is where their advantage lies. He outlined his strategy to push Dewan beyond her established strengths to showcase something new to the audience.
On the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, many viewers expressed their disagreement with Dewan's casting. Comments included sentiments like, "You're a dancer, how is this even remotely fair to the other contestants?" and "Technically Jenna will be the best dancer…I mean she's danced with Janet Jackson."
One user declared, "If Jenna Dewan wins #DWTS Season 35, I'm calling RIGGED. It's completely unfair to the other contestants when Jenna is a professional dancer."
Mentioned in the report is Dewan's role in the 2006 film "Step Up" alongside her ex-husband Channing Tatum.
Dewan's dance partner Val Chmerkovskiy said that there are other factors that lessen the perceived advantage Dewan has with her experience.
On X, a number of the show's viewers suggested that the show had a misstep in casting Dewan against celebs with no background.
