Jenna Dewan Says Ballroom Dance Is a New Language Ahead of ‘DWTS’

Jenna Dewan is answering questions about whether her long professional dance career gives her an unfair head start on Dancing With the Stars. After joining the Season 35 cast, the Step Up star acknowledged that she can learn choreography and perform, but argued that ballroom requires a technique she has never mastered.

Why Jenna Dewan says ballroom feels different

Dewan will compete with veteran pro Val Chmerkovskiy. Her casting immediately drew debate because she began dancing professionally more than two decades ago, worked as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson and became widely known through a dance movie. That background is real, and Dewan is not trying to hide it.

In interviews following the September 2 cast reveal, she described ballroom as a different language. Dewan said her experience helps with memorizing movement and performing for an audience, while the unfamiliar posture, partnering and technique require her to unlearn habits developed in other styles. She also said the expectations attached to her résumé make the competition more nerve-racking, not less.

Chmerkovskiy offered a similar argument. He said the series has previously featured contestants with dance experience and that the challenge is to create something viewers have not already seen from Dewan. For him, the show is also about a celebrity’s story and ability to connect with the audience, rather than technical dance skill alone.

A familiar debate returns to the ballroom

The controversy revives a recurring question for the franchise: how much prior experience is too much? Dancing With the Stars has never drawn a strict line between complete beginners and performers who have trained in a different discipline. Actors, musicians, athletes and stage performers often arrive with varying degrees of rhythm, stamina or choreography experience.

Dewan’s case makes that tension especially visible because dance is central to her public identity. Her defense does not erase the advantage of performance experience, but it does identify the specific gap she must close. Ballroom depends on a shared frame, precise footwork and communication with a partner, all under weekly live-show pressure.

Season 35 begins with a two-night premiere on September 15 and 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Once the competition starts, viewers will be able to judge whether Dewan’s background translates into ballroom success—or simply raises the standard she is expected to meet.